Not everything that happens in our prayer and our daily life is a message from God--or is it? Father Martin, author of Learning to Pray, will help us discern what's coming from God and what is not.

Fr. Martin is a member of the Society of Jesus, editor at large of America magazine, and consultor to the Vatican's Secretariat for Communication. He is the author of numerous books, including the New York Times bestsellers Jesus: A Pilgrimage, The Jesuit Guide to (Almost) Everything and My Life with the Saints, which Publishers Weekly named one of the best books of the year.

Conflict, social polarisation, crisis. The contemporary context highlights a sense of both desolation and thirst for meaning and hope. The Ignatian spiritual practice of Discernment has helped many individuals and groups over the centuries to discern what God is calling them to be and become, as well as the concrete means to live out this call. In this session, Sr Laurence Loubières will share practical and tested steps to deepen authentic inner listening and communal discernment that leads to good decisions.

Laurence Loubières, a xaviere sister, living in Toronto, is the director of the Service for Discernment in Common of the Canadian Jesuit Province. With her background in management, consulting and Ignatian spirituality, she assists religious communities and apostolates with decision-making and strategic planning processes. Prior to that, she worked for over 15 years in sustainable and responsible investing. She notably contributed to the book "20 propositions pour réformer le capitalisme" (20 proposals to reform capitalism) edited by Gaël Giraud, SJ, and Cécile Renouard (Flammarion, 2012).

The hurts and exclusion experienced by LGBTQ+ persons (within families, society or the church) have repercussions not just on their psychological and social well-being, but also on their ability to recognize and trust the fact that they have authentic spiritual lives. The resources of the Ignatian spiritual tradition have proven to be helpful to those who wish to accompany LGBTQ+ as they search for deeper personal freedom and an experience of genuine belonging in the Christian community. Fr. Mongeau will share the experiences and insights that flow from his almost thirty years of journeying with LGBTQ+ persons.

Gilles Mongeau, SJ, is socius of the Jesuits of Canada. After receiving a doctorate in theology from Regis College and the University of Toronto, he has been a professor, chaplain, and spiritual director, including working with All Inclusive Ministries at Our Lady of Lourdes Parish in Toronto.

Pilgrimage is a fitting metaphor for our times. Movement, displacement and encounter appeal to the contemporary mind. Thus, It is not surprising that pilgrimages attract broad interest from travelers, dreamers, and readers. We will explore how pilgrimage is deeply embedded in the Ignatian spiritual tradition and how one can be a pilgrim, concretely or metaphorically, in an Ignatian way today.

André Brouillette is a Jesuit priest from Rivière-du-Loup, Quebec. After studies in philosophy, history and theology, he teaches systematic theology and spirituality at Boston College. A specialist in 16th century spirituality and author of a monograph on St. Teresa of Avila, his most recent book is on the theology of pilgrimage and was published in the United States under the title The Pilgrim Paradigm: Faith in Motion (Paulist Press, 2021).