Fr General at Congregation of Procurators

Written by Administrator Tuesday, 10 July 2012 17:12

Fr General's Opening Address at Procurators' Congregation, Nairobi, Kenya

10 July 2012

The day’s key activity was Father General’s talk on the state of the Society of Jesus in the world in terms of fidelity to our Institute. The point is to come to see, from the perspective of our original vocation and the Institute of the Society, 'what the Lord is calling us to be and do today for His greater glory and the service of His people'. 

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Regarding life in the Spirit, after having highlighted that "the key for determining the spiritual health of the Society depends on whether Jesuits continue to have the ability to give absolutely everything to the Lord, as Ignatius did and so many after him and so many after him till the present day", Father General indicated four areas that demand more attention: the difficulty of finding spiritual directors; the danger of secularised values that have entered our mentalities; the need to be transformed by the integrating power of our spirituality; and the disordered attachment both to work and to works.

With regard to apostolic dynamism, he highlighted education in particular, mentioning three dimensions of our apostolic work today, namely service to the poor, collaboration with others, and networking between Provinces, within Conferences, and between Conferences. After noting the challenges in these areas, the speech addressed redefining discernment, formation for leadership, and enabling and deepening collaboration among Jesuits and among Jesuits and lay partners.

Regarding community life, after having highlighted that “the overall picture of the state of community life is positive”, he pointed out some shadows such as an attitude of individualism that manifests itself in a lack of financial transparency and dependence; in excessive attention to new forms of communication, electronic gadgets and social networking sites; and in tensions caused by generational, ethnic, tribal or racial differences. 

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