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Greetings all, and welcome to the first newsletter of 2025!
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FEBRUARY 2025

Greetings From The Arrupe Coordinator 

Greetings all, and welcome to the first newsletter of 2025! This promises to be a big year for us as we have a full cohort of candidates joining us to begin their formation to be givers of the Spiritual Exercises in the Arrupe Program.


There is always the sense of excitement, anticipation and hope at the start of such a beautiful journey, for I can think of no greater gift than to let oneself be absorbed into the depths of the Spiritual Exercises of Saint Ignatius. They never cease yielding good fruit, and those fruits develop in richness of taste each time one returns to them. We can only savour a small part of their promise in this life. 


I have to say, I really enjoyed putting this newsletter together as I have been wanting to do this for quite some time – ever since 2013 when Pope Francis became pope in fact! Francis is indeed a Jesuit pope as everything he says, thinks, writes, and does is reflective of his appropriation of Ignatius’s Spiritual Exercises. 


I hope you will take the time to engage with some of the resources in this newsletter. I was personally struck by the connection between the thrust of Pedro Arrupe’s last public talk (before he was struck down by a major stroke), and Pope Francis’s vision of a synodal Church. 


Choosing the books was a particularly difficult task – there is simply so much written about Pope Francis! But of the many writers and texts I have engaged with, I am of the view that the writer who really ‘gets’ Pope Francis in the most incisive and comprehensive manner is Austen Ivereigh. All his books (now there are four!), manage to communicate and illuminate in an accessible style, the breadth and depth of Pope Francis’s vision. If I were to pick one of his texts that could be a ‘must read’ for anyone interested in Francis’s spiritual vision, it would be Let us Dream, (with Wounded Shepherd coming in as a close second!). But that is just my view, you will have your own; variety is the spice of mutual encounter!    

Pope Francis: Vicar of Christ, Friend of the Powerless

The future enters into us

so as to transform itself in us
long before it happens.

- Rainer Maria Rilke, “Letter Eight” (Epigraph in Pope Francis’s Autobiography)

It is a surreal but beautiful experience to be reading Pope Francis’s autobiography while he is lying in a hospital in Rome battling pneumonia. Surreal in the sense that I can no longer imagine the Catholic Church without Francis as pope, and beautiful because it draws me close to him. Everyone’s life is deeply interesting and wonderous, but reading Francis’s autobiography makes me feel his life was touched by a special grace right from the start. 


To say something meaningful about the astonishing papacy of Pope Francis in such a brief reflection is a rather daunting prospect. But here goes! 
Pope Francis has already transformed the Church of the past 11 years, he is transforming it in the present, and will continue to transform it long after he finishes his journey on earth; for he is not only a force of nature, he is a force of the Spirit as well. His written output alone is extraordinary. How he can get so much written with his punishing public schedule is truly astounding (I think of him as the Mozart of the papacy!). But it’s the quality of his ideas and the touching power of his words that really strikes through to the heart. He seems to be in possession of the theologian’s forensic insight, the scientist’s power of scrutiny, the historian’s long view, the poet’s eye for the commonplace, the mystic’s feeling for the presence of God, and all topped off with the saint’s commitment to vulnerable reliance on God’s grace. This is not to say that Pope Francis is some sort of perfect human being (like Jesus!); in fact his humanity and weakness is visible to all, but he is an example of what C.G. Jung would call a fully individuated human being. He refuses to comply with stereotypes, charts his own unique path and is comfortable in his own skin. 


I know this is the experience of many, but for me personally Pope Francis is an inspiring figure who has revitalised and reenergised my own faith. Whenever I read virtually anything Pope Francis writes, I feel the gospel coming to life, and experience a sense of connection with the very essence of my own true self. I think this strong response has a lot to do with his Ignatian spirituality. To me, he is a living embodiment of the Ignatian way of being in the world. This is a way of being that doesn’t seek perfection, but seeks instead to be faithful to the call that rises up from the depths of one’s being. Francis’s Ignatian spirituality is one that prioritises interiority, particularly through desire to foster a deep intimacy and friendship with the person of Jesus Christ. He also prioritises discernment as he knows how easily we can be tricked into believing we are doing good when in reality, we are doing damage to ourselves, others, and the earth. Part of the interior path he consistently and persistently promotes is the nurturing of Ignatian Indifference. This of course does not mean ‘not caring’; on the contrary it means to care deeply, but the very deepest desire is to do what God wills, come what may. This means one is willing to hold all the options in tension and wait patiently for the grace to choose what the Spirit is calling us to choose. In this sense, Francis’s spirituality (following Ignatius), is direct and practical. One of his many great gifts is his ability to communicate complex theological ideas and nuanced spiritual movements, in plain and accessible language. 


Sadly, we often associate the spiritual life with a way of being that is super-serious, and humourless – perhaps even dour and “sour-pussed” (to use a Francis term!). But he promotes the Joy of the Gospel. For Francis, true conversion to the Way of Jesus Christ, should fill us with consolation and make our heart smile (and maybe our face as well!). The current Father General of the Jesuits, Arturo Sosa points to Francis' evident “joy,” saying it is “a clear sign of a spirituality that asks for consolation in the relationship with the Lord and lives with it.”


When speaking with the Irish Jesuits in 2018, Francis revealed that every day for forty years, after saying the psalms and prayers from the Church’s Morning Prayer, he has recited one written by Saint Thomas More that ends: “Grant me, O Lord, a sense of good humor. Allow me the grace to be able to take a joke and to discover in life a bit of joy, and to be able to share it with others.” (Wounded Shepherd). What a beautiful prayer! How different our world would be if we all took this to heart each day! This is not to deny in any way that life and our world is full of suffering; in fact our capacity to experience of joy is proportionate to our willingness to enter deeply into our own suffering, the suffering of those who are in relationship with us, and the suffering of the world and the cosmos at large. This is the essential paradox of faith; and it is the paradox of Weeks Three and Four of the Spiritual Exercises.  


Personally, I feel that this is the most beautiful feature of Pope Francis’s personality; his feeling for and identification with those who are weak and powerless - those living on the margins. Even his choice of pilgrimage destinations reflects this preference for the margins. In the Church we are very familiar with the phrase ‘preferential option for the poor’; but for Francis it is ought to be very much a ‘preferential option with the poor’. His is a theology of encounter, a flesh-and-blood accompaniment. This is why Ivereigh named him the ‘spiritual director of the Church’. He truly is, for the Ignatian spiritual director is one who accompanies, who reaches into the very depths of another’s experience and holds it gently, reverently, and lovingly – especially in the places where we are most wounded and vulnerable. Just before coming down with bronchitis and then pneumonia, he penned an assertive letter to the Bishops of the United States, urging them in no uncertain terms to support migrants. The second last paragraph reveals the clarity, passion and the critique that have been a hallmark of his papacy:
 I exhort all the faithful of the Catholic Church, and all men and women of good will, not to give in to narratives that discriminate against and cause unnecessary suffering to our migrant and refugee brothers and sisters. With charity and clarity we are all called to live in solidarity and fraternity, to build bridges that bring us ever closer together, to avoid walls of ignominy and to learn to give our lives as Jesus Christ gave his for the salvation of all.


I have always loved the opening line of Gaudium et Spes; it is a clarion call to every person of faith: “The joys and the hopes, the griefs and the anxieties of the men of this age, especially those who are poor or in any way afflicted, these are the joys and hopes, the griefs and anxieties of the followers of Christ.” One senses an almost physical appropriation of this vision within Pope Francis. He is one who is willing to put himself out there and walk with all the casualties of this anguished and bewildered world. He feels the joys and hopes, and griefs and anxieties. We see this shining through with particular clarity and urgency in Laudato Si’, the encyclical that stands as the embodiment of a new vision for humanity and for the earth in this critical historical moment.


Another strong current that runs through Pope Francis’s writings is his deep suspicion of ideology of every hue. Ideology tends to entrap us psychologically and spiritually. We can easily become enchanted by an ideology to such a degree that the ideology begins to trump the Gospel (excuse the lame pun!). He understands from his experiences in Argentina where he witnessed ideologies, (extreme Left and extreme Right), that were destructive and inimical to human flourishing. This is one of the many reasons why synodality is so close to the heart of Francis. He wants us to climb out of our ideological bunkers and enter into generous and meaningful dialogue with each other; to listen, even if what we are hearing is difficult for us to hear. “Our main task”, he reflects in Let us Dream, “is not to disengage from polarization but to engage with conflict and disagreement in ways that prevent us from descending into polarization. This means resolving division by allowing for new thinking that can transcend that division. In this way, divisions do not generate sterile polarizations but bear valuable new fruit. This is a vital task for our time of crisis.” This is why he eschews ideology and clericalism and promotes synodality. As Antonio Spadaro SJ told NCR, “the government of Francis is a government that is based on the main point of Ignatian spirituality, that of discernment. The pope, said Spadaro, tries to carefully understand ‘how God is at work’ both in history and the lives of men and women today, allowing him to be flexible and listen to others before giving answers and making decisions. This, Spadaro added, has a mystical dimension but allows for concrete, pragmatic reforms.”


The last, and perhaps the most important attribute I would like to celebrate about Pope Francis is his infectious habit of engendering hope, particularly at this time of growing turbulence and crisis in the world. Hope is not the same as optimism in Francis’s view. “Optimism can let us down”, he observes,
but hope never does! These days our need for hope is great because we feel surrounded by darkness, disoriented by evil and violence, and distressed for the plight of so many of our brothers and sisters. We truly need hope! We feel disoriented, sometimes even discouraged and powerless, as though this darkness will never end. We must not let hope slip away from us. God and His love walk alongside us. “I hope because God is with me.” Each of us can say these words. 
(From A Gift of Joy and Hope by  Pope Francis)
And the last word on the connection between Ignatius and Pope Francis: when he was flying back from Canada in 2022, a reporter asked him to what extent, as pope, he still feels as if he maintains his Jesuit roots. Francis responded: “The Jesuit tries to — he tries, he doesn't always, he can't — do the Lord's will. The Jesuit pope must do the same.” (Quoted in the National Catholic Reporter)

Pedro Arrupe SJ: His Writings, His Inspiration

We all know that refuges and asylum seekers are close to Pope Francis’s heart. When you read excerpts from this impromptu address given by Pedro Arrupe SJ to Jesuits working with refugees in Thailand, you will recognise immediately the voice and perspective of Pope Francis – they are of one heart and mind. This talk is poignant and beautiful for two reasons: 1) It was delivered on August 6, 1981, the thirty-sixth anniversary of Hiroshima; and 2) It turned out to be Pedro Arrupe’s last public address, for upon his return to Rome the next day, he suffered the stroke that left him partially paralysed and with impaired speech for the rest of his life. When you read this, you will see that it is as if Pedro Arrupe anticipated the apostolic thrust of Pope Francis’s ministry, including his vision for synodality.

Address by Pedro Arrupe SJ, 1981


I am very happy to hear all of the information you have given. It is natural that those working with refugees should have different reactions and points of view. Service to refugees adds a new dimension to your Jesuit work here in Thailand. The international Society can help, but this new development has special implications for you.


First, I want to repeat what Fr Bob Rush (the Jesuits’ Regional Assistant for East Asia) was saying: I think you should be very happy with your work here. You are doing a wonderful work, though a difficult one. It is an important work. You see little success externally in a country that is mostly Buddhist and where there are so few Catholics.


This is the hardest type of missionary apostolate. I think I can speak from experience. In Japan you may find a parish priest baptising only two people in 10 years. Actually, what is in question here is not external success but commitment. We are to work as best we can – as I have been telling the Society all over the world.


The Society has initiative and creativity. But sometimes the way it has used these has meant choosing the easier apostolates. I doubt whether the easy apostolate is the real apostolate!


The apostolate in Thailand is one of the most difficult in the Society because of the cultural conditions, the weather conditions, the political conditions, and all the rest. So you require a great heart to work with enthusiasm in a work whose results you do not see. Those who come after will say: ‘What a wonderful job we are doing!’ But they should not forget the many people who went before preparing the way.


Do not misunderstand me: I can see that you are happy. But I can also see that your work is burdensome. Sometimes when you speak from the heart some feelings come out, not bitter feelings exactly, but ones that result from the burdens of your work – really hard work. And perhaps this is not always recognised by others.


Now it is time to consider the kind of help that the Society can give to the work among refugees. First, this new direction has implications for the Society’s work here in Thailand. That is because what I am calling a new dimension will involve collaboration with those Fathers already working in Thailand. As your Father Superior has indicated to me, this will mean an added burden for all. It will mean taking someone away from his present work for what is virtually a full-time new job – while you are so short of people.


I see my commitment, then, as not only to the Thai apostolate as it is now, but also to the new Thai apostolate with the refugees. Because of this new dimension, the Society as a whole should assist the direct work being done by the Jesuits in Thailand.


At present the situation all across the world is changing very greatly. It is difficult, then, to have a fixed plan. A 10 year plan? Oh no, excuse me! If you have a two-year plan that will perhaps be enough, or even a day-to-day plan, because the situation is changing all the time and you are experimenting. And this is where prudence comes in, prudence to take calculated risks. You don’t have to be a 100 per cent certain. In today’s world nobody can be a 100 per cent certain.


For this reason a fortiori, great risks have to be taken in many places. ‘I made a mistake!’ Well, what this means is that we make a communal discernment as a group, then set a policy. And this policy should be flexible precisely so that we can experiment further. In all of this you have to think and pray as a group if you are to discover a general policy, and principles that everybody will accept. The ‘elasticity’ of this experimentation and risk-taking should be all in one direction - the direction pointed out by the Holy Spirit.


To come to an agreed policy you will have to face tensions, because we have different opinions. Everybody has to express his opinion and his experiences clearly. And at the end there has to be a conclusion of some kind. Perhaps someone will have to change his opinion, or at least act according to the opinion of someone else. That is the price we have to pay.


I have learnt many things today. For example, we talked about the local Church. But we have to be the local Church. When the Society comes to work in a new area, the first reaction of others is to be wary. The Society is feared everywhere: ‘These Jesuits are very shrewd. They are powerful’. As I was saying the other day at the Ateneo de Manila: we are not as bad as people say we are, nor are we as good as people think we are. We are normal in that we are not geniuses. Perhaps we have a few geniuses in the Society, but very few. Years ago, it was said that the great power the Society possesses is its well-trained mediocrity!


And unity? Yes, that is important. We share the same spirituality and the same commitment to Christ. Excellence as St Ignatius thinks of it is not scholarly excellence, though it may include that. Real excellence lies in commitment to Christ. We have to be excellent in our commitment.


Perhaps what Fr Ando [Isamu] was saying is utopian, but how terrific it would be for the Society to have non-Christians coming to work for the poor in the villages, coming motivated by philanthropy. If we could create a situation of that kind, we would have enormous possibilities for our work in Thailand. Then we would be collaborating with people to much greater effect than we can through those few Catholics that we are in the Orient. And through the mass media we can present matters in a human way, and so multiply the work and its effects. In that way we can build up the country indirectly.


This would amount to pre-evangelisation done by non-Christians! Yet in fact, by definition, we do not speak about Christ during pre-evangelisation. We cannot speak about Christ, but we have non-Christians doing something out of goodwill that we could do. I see an opening within refugee work for such an apostolate. I think this will be good to think about.


I am very happy. I see a tremendous opening for the Society, and not only as regards work among refugees. This work will be a school in which we learn many things.

I will tell you something I ask myself very often: Should we give spiritual help to the guerrillas in Latin America? No, you say? Well, I cannot say no. Perhaps in the past I have. But they are men, souls, suffering. If you have a wounded person, even if he is a guerrilla you have to help him. That is the meaning of being a Good Samaritan. Is this political? People say so. But no, I am being a priest now. I am helping this poor man. I don’t care if he is a guerrilla, a religious or a non-Catholic. He is a poor man. He is the poor man who is suffering.

We cannot be naive and allow ourselves to be used politically by other people. But on the other hand we need a real Christian commitment. So many in Latin America are helping other people – perhaps guerrillas among them – taking them into their homes in order to save them from being killed. Charity is one thing, principle another, and casuistry is a third. Actual cases can be very difficult to resolve.


Still, we have to be open to many things. We are close to limits here – not only to the limits of Cambodia and Thailand. We are close to the limits of morality and of our own positions. We have to be careful.


For me it was a very consoling experience to write the letter about communism and social analysis. In that letter, I said that sometimes we have to collaborate with Communists. I cited Populorum Progressio, paragraph 23, as a reference. Why? Because I think what it says is true. But people will be scandalised! True, but that is what the Holy Father is telling us, so I am safe.

Take the case of Ethiopia. There we have a university, once Catholic, which was taken over by a Communist government. The Holy Father has told me to send Jesuits to the University of Asmara, a Communist university. So we are collaborating with the Communists by order of the Holy Father. Wonderful! We are not going there because we think we can influence many people in Ethiopia. We are going without supporting any Communist ideology.


Situations such as these are very difficult and complicated. Everything must be done with great discernment. It is not enough to have a great idea one day and go straight ahead and act on it. No, that could be very bad – unless the person in question is a prophetic servant inspired with a wonderful idea. The mixture of prophecy and prudence, security and risk, makes for complex situations. In Thailand you are in one of the hottest spots in this regard. Courage, please!

I will say one more thing, and please don’t forget it. Pray. Pray much. Problems such as these are not solved by human efforts. I am telling you things that I want to emphasise, a message – perhaps my ‘swan song’ for the Society. We pray at the beginning and at the end – we are good Christians! But in our three-day meetings, if we spend half a day in prayer about the conclusions we expect to come to, or about our points of view, we will have very different ‘lights’. And we will come to quite different syntheses – in spite of different points of view – ones we could never find in books nor arrive at through discussion.


Right here we have a classic case: If we are indeed in the front line of a new apostolate in the Society, we have to be enlightened by the Holy Spirit. These are not the pious words of a novice master. What I am saying is 100 per cent from St Ignatius. When I decided to come to Thailand, they said I could visit refugee camps. I have been in camps before. What we have done here is much more important. I am so happy, and I think it is providential that I came here.

There has to be a basic unity of minds for this new type of apostolate just about to be born. What we are going through here is the dolor partus, birth pangs, before this new apostolate can be born. With this medical observation I conclude my talk!

Do you feel a calling to become a Giver of the Spiritual Exercises of St Ignatius? If you do, consider joining us in the Arrupe Program in 2026.

We are accepting applications for 2026. If you feel you have a calling to become a spiritual director in the Ignatian tradition, we would be very happy to hear from you. Details of our program can be viewed on our website.


I can be contacted directly at michael.loughnane@arrupe.org.au

The Arrupe Program is separate from, but collaborates closely with the Spiritual Direction course at ACU. Most of our candidates study at ACU as part of their formation to become givers of the Spiritual Exercises.

Would you like to study spiritual direction at the Australian Catholic University?

Develop knowledge, understanding and the foundational skills suited to the ethical, self-aware and safe practice of spiritual direction in the Ignatian tradition by enrolling in the Graduate Diploma in Spiritual Direction, or, the Master of Spiritual Direction

Listen Here

A Profile of Pope Francis by Michael W. Higgins


Colleen Dulle interviews Catholic author and academic Michael W. Higgins to discuss his book, The Jesuit Disruptor: A Personal Portrait of Pope Francis. They unpack the pope’s responses to scandals, his reform efforts, and his spiritual and intellectual formation—all of which have profoundly shaped his moral voice at the helm of an evolving church. 

Listen Here

Austen Ivereigh on Writing with Pope Francis


Recorded against the backdrop of the Covid epidemic the pope shares his ideas for building a new society post-pandemic. He discloses in a new way how his lung operation as a young man taught him dependence on others and how his so-called “exile” in Cordoba, Argentina after that country’s “Dirty War” unexpectedly prepared him to become pope. Host Colleen Dulle and papal biographer Austen Ivereigh discuss Pope Francis’ view of the George Floyd protests, the #MeToo movement and the work of clerical sexual abuse survivors are an integral part of people reclaiming their dignity. They discuss the pope’s role as, as Ivereigh calls him, “the world’s spiritual director,” and how he hopes to apply Jesuit discernment to helping people to recover their collective memory and build a new future together.

Listen Here

Pope Francis Explains Magisterial weight of Synod Final Document


Colleen Dulle and Gerard O’Connell investigate Pope Francis’ letter on the final synod document, his address to experts of the International Theological Commission on developing a theology of synodality and Gerard O’Connell interviews with Archbishops Charles Scicluna and Timothy Costelloe. They also unpack Pope Francis’ hope to leverage the 2025 Jubilee Year to end international wars.  

The Merchant of Venice, Act IV, Scene I [The quality of mercy is not strained]
By William Shakespeare (1564 –1616


The quality of mercy is not strained;
It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven
Upon the place beneath. It is twice blest;
It blesseth him that gives and him that takes:
'T is mightiest in the mightiest; it becomes
The throned monarch better than his crown:
His sceptre shows the force of temporal power,
The attribute to awe and majesty,
Wherein doth sit the dread and fear of kings;
But mercy is above this sceptred sway;
It is enthronèd in the hearts of kings,
It is an attribute to God himself;
And earthly power doth then show likest God's
When mercy seasons justice. Therefore, Jew,
Though justice be thy plea, consider this,
That, in the course of justice, none of us
Should see salvation: we do pray for mercy;
And that same prayer doth teach us all to render
The deeds of mercy. …


It is this quality of mercy that most exemplifies the pontificate of Francis. It is one of the most frequent words to pass his lips. Surely, his presence among us as pope has been “a gentle rain from heaven”,  for Pope Francis is a man of the heart, who understands from his own painful experiences that mercy is “an attribute to God himself”. 


Of course mercy is a key thrust of the First Week of the Spiritual Exercises – to experience in the depths of our hearts the mercy and the consolation of God’s unconditional love. In “Pope Francis The Name of God is Mercy: A conversation with Andrea Tornielli”, Francis expresses the view that the first and only step required to experience mercy, is to acknowledge that we are in need of mercy. Andrea Tornielli adds: “From that first homily, which particularly struck me, there emerged the centrality of the message of mercy, which would characterize these first few years of Francis’s papacy. They were simple and profound words. This is the face of a Church that doesn’t reproach men for their fragility and their wounds but that treats them with the medicine of mercy.”

HOPE 
By Alexis Valdés


When the storm has passed
and the roads are tamed
and we are the survivors
of a collective shipwreck.


With tearful heart
and our destiny blessed
we will feel joy
simply for being alive.


And we’ll give a hug
to the first stranger
and praise our good luck
that we kept a friend.


And then we’ll remember
all that we lost
and finally learn
everything we never learned.


And we’ll envy no one
for all of us have suffered
and we’ll not be idle
but more compassionate.


We’ll value more what belongs to all
than what was earned.
We’ll be more generous
and much more committed.


We’ll understand how fragile
it is to be alive.
We’ll sweat empathy
for those still with us and those who are gone.


We’ll miss the old man
who asked for a buck in the market
whose name we never knew 
who was always at your side.


And maybe the poor old man
was your God in disguise.
But you never asked his name
because you never had the time.


And all will become a miracle.
And all will become a legacy.
And we’ll respect the life,
the life we have gained.


When the storm passes
I ask you Lord, in shame
that you return us better,
as you once dreamed us.


This Poem concludes Let us Dream. Pope Francis relates that he received it from a friend in Argentina. It is written by Alexis Valdés, who told Austen Ivereigh that he wrote “Hope” (“Esperanza”) in a single sitting, without changing the words, as if God had used him as a channel. Pope Francis was moved by this poem and reflects: “Let’s let his poetry and its beauty have the final word, helping us to decenter and transcend so that our peoples may have life (John 10:10).”

Wounded Shepherd: Pope Francis and His Struggle to Convert the Catholic Church

By Austen Ivereigh


This could be said to be the sequel to the excellent The Great Reformer. James Martin’s dustcover review is apt: “Austen Ivereigh has established himself as the most astute historian of the pontificate of Pope Francis through his meticulous research, dogged interviewing, and vast knowledge of the Church. [Wounded Shepherd] is a peerless look at the sometimes overwhelming challenges facing this groundbreaking pope, whose task is at once simple and complex: to help the Church proclaim the Gospel in the modern world. Learned, subtle, and deep, his book is indispensable for understanding this man and this Church.”

Pilgrimage: My Search for the Real Pope Francis

By Mark K. Shriver


In this tenderhearted portrait Shriver discovers what many of us all over the world have experienced through engaging with Pope Francis, he finds his own faith reignited through witnessing the example and inspiration of this astonishing figure. Joan Chittister OSB expresses beautifully the attributes of this enlightening read:
“Mark K. Shriver takes us along on his quest to understand one of the most interesting men of this century. While the book traces the various facets of Pope Francis’s development—his family life, education, spiritual formation, cultural tensions, and personal conversion—it makes us explore our own depths and encounters with change. It is a great read. By all means, don’t miss this one.”

Let Us Dream: The Path to a Better Future

By Pope Francis


Written in collaboration with Austen Ivereigh, against the backdrop of the Covid crisis, this three-part reflection (See, Judge, Act), “offers a brilliant, scathing critique of the systems and ideologies that conspired to produce the current crisis, from a global economy obsessed with profit and heedless of the people and environment it harms, to politicians who foment their people’s fear and use it to increase their own power at their people’s expense. He reminds us that Christians’ first duty is to serve others, especially the poor and the marginalized, just as Jesus did. … Let Us Dream is an epiphany, a call to arms, and a pleasure to read. It is Pope Francis at his most personal, profound and passionate. With this book and with open hearts, we can change the world.” (Review by Garratt Publishing)

Hope: The Autobiography
By Pope Francis


Hope is not really a memoir, nor is it an organised account of the events of his life. It is really yet another book-length interview where he shares thoughts, experiences, lessons, and stories.  
Austen Ivereigh’s review of this ‘Autobiography’ was, on the whole, fairly harsh. The headline of his Tablet review reads: “A biographer of Pope Francis finds that a new “autobiography” of his subject is long-winded, riddled with errors and reveals little that has not been previously published.” Ouch! Perhaps it is coming from an individual who has such deep knowledge of Pope Francis and the Church, but for an interested layperson who lacks such knowledge it is a very good read. Even Ivereigh concedes that Hope does a fine job of telling Pope Francis’s early life, sharing new details of his experience as a young child and as a teenager approaching manhood. Francis discusses and tells new stories about his parents and his relationship with his four siblings. The book does leap about in time — from the 1960s to the 1980s and then back to the 1950s. Francis shifts from one personal anecdote to another, while at the same time offering astute observations about important issues such as war, artificial intelligence, the errors of traditionalism, and much more.
In his review for CNN, Christopher Lamb points to Francis’s willingness to show his own vulnerability. He admits mistakes and is remarkably forthright and revealing about his regrets. It is a humane and touching reflection, filled with some wise reflections, anecdotes which reveal his vulnerabilities; ultimately and affectionate and satisfying read.

First Belong To God: On Retreat With Pope Francis

By Austen Ivereigh


Written essentially as a “how-to” book, it offers readings, reflections, suggestions for prayer, and a wealth of references. These follow the Four Weeks of the Spiritual Exercises as traditionally conceived and are presented here either for group or individual use as an eight-day programme.
First Belong to God could be used for individual or group retreats as it follows the classical Ignatian retreat pattern. In this text, Ivereigh expands on an eight-day retreat he gave in 2020 to British Jesuits, and delivers a compelling summary and application of Francis' theology. He covers Jorge Mario Bergoglio's early conversion, his overseeing the historic Aparecida document put forth by the South American and Caribbean clergy in 2007, right up to the talk he delivered in Marseille, France, in September 2023 about the migrant crisis in the Mediterranean. The retreat aims to stimulate a "primary encounter," namely the deep experience of God's love for participants. We learn that Francis began thinking and planning for the synod from the beginning of his papacy. He sees members of a synodal church as "agents of reconciliation and artisans of peace," moved by the Spirit to work toward a common good with others. Ivereigh quotes Francis as frequently observing, "Ideas can be discussed, but vital situations have to be discerned."

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10 Years of Ignatian Influence under Francis
By Christopher White (Vatican Correspondent)


This was part of a series to celebrate 10 years of Francis’s papacy in March 2023. It offers a good insight into the role that many Jesuits have played in supporting Pope Francis’s initiatives. 

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A Big Heart Open to God
The exclusive interview with Pope Francis – Antonio Spadaro SJ


Sometimes a retrospective view is very valuable. This interview was conducted right at the start of Pope Francis’s papacy. Fascinating reading it again through the lens of hindsight.

“I ask Pope Francis point-blank: “Who is Jorge Mario Bergoglio?” He stares at me in silence. I ask him if I may ask him this question. He nods and replies: “I do not know what might be the most fitting description.... I am a sinner. This is the most accurate definition. It is not a figure of speech, a literary genre. I am a sinner.”
The pope continues to reflect and concentrate, as if he did not expect this question, as if he were forced to reflect further. “Yes, perhaps I can say that I am a bit astute, that I can adapt to circumstances, but it is also true that I am a bit naïve. Yes, but the best summary, the one that comes more from the inside and I feel most true is this: I am a sinner whom the Lord has looked upon.” And he repeats: “I am one who is looked upon by the Lord. I always felt my motto, Miserando atque Eligendo [By Having Mercy and by Choosing Him], was very true for me.”

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A Spirituality of Encounter: St Ignatius, Pope Francis and Lessons from the School of the Poor by Thomas M. Kelly


Pope Francis approaches the topic of encountering the poor, voluntary poverty and spiritual poverty in a way with many similarities to that of Ignatius, but with a different emphasis. He recognises and includes the main contributions of Ignatius but extends them in how the poor and voluntary poverty evangelize others—that is, how they explicitly teach us about God. In his first apostolic exhortation upon assuming the papacy he extends the importance of the poor and voluntary poverty to the Church as a whole, not just vowed religious: ‘The new evangelization is an invitation to acknowledge the saving power at work in their lives and to put them at the center of the Church’s pilgrim way’. This new approach is inspired by Ignatius but extended to all believers in light of the signs of the times. It is possible to follow the categories used to understand the Ignatian leitmotif, with one addition—how the poor evangelize the non-poor—something already present, albeit only implicitly, for Ignatius.”

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Eight days with the pope
By  Austen Ivereigh


“This, his ‘exile’, was what fascinated me: both the circumstances leading to it, and the fruitful impacts of the desolation he experienced there over two years. All this was just before he accepted, finally, the pope’s attempt to name him auxiliary bishop of Buenos Aires, in 1992. I’ve often looked back to those two years in order to understand the pontificate. And now, as I publish what I perhaps cheekily call a ‘retreat with Pope Francis’, I find myself remembering my visit to Córdoba in November 2013. I received an unexpected gift there that I’ve been unwrapping ever since, which bears particular fruit in the retreat.” (Austen Ivereigh)

Join us on a Lenten Journey of Love and Encounter


This Lent, we invite you to join us in a completely different, transforming experience – not by giving up something, but by going to the heart of Lent and Easter, our deepening relationship with God.


Each day from March 5th to April 24th you will receive a blessing and a link to a one-minute video in your inbox. One Person of the Trinity – Father, Jesus, or The Holy Spirit – will tell you how much they love and care for you, speaking directly to your heart.


Written by Michael Hansen SJ, who created the well-received Lenten Jailbreak daily prayers last year, these beautiful affirming, affectionate messages will bring you to the power and intimacy of Easter.


These 50 daily offerings are free. However, you may wish to support the work of the ministry with a donation at the time of registration. Thank you.

REGISTER HERE FOR YOUR LENT 25 DAILY BLESSINGS

IM25 - Ignatian Earthing

We are delighted to bring IM25 to you in two parts this year – in Autumn leading up to Laudato Si Week and in Spring leading up to Season of Creation


Experience all eight Ignatian forms of prayer found in the Spiritual Exercises of St Ignatius, through the lens of four sacred earth forms. You will be grounded in the gift of creation, the earth and the Creator who has given so much.


SAVE THE DATES – REGISTER SOON!


Online in Autumn:
Sunday 4th , Monday 5th, Tuesday 6th, and Wednesday 7th May 2025


Online in Spring:
Sunday 31st August, Monday 1st, Tuesday 2nd, and Wednesday 3rd September 


2 options each day:
10am - 12noon OR 6.30 - 8.30pm AEST

Ignatian Silent Directed Retreats

Our JISA team of Spiritual Directors warmly welcome you to come and rest, contemplate, pray, and discern, in our Ignatian Silent Directed Retreats.


Retreats are available in Sevenhill in South Australia, Pymble in New South Wales, Cheltenham and Queenscliff in Victoria, and Ormiston in Queensland. There are retreats of 2 days (2 nights), 4 days (5 nights), 6 days (7 nights) or 8 days (9 nights).

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The Spiritual Exercises 

Discover God’s unique love for us
Becoming free
To love and serve in all things
 
In daily life – in a silent retreat – flexibly
In person and online
Individually and in groups
 
Explore the Spiritual Exercises in all their forms here.
 
And explore Ignatian Spiritual Direction here.

The Australian Ignatian Trail 2025

Pilgrimages along the Australian Ignatian Trail in the footsteps of the first Jesuits in Australia. Experience Ignatian Spirituality in creation. Step aside from everyday life, walk, reflect, time in silence, conversation, listening to God’s presence in nature and discerning.

 

Dates for 4 walking days / 6 nights in 2025:

Sunday late afternoon 14 September to Saturday morning 20 September

Tuesday late afternoon 14 October to Monday morning 20 October

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Ignatian Silent Directed Retreat, Brisbane

First Belong to God. An adaption of a retreat inspired by Pope Francis, drawing on his wisdom and the wisdom of the Spiritual Exercises of St Ignatius. This retreat serves as a roadmap to deeper discipleship by focusing on the three foundational forms of belonging: to God, to creation, and to others.

8 days from Sunday 19 July 4pm to Friday 27 July 2025 3pm

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“Take away justice from Love and you destroy love”

- Pedro Arrupe

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