By Mike Gabriele
From a Jesuit perspective, hope is an essential theological virtue, rooted in the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius, one that moves us to journey inward, discerning God’s voice in the quiet moments of reflection and placing trust in His providence.
But hope is not a passive state—it is an active, faith-driven response that empowers us to work toward a just and compassionate world, to literally become the hands of God in bringing hope to those around us.
On Christmas Eve, 2024, the Holy Door of St. Peter’s Basilica was opened to officially begin the Jubilee Year—Pilgrims of Hope, declared by Pope Francis’ papal bull, “Hope Does Not Disappoint,” which continues through January 6, 2026, the Epiphany of the Lord. The pilgrimage model of this Jubilee Year is intrinsic to Jesuit life. St. Ignatius himself lived as a pilgrim, journeying across Europe in poverty, humility, and complete reliance on God’s grace. In this sense, Jesuits understand pilgrimage as more than a physical act; it is an exercise in trust and surrender to God. This Jubilee Year also aligns with the Universal Apostolic Preferences (UAPs) of the Society of Jesus, which guide Jesuit ministries worldwide. Jesuits live out hope as both a virtue and a commitment to social justice.
“It is indeed hard at times to have hearts of hope when we hear about sad or disturbing events in our world,” says Fr. Joseph O’Keefe, SJ, provincial of Jesuits USA East. “But that is where Christ calls us to go. As harbingers of hope, we are called to bring light and love, even to the darkest corners of our world.”
Jesuits are called to be true “pilgrims of hope,” journeying with others to experience the healing and transformative power of God’s love, especially in times when hope seems fragile. Where do Jesuits and their colleagues in mission find and spread hope?
Pope Francis has opened a Holy Door at a local prison in Rome as a “tangible sign of the message of hope” for people in prisons around the world. Fr. Zach Presutti, SJ, is the founder of Thrive For Life Prison Project, a ministry whose mission is transforming lives behind and beyond prison walls. Through a continuity of care, they accompany justice-impacted people to begin their journey to permanent and successful reentry. Thrive For Life now operates three houses of study for those coming out of prison to continue their studies and live in a supportive community—two in New York City and one in Milwaukee. “For us, hope is a person: Jesus Christ, the one risen from the dead who came to make all things new,” says Fr. Presutti. “Through the sacramental ministry and Spiritual Exercises that we offer behind the prison walls and the continuity of care offered to those returning from incarceration, Thrive For Life is committed through our accompaniment to journey in hope to a flourishing future.”
While prison ministry brings hope to those who have experienced the confines of prison, another group often struggling to find hope are those within the confines of a hospital—the sick and the dying. Fr. Richard Nichols, SJ, has been recognized for his work as chaplain at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital. He has found that those who experience the love of Christ encounter hope, regardless of the paths that may lie before them. “I have been a witness to profound goodness and generosity among the sick and those who care for them. I have also been a witness to transformations of character and transformations of relationship that were called forth in extreme circumstances. I derive special satisfaction seeing old grudges set aside, grudges not only against fellow human beings, but also grudges against God Almighty. When I see God’s goodness shining out of dark places, it gives me hope for myself and for our fallen world.”
Jesuits also share a firmly established mission to care for and bring hope to refugees and migrants. Many of our Jesuit parishes in the USA East Province have large immigrant populations who find hope in their parish communities. Fr. Hernan Paredes, SJ, is pastor of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel–St. Benedicta–St. Mary of the Assumption Parish in Staten Island, N.Y., home to a large immigrant population, mostly from Mexico. “Our parish is proud to reach out and show solidarity to immigrants who are looking for a place to call home,” says Fr. Paredes. “We give our immigrant community hope by organizing legal clinics, giving away food, bringing access to medical and psychological assistance, as well as free medicines and treatments. Our parishioners can count on the Jesuits if they must go to court or if they are sick in the hospital. We are proud of walking with them in their struggles. We help them integrate into the larger community, and for some of them, our parish is the last resource of hope in a hostile environment.”
Nick Napolitano, who leads the Justice, Ecology, and Reconciliation initiatives for the USA East Province, also emphasizes the need to bring hope across our perceived boundaries. “In our work for social, environmental, and racial justice, we are united with other pilgrims in solidarity and kinship. We accompany one another in our journey for peace and justice, across boundaries and divisions. Out of these right relationships, seeing and honoring the dignity and divinity of each person, we find a hope that emerges from seeing God in one another at work in our world.”
The Jesuits have always been known for education, and many of the schools in our network were established to make real the hope of a Jesuit education for underserved populations. One such pre-secondary school is the Saint Ignatius School in the Bronx, where Fr. Vinny Marchionni, SJ, has become a true father figure to these young students whose families rely on the school community for resources that go beyond education. These include English language classes and immigration help, as well as providing common staples such as laundry detergent. Fr. Marchionni loves talking about and sharing the hope he sees in these young students. “When I see how seriously our eighth-graders take the high school placement exam, or how our students love reading to preschoolers in the neighborhood, I know they are being formed into the people God wants them to be. They live out of that hope, and hope is infectious. It reanimates me each day for the mission.”
The third of the four Universal Apostolic Preferences is indeed to “journey with youth toward a hope-filled future.” Young adults who go forth from our Jesuit institutions want to do more than hope for the future; they are eager to be catalysts toward it. “Hope is so important for young people today, as the gravity of this generation’s life experiences seems more profound than the generations of young people before them,” says Mary Beth Cassidy, associate director for Jesuit Connections, an initiative of the Office of Ignatian Spirituality. Her colleague, Dave de la Fuente, associate director for Ignatian Young Adult Ministries, points to what Pope Benedict XVI wrote in his encyclical letter Spe Salvi, that all serious and upright conduct is hope in action. “Hope isn’t naïve optimism,” says de la Fuente. “It’s resolute commitment to the good, and by definition, hope deals with a difficult but possible good. We can and must have hope because God’s love precedes us, sustains us, guarantees the possibility of remaining resolute in pursuing the good.”
Grace Teofilo, a young adult participant in the Contemplative Leaders in Action program, finds that Ignatian Spirituality and prayer help give her hope amidst juggling full-time work and graduate school. “Ignatian Spirituality provides me with a structural framework I can use to guide my prayer practice in the midst of uncertainty,” she says. “Reminding myself of the ways that God is embedded into my daily life allows every action to have a sense of holiness and connects me back to Christ in a way that’s all-encompassing.”
One special hope for the Jesuits is an increase in vocations to religious life, especially to the Society of Jesus. Hope in action here requires listening, inviting, and supporting. Fr. Patrick Nolan, SJ, director of vocations for the USA East Province, likens this to planting seeds. “In his prayer for this Jubilee Year, Pope Francis wrote, ‘May your grace transform us into tireless cultivators of the seeds of the Gospel.’ I have been deeply moved by the many Jesuits and colleagues who have planted seeds by inviting young men to consider a life of mission as a Jesuit brother or priest.”
Do you know someone who would make a good Jesuit? Perhaps they are hoping for a vocation that brings a sense of purpose to life and to the lives of others. Let them know— plant the seed. Fr. Nolan points out that “Jesus invited people from all walks of life to follow him.”
The 2025 Jubilee Year is a pilgrimage of hope that calls Jesuits and the entire Universal Church to renew our commitment to faith, justice, and compassion. By journeying together as companions in hope, by advocating for peace and reconciliation, we can all experience an ever-deeper understanding of God’s love.
Where can you find and spread hope this year?
Everywhere.
