On 23 May, we had our online meeting for directors of European Spirituality Centres. The group meets in person every two years and, in-between, meets online every six months.This meeting was organised differently than previous meetings. Instead of having a keynote presentation and discussion, it was an open meeting with three breakout rooms where people could join freely to discuss the topics that were chosen: Formation programmes, Facilitating communal discernment and the ecological commitments in our centres. Here is what some people shared at the end of the meeting: “It is nice to see known faces, feeling a kind of connection among us.” “I found it very enriching to LISTEN to the others.” “I have valued the time together very much.” We intend to have two other similar online meetings in October 2024 and May 2025 before meeting in person in October 2025.May this network help us grow towards a better service in the Lord's vineyard.

“In the name of the Father and of the Holy Spirit and of the Son.” That is how the Jesuit who was presiding at mass in a language other than his own started the celebration. Errors like these happen when you are not familiar with the language and, in a way, the whole meeting was just about that: learning a new “language”. No, we didn’t try to change Trinitarian theology, but, together, and, step by step, we tried to explore how to espouse Laudato Si’ and Ignatian Spirituality, and it feels like learning a new language. From 16 to 19 October, 19 directors of the European Jesuit Spirituality Centres met at Mount St Joseph retreat house in Malta to discuss, pray and discern about Ignatian Spirituality and the much needed ecological conversion. We started off with a presentation by Donal Dorr from Ireland who, in a poetic way, spoke about an Ignatian Ecological Conversion. In the afternoon, we had an input by James Hanvey sj about the Mission of Creation in the Exercises. Both inputs were followed by discussion in small groups and a plenary session. The following day, Xavier de Bénazé SJ presented "The work that reconnects" and the project about transforming Le Chatelard, Lyon into an Eco-spirituality centre. He led us into an exercise called "The seventh generation" that helped us extend our vision forward while remaining hopeful. In my opinion, the highlight of the session was the last afternoon, where we had some time for personal prayer followed by spiritual conversation, using the customary three rounds and an exercise of communal discernment in plenary. What came to us as a group was quite clear: We need to work together Proceed step-by-step With Hope and with God. This group will continue the process started in Malta in follow-up meetings. If you are a director of a centre that did not receive the invitation to participate, please contact us on spirituality.centres@jesuits.eu so that we may update our database. Christopher Vella SJ

Although there are more than twenty organised networks in the European Conference, only one was devoted to Ignatian Spirituality, the network of Spirituality Centres, with an attention restricted, however, to the activities of the many Jesuit retreat houses. Recent developments emphasised the foundational importance of Ignatian Spirituality: the first of the four UAPs, indispensable for the vitality of the all the others; the reactivation in Rome of the Secretariat for the Service of Faith; and the many references, direct and indirect, of Pope Francis to central themes of Ignatian Spirituality. The Apostolic Plan of the JCEP elected Ignatian Formation as one of the calls to be addressed at the Conference level. Indeed, these are good times for Ignatian Spirituality. They make clearer how much Ignatian Spirituality is a treasure we are responsible to develop and offer to all.  To respond to that, the European Provincials decided “to create now a new network, formed by one representative from each province/region of the Conference, each bringing a broader overview knowledge of everything that is going on in the field of Ignatian Spirituality in his province/region. This more focused group will have, thus, the capacity to evaluate and reflect on the ways Ignatian Spirituality is being offered all around the European Conference and may explore ways to disseminate good practices, plan possible common initiatives, work together in the formation of new agents, etc.”  The network had its first meeting online, on March 16th. James Hanvey, Secretary for the Service of Faith, was present and encouraged better coordination and the opening of spaces for reflection, for deepening the spiritual dimensions of the UAPs and bringing spirituality to the frontiers of secularisation, peace, ecology and synodality.  The meeting was inspiring and created a shared desire for a next gathering face to face. A Steering Committee is being now formed to organise it and coordinate the future activity of the new network.  Herminio Rico sj JCEP Socius

The European Jesuit Spirituality Centres is a new group which met only once in person - in Manresa in November 2018. The progress of the pandemic has meant that those concerned with spirituality centres in Europe have met online only since then. An online meeting on Thursday 8 April 2021 was the third such meeting. Over 50 participants from many centres across Europe,  responded to the invitation to join a meeting in preparation for the Ignatian anniversaries.  With the historical events of 500 years ago in mind, the steering committee had invited Barton Geger of the Institute for Advanced Jesuit Studies in Boston to describe the emergence of key ideas in Ignatius thinking. Having previously circulated a number of documents for reading and reflection, Barton offered some reflection on key Ignatian ideas before inviting those online to discuss them in small groups. Barton described how Ignatius’ insights differed from the prevailing spirituality of his time, developing an apostolic understanding that was confirmed on the banks of the Cardoner and elaborated as he offered the Exercises and helped the meaning of ’the more universal good’ to be understood embodied in the emerging Society of Jesus. When back together in the plenary, everyone have a chance to vote on screen as  compared our judgements to those of Ignatius. Participants took time to express their appreciation of the helpful content offered and for the opportunity to meet one another online.  A further Zoom meeting is planned for Wednesday 6 October 2021 and  it is hoped this will be possible for centre directors to meet in Malta in May 2022.

The second meeting of the Spirituality Centres was to be in Malta. The keynote speakers were ready: Archbishop Charles Scicluna, on “Faith in Europe” and Fr James Hanvey SJ, on “Our mission in the light of the Universal Apostolic Preferences (UAPs)”. Unfortunately, the pandemic situation put a question mark over it and the only possible trip seemed to be to nowhere. The decision was fast, they went online. Where a door was closed to travel, a window – or a screen – was opened everywhere to enable the meeting. Without problems of travel arrangements and accommodation, the meeting was now open not only for Directors of Spirituality Centres or Spirituality Delegates, but also for team and staff members. On a screen is easier to keep the social distance among 50 people than in person meetings. There were three sessions in two days according to the inputs of the keynote speakers, and the following working groups and plenaries. The last session Fr Franck Janin, JCEP President, helped the group to reflect on the Ignatian anniversaries. Monsignor Scicluna, Archbishop of Malta, developed the idea of faith in Europe by joining it to the dynamic of the Spiritual Exercises: Response, commitment, action/ witness, in a meeting that changes us. Spiritual centres can focus on this encounter with God that makes it possible for people to become committed witnesses in their societies. Fr James Hanvey SJ, Secretary for the Service of Faith of the Society of Jesus, made in his talk the difference between prudence and discernment as the key to understanding the UAPs. That is why UAPs emphasize a larger reality that includes transcendence. UAPs do not tell us what to do, but are criteria for discernment. Hope is what makes the difference between prudence and pragmatic decisions. Centres of spirituality are places of hope. Hope that begins within each person, lay and Jesuit, in their personal encounter with God and in fostering ways of witnessing to and facilitating that encounter. COVID-19 Crisis: It has been a very challenging and confusing time for Spirituality Centres. In the language of Ignatian spirituality it is like the experience of the third week: God feels absent but is in fact working. The centres have closed their doors, there is a serious financial problem to be faced with staff members and house maintenance. In some cases the centre has just closed, in others the challenge of the pandemic has become an opportunity for discernment and creativity. Even one of the centres was offered to the local authorities to turn into a hospital for the emergency. In the end it was not necessary. Then next challenge for the Spirituality Centres in Europe is the celebration of the Ignatian year that will be a deep renewal commemorating the roots of our spirituality.