Heading

As many will know, 2024-25 is a Jubilee Year in the Catholic church. Jubilee years are a special time where we are called to be reconciled with God, each other and with Creation. As individuals or communities, we may choose to mark the Jubilee in many ways, whether through special acts of prayer, pilgrimage or works of mercy.

“May your grace transform us into tireless cultivators of the seeds of the Gospel.”

(Prayer for the Jubilee Year)

The Jesuit Institute works in many contexts including universities, prisons and schools, but a core part of our mission is to help faith communities (parishes, dioceses, or other religious communities) to grow as discerning faith communities, living with prayer at their heart and desiring to listen for and respond to Christ’s call in today’s world. We seek to empower people in a variety of ways to deepen their relationship with God through different forms of outreach – online (retreats and courses), digital (resources and reflections), and in person (coming to you, where you are).

‍

Reaching out to where you are

Our team can come to your parish and facilitate a number of different projects, depending on the needs of your community. Some parishes want to deepen the prayer life of their parishioners, and we can help do this by offering schools of prayer, a week of guided prayer (or retreat in daily life as they are sometimes known), rooted in the rich tradition of Ignatian spirituality. This allows people to experience the riches of Ignatian prayer and meet the Lord in new and enlivening ways.

(We also offer these in university chaplaincies – watch the video >>)

We also seek to support parishes in communal discernment. This can be particularly helpful if you are discerning the future shape of your ministry in your local parish. You can watch our new video about this on Youtube:

(Or find out more about the Communal Discernment process >>)

‍

Finding grace (online)

If these in-person offerings are not possible in your parish, in the leadup to Pentecost, we are offering a week-long online course to help people try new ways of praying.

It was an amazing way to experience different forms of prayer. I had encountered them before but this felt fresh. I thought the facilitators were very organized and knowledgeable.

(Participant in Adventure in Prayer)

Our online course In the Spirit and in Truth is running in Eastertide, which can help you and your parish community explore synodal expressions of mission, participation and community through shared experience, prayer, reflection and discussion.

It was a grace filled experience. The small group conversations were an online sanctuary where I felt the presence of God very much alive in the way we share and listen to each other!

(Participant in In the Spirit and in Truth)

We know that people who are involved in formation in parishes (catechists, parish assistants, youth leaders, deacons) are often very busy and might struggle to find time for personal prayer, or might not have confidence to lead others in prayer and reflection. So this year, we are offering a new course designed specifically to help those involved with catechesis or spiritual formation in your parish develop experience and grow confidence in:

• teaching and leading others in prayer

• encouraging spiritual sharing and conversation

• deepening understanding and practice of discernment

You can find out more on our website >>

‍

Prayer for busy people

Finally, if you’re a busy person with a desire to deepen your prayer but you don’t feel you have time to commit to participating in one of our courses, then we have some digital resources available for you too:

1) Sign up to our weekly email, in which each Thursday, you will receive a short prayer to try and other reflections based on the Sunday readings and feast days.

2) Download our Pilgrims of Prayer booklet (below) which guides you through different ways of praying.

3) Listen to a Pray-As-You-Go daily meditation and explore more ways of praying on their website or via the Tasters section on our website.

Please do pass on details of what we offer to anyone you feel may be interested. Or get in touch with us if you’d like to talk about what we might be able offer your faith community.

‍