Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Rome (Fides Service) - Major Superiors of the Society of Jesus will meet 26 November to 3 December in Loyola Spain to reflect on situations, problems and initiatives of the Society all over the world and to draft, after prayer and discussion of various themes, recommendations for the Society of Jesus. Participants will include prepositor general Fr. Peter-Hans Kolvenbach, and major provincial and regional superiors and presidents of conferences, about 130 people in all. After the opening address by Fr Kolvenbach participants will reflect on four questions: government of the Society (structures, problems, collaboration); apostolic priorities (Africa, China, intellectual apostolate, refugees and migrants, Houses in Rome); Formation (vocations, quality of formation, people who have left the Society); collaboration with the laity and realities outside the Society. Each question will be viewed in three stages: presentation in plenary assembly with questions and answers, work groups, report of work groups to plenary assembly. The opening session will be on Saturday 26 November in Loyola followed by a concelebration of Mass preside by Fr Kolvenbach. The closing session will be in Javier, Saturday 3 December, feast of St Francis Xavier, on the occasion of the inauguration of the Society’s Jubilee Year and will be presided by the archbishop of Pamplona Fernando Sebastian Aguilar. According to the Jesuit General House, on 1 January 2005 Jesuits in the world were 19,850, (13,966 priests, 3,054 scholastics, 1,921 Brothers and 909 novices. (S.L.) (Agenzia Fides 10/11/2005; Righe 19; Parole 257)
