Fr Arturo Sosa SJ, Superior General of the Society of Jesus, has released a letter on the Universal Apostolic Preferences:
1. TO SHOW THE WAY TO GOD THROUGH THE SPIRITUAL EXERCISES AND DISCERNMENT
Helping people find Jesus Christ and follow Him
2. WALKING WITH THE EXCLUDED
Walk alongside the poor, the vulnerable, the excluded and those whom society considers worthless, in a mission of reconciliation and justice
3. CARING FOR OUR COMMON HOME
Work, with Gospel depth, for the protection and renewal of God’s Creation
4. JOURNEYING WITH YOUTH
Accompany young people in the creation of a hope-filled future
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An apostolic preference is a “priority for discernment”, a recognition that our common discernment has highlighted certain movements of the Holy Spirit that demand our attention and our resources. The Apostolic Preferences give “accents” for our mission, designed to invite and inspire all Jesuits, along with partners in mission, to hear the voice of the Spirit and to take action. This letter is the first step in a long journey of implementation by the entire Society. Fr General is asking Jesuits and our colleagues to focus on how our current and future ministries can integrate the UAPs and address the real-world issues that they contain.
For nearly two years, the worldwide Society of Jesus was in common discernment on the UAPs. The process of discerning began when the delegates of the General Congregation 36 asked Fr General to review the preferences from 2003. From GC 36, Decree 3: Challenge to our Mission Today and Decree 40: “We invite Fr General to continue to discern the preferences for the Society, to review the above preferences, to update their specific content, and to develop plans and programmes that can be monitored and evaluated.”
The UAPs were given to Pope Francis who prayed with them before returning them to Fr General Sosa as a MISSION from the Holy Father. Currently there are 15, 536 Jesuits around the world carrying out this mission.
JCAP President Fr Tony Moreno SJ said: “These preferences are not about what we simply want to do. We believe the Spirit guided the whole discernment process. These preferences will inspire and direct our application of the mission of reconciliation and justice in the 36th General Congregation. It is hoped that personal, communal and institutional conversion in the Society will unfold as we pursue these preferences.”
Read Fr General Arturo Sosa’s letter to the whole Society on the Universal Apostolic Preferences of the Society of Jesus, 2019-2029
Watch a two-minute video summary of the UAPs
Visit the Curia website on the UAPs available in four languages:
jesuits.global/en/uap (English)
jesuits.global/es/uap (Spanish)
jesuits.global/fr/uap (French)
jesuits.global/it/uap (Italian)
