From November 23 to December 3, 2025, a landmark gathering titled Ignite the Way: Training of Facilitators in Discernment in Common convened in Salamanca, Spain. This event brought together nearly 100 participants, including Jesuits, lay collaborators, religious sisters and brothers, and diocesan priests. It represented a significant step in the Society of Jesus’ contribution to the global Synod on Synodality. Rooted in the Ignatian tradition of discernment, the meeting helped develop formators who will now train facilitators to guide communities in shared spiritual decision making, deep listening, and collaborative leadership.
At the heart of this initiative lies the Church’s call for “synodal conversion,” as articulated in the final document of the Synod on Synodality. The vision is one of inclusivity and participation, inviting all—especially those on the margins—to take part in shaping the Church’s mission. This transformation calls for a renewed culture of listening, dialogue, discernment, and shared responsibility. As Pope Leo reminds us, the Church is called to be “a missionary Church… open to welcoming all those in need of our charity, dialogue, and love.”
The colloquium in Salamanca marked the beginning of an international, multi-year Jesuit initiative, aiming to educate and develop skills across the Church. Superior General Fr. Arturo Sosa described this as “a project rooted in Vatican II,” one that envisions a humble, pilgrim Church walking together to bring liberation, reconciliation, and justice to a wounded world.
Of the 97 participants, 13 were from provinces within the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States (JCCU), three from the USA East Province—Fr. Kevin O’Brien, SJ, executive director of the Bellarmine Campus at Fairfield University, Dr. Damian Zynda, Asst. PASE for Executive Ignatian Formation, and Fr. David McCallum, SJ, executive director of the Program for Discerning Leadership in Rome. Together with the others, they explored Ignatian rules for communal discernment, shared diverse cultural approaches, and collaboratively designed a core curriculum for future formation. The methodology—involving presentations, silence, prayer, and shared dialogue—was designed to reflect the very synodal spirit they will carry forward.
Heading into the conference, Fr. O’Brien commented, “I am particularly interested in learning how we can most effectively and practically integrate the Ignatian tradition of discernment into the governance of our apostolic works, such as our schools and parishes. I have much to learn.”
“Igniting the Way was more than a conference about discernment,” adds Dr. Damian Zynda. “The gathering of experts on discernment from around the globe signals the profound importance of curating the integrity of discernment as a process of transformation for mission. I am looking forward to sharing the journey with colleagues in this most important work of the Society of Jesus.”
A key outcome of the colloquium will be the formation of regional teams to train facilitators in “Discernment in Common,” extending the initiative’s reach beyond the Society of Jesus to dioceses, parishes, and lay organizations. Fr. Joseph Cardozo, SJ, Vice Provincial and Superior of the Goa Jesuit Province and a project manager for the meeting in Spain, stated that the project is “not just for Jesuits but for the whole Church.” He likened the colloquium to a stone cast into a pond that will send ripples of renewal across cultures and continents—igniting the way toward a truly synodal Church.
Click below for some video clips from Fr. O’Brien and Dr. Zynda—our Jesuits USA East “boots on the ground” in Salamanca.
