AMDG: A Jesuit Podcast

The Society of Jesus’ 71st Congregation of Procurators, which was held in Loyola, Spain. Over 100 Jesuits gathered for the congregation, one from each province in the world plus Jesuit Superior General Fr. Arturo Soca and his assistants. So what exactly is a Congregation of Procurators? It sounds like old-fashioned Church speak. A brief explanation: There are two types of big global congregations the Society of Jesus holds. The first and more famous type is called a General Congregation, in which a new superior general is typically elected. There have been only 36 of these meetings since the founding of the order in 1540. All the way back at the second General Congregation in 1565, the delegates decided that more frequent meetings were needed. This led to the Congregation of Procurators, whose main technical function is to decide if a General Congregation should be called via a simple “yes or no” vote. Only very rarely do the procurators vote “yes.” But it’s a unique opportunity for Jesuits to gather and reflect on the state of the Society within today’s world. While the gathering itself lasted two weeks in Spain, the work of the procurators takes over a year. Once elected by his respective province, each procurator travels throughout his province and speaks to as many Jesuits as possible. The point is to develop a sort of “state of the Society” perspective from your own corner of the world. The procurators submit their reports to the Superior General, who in turn crafts a document on the state of the global society called De Statu Societatis. This document will be published and publicly available soon. Today’s guest is Fr. Victor Cancino, who was the procurator from the USA West province. Fr. Cancino lives on the Flathead Indian Reservation in western Montana and is the pastor-delegate for St. Ignatius Mission. Host Mike Jordan Laskey asked him about the gathering itself plus what he learned while traveling throughout the West province, which stretches from Alaska to Hawaii to the US -Mexico border in Arizona. It was fascinating to hear his insider’s take on the whole process – a reminder that we are part of a church whose name means “universal.” Learn more about the Congregation of Procurators: https://www.jesuits.org/stories/jesuits-gather-for-71st-congregation-of-procurators-in-loyola-spain/ Read Fr. Cancino's articles at America magazine: https://www.americamagazine.org/voices/victor-cancino-sj AMDG is a production of the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States. www.jesuits.org/ www.beajesuit.org/ twitter.com/jesuitnews facebook.com/Jesuits instagram.com/wearethejesuits youtube.com/societyofjesus

Sr. Rose Pacatte was the keynote speaker at the 2023 Catholic Media Conference. She talked about how artificial intelligence and the spiritual life intersect, how social media can — and cannot — spread the Gospel, and how we’re all called to media literacy as part of our lives as Christians. Today, Sr. Rose joins us to reflect on all these things: AI, Threads, pop culture, media literacy and her own vocation at the intersection of media and religious life. Sr. Rose, a member of the Daughters of St. Paul, is an award-winning author and the founding director of the Pauline Center for Media Studies in Los Angeles. And if you like what she has to say, if you find yourself intrigued and wanting to go deeper, Sr. Rose invites you to check out the advanced certificate in media literacy that the Pauline Center for Media Studies is offering, staring July 30 2023. Here's the link: https://media.pauline.org/certificate And here's more information on World Communications Day at the papal messages: https://www.comunicazione.va/en/giornata-mondiale-comunicazioni-sociali.html Photo Credit: OSV News photo/Bob Roller

John Herreid is the creative mind behind a new publication from Ignatius Press called “The Catholic Home Gallery.” This stunning volume is made up of 18 works of art by contemporary Catholic artists, each of which is removable from the book and suitable for framing. The images are accompanied by short essays on the artist and their work. John is a graphic designer for Ignatius Press and a talented artist in his own right. He’s also a passionate student of art history and deeply faith filled. Host Mike Jordan Laskey asked him about how the Home Gallery came to be, and what trends he’s noticing in Catholic sacred art today. They also talked about the intersection of beauty and faith more broadly. Whether you’re a lover of sacred art or just curious about how art can help you grow closer to God, you’ll really enjoy John’s reflections. The Catholic Home Gallery: https://ignatius.com/catholic-home-gallery-chgx/ A sneak peak inside the volume: https://files.ignatius.com/Flipbooks/CHGX/index.html?_ga=2.158954554.1473659349.1689086078-1735304729.1683906951 AMDG is a production of the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States. www.jesuits.org/ www.beajesuit.org/ twitter.com/jesuitnews facebook.com/Jesuits instagram.com/wearethejesuits youtube.com/societyofjesus

What makes a prayer “feminist?” Shannon Evans — author, retreat facilitator, and the spirituality and culture editor at National Catholic Reporter — is back on the pod today to reflect on exactly that question. She has a great new book out, a compilation of prayers, called “Feminist Prayers for My Daughter: Powerful Petitions for Every Stage of Her Life.” And let me assure you, this book is for everyone. Not only does it provide spiritual accompaniment, but also demands that we ask questions like: What would the Psalms have sounded like if they’d been written by women? What life experiences do we need to better integrate and lift up in our prayer? What images and understandings of God do we need now, in this moment, to better deepen our relationship with our Creator? Shannon shares her reflections on these questions, as well as insight into her own writing journey — and some hot takes mystics and why they’ll be the topic of her next book. A brief warning: There is mention of sexual abuse around minute 15 of this episode. No details are given, and the context is Shannon’s own surprise about the power of her book’s prayers in very challenging situations. We invite you to check out the show notes to find links to Shannon’s website, books and Substack. Get Shannon's book: https://bakerbookhouse.com/products/466175 Visit Shannon's site: https://www.shannonkevans.com/ Sign up for her Substack: https://shannonkevans.substack.com/?utm_source=homepage_recommendations&utm_campaign=1424232 Check out her IG: https://www.instagram.com/shannonkevans/

A vivid definition of the Catholic Church is attributed to the literary giant James Joyce: Catholic means “here comes everybody.” Never in recent history has that felt more accurate than during the current Synod on Synodality. Lots of AMDG listeners have been active in the synod, participating in this global process of spiritual conversation and consultation. The synod comprises several stages, from the listening sessions in local churches all the way to the upcoming gatherings of the Synod of Bishops in Rome in October 2023 and 2024. For the first time ever, about 20% of the voting members of the synod will be made up of lay women and men. And last week, the General Secretariat of the Synod in Rome published a 60-page document called the “Instrumentum Laboris,” which will be the basis of the work of the Synod fathers and mothers when they gather. Unlike previous Synods, this Instrumentum Laboris is not a document to be amended and approved, but a series of questions on key topics related to communion, mission and participation in the church. The document itself is an incarnation of synodality, which makes space for all participants to be heard. One of the Synod team members who collaborated on this working document is Professor Anna Rowlands, today’s guest. Anna holds the St. Hilda Chair in Catholic Social Thought and Practice at Durham University in the United Kingdom. She is a political theologian who works at the intersection of political and social theory and Christian theology. Anna is the author of an acclaimed book on Catholic Social Teaching titled “Towards a Politics of Communion: Catholic Social Teaching in Dark Times,” which was published in 2021. Anna is one of the few people on Earth who have read pretty much every word submitted to Rome from the church all over the world, so she brings an incredible wealth of experience and a truly global perspective to the conversation. Host Mike Jordan Laskey asked her how the working document was shaped and for her take on the key themes that animate it. It is fascinating to hear what most surprised her as she took in such a enormous volume of testimony from every continent. We hope Anna’s reflections will be a useful introduction for you and that you’ll have the chance to read and pray with the working document, maybe even in spiritual conversation with people in your own local community. Read the working document: https://www.synod.va/en/news/instrumentum-laboris-a-document-of-the-whole-church.html Learn more about Professor Rowlands: https://www.durham.ac.uk/staff/anna-rowlands/ AMDG is a production of the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States. www.jesuits.org/ www.beajesuit.org/ twitter.com/jesuitnews facebook.com/Jesuits instagram.com/wearethejesuits youtube.com/societyofjesus

This past April, French bishops voted to open the sainthood cause of 20th century Jesuit theologian Henri de Lubac. If you had a time machine and went back to the 1950s and told Fr. de Lubac this news, he probably wouldn’t believe you. In those years, the church was so nervous about de Lubac’s scholarship that he was prevented from teaching theology and his books were removed from Jesuit libraries. He experienced a rehabilitation within his own lifetime and was even named a cardinal by Pope John Paul II in 1983. Host Mike Jordan Laskey has heard de Lubac’s name many times over the years, both for this theological controversy and even more importantly for the immense impact his work had on the Second Vatican Council and today’s church. But he knew pretty much nothing about him, so he invited the Rev. Dr. Jordan Hillebert on the show today to get him up to speed. Jordan Hillebert is an Anglican priest, a theologian and tutor at St Padarn’s Institute in Cardiff, Wales. He was born and raised in the United States and moved to Scotland in 2011 to pursue a PhD in theology at the University of St Andrews. His research interests include systematic theology, modern Christian thought and the theology of Henri de Lubac, whose work he has edited and authored several books on. His most recent book is called “Henri de Lubac and the Drama of Human Existence.” Mike asked Jordan to get all of us nonexperts acquainted with de Lubac’s life and work, and he did an amazing job. Jordan is clearly so intimately familiar with this great Jesuit. Jordan also shared a bit about his own vocation story and what his experience has been like as an Anglican studying a modern Roman Catholic theologian. Jordan’s book: https://undpress.nd.edu/9780268108571/henri-de-lubac-and-the-drama-of-human-existence/ Follow Jordan on Twitter: https://twitter.com/JordanHillebert www.jesuits.org/ www.beajesuit.org/ twitter.com/jesuitnews facebook.com/Jesuits instagram.com/wearethejesuits youtube.com/societyofjesus

There are so many theories about why young adults are leaving the Catholic Church today. Maybe our parishes aren’t welcoming enough, or maybe they’re watering down the faith. Maybe young people are being asked to do too much to be part of the community. Or maybe they’re not being asked to do enough. Maybe they’re angry at the church’s positions on social issues. Or maybe they just drift away because they don’t find anything relevant at church. It can be challenging to offer grand, sweeping theories about young adults and the church because we’re talking about millions of people. Young adults aren’t monolithic. But there is some good quantitative and qualitative data we can work with, and today’s guest is uniquely equipped to offer some compelling arguments. Ellen Koneck is the executive director of Commonweal Magazine, the venerable Catholic journal of opinion that celebrates its 100th birthday next year. She’s an incredibly insightful writer with experience in pastoral ministry, making her an astute observer of the reasons her fellow young adults slip out the church door. She also took over her role at Commonweal after working as head writer at the Springtide Research Institute, which does some of the best statistical work on young people and the church you can find anywhere. Ellen combined her wealth of experiences and observations into a talk she gave this past April for the Catholic Common Ground Initiative in Chicago. Ellen and host Mike Jordan Laskey recently had a wide-ranging conversation on why church membership is a bad metric for measuring youth involvement in faith, why the problem of polarization might not be as crucial to address as alienation, and how Commonweal is trying to reach a new generation of readers. Watch Ellen’s talk here (starts at 30:50): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B6E54YDSdEY&t=4s Commonweal: https://www.commonwealmagazine.org/ Springtide Research Institute: https://www.springtideresearch.org/ AMDG is a production of the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States. www.jesuits.org/ www.beajesuit.org/ twitter.com/jesuitnews facebook.com/Jesuits instagram.com/wearethejesuits youtube.com/societyofjesus

If you were going to make a list of the most inspiring things the Catholic Church is doing in the world, the work of Caritas Internationalis would be right there near the top. Caritas is a global confederation of Catholic charities working to alleviate poverty, promote social justice and advocate for the rights of the marginalized. With members organizations spread across about 200 countries and territories, Caritas is one of the biggest humanitarian networks in the world. Here in the US, the Caritas-affiliated organizations you’ve probably heard of are Catholic Charities, which serves people domestically, and Catholic Relief Services, which works overseas. In Canada, the Caritas organization is called Development and Peace. Today’s guest is the brand-new secretary general of Caritas, Alistair Dutton. He was just sworn in last week and elected a few weeks before that. Alistair had been serving as the director of Caritas’ agency in Scotland, which is called SCIAF. He will take over leadership of Caritas at a pivotal time. Last year, Pope Francis removed Caritas’ top leaders due at least in part to low staff morale. Host Mike Jordan Laskey asked Alistair what he hopes to do in his first weeks and months as secretary general to help promote healing within the organization. Alistair also discussed the work of SCIAF and some of the most inspiring humanitarian projects he has seen around the world, plus why Catholics ought to care about challenges those on the margins are facing both at home and abroad. Finally, as Alistair was a Jesuit himself for five years, he talked about how his formation in Ignatian spirituality influenced his life path and inspires him today. Learn more about Alistair and his election: https://www.vaticannews.va/en/vatican-city/news/2023-05/alistair-dutton-elected-new-secretary-general-caritas.html Caritas Internationalis: https://www.caritas.org/ SCIAF: https://www.sciaf.org.uk/ AMDG is a production of the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States. www.jesuits.org/ www.beajesuit.org/ twitter.com/jesuitnews facebook.com/Jesuits instagram.com/wearethejesuits youtube.com/societyofjesus

There’s always the temptation for religious orders to lionize their founder. To point to a single person and say, “There! That’s the way to live the Christian life! Just do what they did.” Despite the number of parishes and programs and centers named for Ignatius of Loyola, the man himself was pretty resolute on the need to have your own experience of God. His experience was exactly that: his experience. The unique way God was at work in his life. Ignatian spirituality and the Spiritual Exercises are gifts to us so that we can come to encounter God in our own way. So, we can look to Ignatius himself for inspiration. But as we should expect, the Ignatian tradition – and the Society of Jesus – has a vast array of diverse and fascinating figures. Saints and blessed, examples we can look to from the very first days of the Society to the present. Look to Ignatius, yes, but look also to the countless other sources of inspiration for living the Christian life. To help us do exactly this, the Institute for Advanced Jesuits Studies at Boston College has published a new, wonderful book: “Jesuit Saints and Blesseds: Spiritual Profiles.” The book traces the history of the Society through the lens of its holy people and is a companion for us as we explore our own paths to holiness. Back again on the podcast to talk about the book and Jesuit saints is Fr. Casey Beaumier, a Jesuit and the director of the Institute for Advanced Jesuits Studies. The conversation spans such important topics from which Jesuit saints are most inspirational in sustaining one’s vocation to which Jesuit saints most deserve an academic building named after them. (Hint: The answer is Joseph Pignatelli, and if you want to read up on him, there’s a link below where we’ve also included a link to the book and the Institute.) Learn about Joseph Pignatelli, SJ: https://www.jesuits.org/stories/what-joseph-pignatelli-sj-teaches-us-about-living-in-isolation/ Buy the book: https://jesuitsources.bc.edu/jesuit-saints-and-blesseds-spiritual-profiles/ About the Institute: https://www.bc.edu/content/bc-web/centers/iajs.html

Often in the story of St. Ignatius of Loyola, we zero in on the “cannonball moment.” It’s the instant in Ignatius’ story when everything changes—even if the would-be saint hasn’t yet fully realized it. But even more important than that war wound is the eleven months that follow, that long, tedious period of recovery and reflection and reading. It’s then that Ignatius encounters a book on Jesus Christ, and through that book, the God of Jesus Christ, the God who had been loving him all along—and speaking to him through his desires and experiences. That’s the moment in the Ignatian tradition that best frames today’s conversation. Our guest is Jesuit Fr. Joe Tetlow, currently the director of Montserrat Jesuit Retreat House in Lake Dallas, TX and the author of the new book, “Considering Jesus: The Human Experience of the Redeemer.” The title speaks for itself. Fr. Tetlow’s book is an opportunity to pray with Jesus’ own experiences, to see how those experiences speak to and inspire us. You’ll hear, too, how Fr. Tetlow’s own experiences shape his writing and retreat work—and can guide us in our own daily lives. You can get your own copy of Fr. Tetlow’s new book—or one of his many others—by checking out the links below. https://store.loyolapress.com/considering-jesus https://store.loyolapress.com/you-have-called-me-by-my-name https://store.loyolapress.com/always-discerning