Advisory Board Reflects on Fall Gathering Reports

On Feb. 16 and 17, the Apostolic Planning Advisory Board (pictured here), met to review and reflect on the reports of the discernments from the 17 regional gatherings with Jesuits and lay colleagues, the fall meetings of 34 Jesuit communities, and two day-long gatherings of Jesuits in formation. In the week before the meeting, one board member commented that the experience of reading the reports was rather like an experience of deep listening. In their deliberations last week, the board followed the spiritual conversation model to discern and prepare the key areas of focus around which consoling consensus emerged. The board will soon meet again to further refine their recommendations and begin drafting the apostolic plan.

In March, the board will share with us a summary of the many reports. It will be similar to the recently published summary of the synod U.S. church, entitled National Synthesis of the People of God in the United States of America for the Diocesan Phase of the 2021-2023 Synod, and offer more detail about the timeline going forward.