The Xavier House Ignatian Spirituality Centre, in collaboration with the Centre for Catholic Studies of the Chinese University of Hong Kong, organised an Ignatian spiritual conference from 1 to 3 July in the auditorium of Wah Yan College, Kowloon, Hong Kong. Despite unfavourable weather in the early morning, more than 350 people eager to deepen their spiritual lives braved the wind and rain to attend this feast for the soul.
The three-day conference received an enthusiastic response from participants. Attendees came from various regions, including both sides of the Taiwan Strait, as well as from Australia, the Philippines, Singapore, Malaysia, Canada, and other countries. Bishop Stephen Chow SJ of Hong Kong Diocese personally attended the event and delivered the keynote address.
The theme of the conference was “From Conversation to Conversion–An Ignatian Trajectory”. The organisers invited six Jesuit priests from different provinces to explore and share the meaning of “conversion” in today’s world from three perspectives: individual, social, and communal. The conference also featured several workshops in the afternoon, allowing participants to freely engage in the sessions. The workshop topics included becoming a discerner in Christ, studying the manuscript versions of the Spiritual Exercises of Ignatius, healing conversations, discernment in apostolic planning, whether suffering can inspire conversion, communal discernment in action, the journey of ecological conversion, contemplative art, and transitioning from confusion to hope.
The activities on the first day of the conference began with an introduction to the practice of “colloquy” in the Spiritual Exercises, followed by a welcome address from Fr Stephen Tong, Provincial of the Chinese Province. Fr Tong expressed his gratitude and welcomed the guest speakers and participants who had travelled far distances. He highlighted that the word “trajectory” evokes the image of a “bullet in flight”, which relates closely to St Ignatius’ experience with the cannonball and everyone’s “inner journey towards God” and “the authenticity of human nature”. Furthermore, genuine spiritual conversation initiates a dynamic movement in people’s souls, opening oneself to God’s invitation and reality, even though it may come at great cost or discomfort.
Fr José García de Castro SJ, who had travelled from Spain, presented on “The Journey of Conversion: Ignatian Insights into Personal Conversion”. He outlined six transformative processes that St Ignatius experienced: the conversion of life, religious conversion (turning to Christ), conversion in poverty (self-surrender), conversion in relation to the Church, conversion in the context of community (from the individual to the initial companions), and conversion towards the world and all things (seeing everything new in Christ).
Following that, Fr Gerard Kevin Whelan SJ from Ireland delivered a talk on “Using Our Imagination to Let God Transform Us: Ignatian Contemplation and the Spiritual Exercises”. Drawing on the thoughts of two Jesuit scholars, Bernard Lonergan SJ and Robert Doran, SJ Fr Whelan explored the foresight and insight of Ignatius from the perspectives of modern philosophy and psychology. He delved into how Ignatian spirituality incorporates imagination and contemplation to bring about transformation in individuals.
Day two of the conference touched on Conversion as a Response to the World Today. It featured Fr James Hanvey SJ, who presented on the topic, “For the Life of the World – God Labouring and Working in All Things”. Fr Hanvey explored the meaning of conversion as a turning to God and desire to enter into the service of Christ on mission, and imparted resources from the Spiritual Exercises that can help in this life-giving call.
Meanwhile, Fr Peter McIsaac SJ spoke about contemplation and what it means to become truly “contemplative” using the lens of the Spiritual Exercises. His talk, “Act Justly, Love Tenderly, Walk Humbly: The Contemplative in the World” examined contemplation as both an interior reality cultivated by various meditative practices, as well as a way of being aware and attentive to the grace that enfolds our daily lives.
The final day of the conference centred around the Conversion of the Pilgrim Church: A Call to a Paradigm Shift in Being Church. The featured speakers were Fr Richard Leonard SJ, who shared insights on being “Called to Communal Conversion: The Church on Mission to the World”, and Fr John Dardis SJ, who delivered a talk on “Narrative as a Path to Conversion: Reflections on the Ignatian Tradition”.
Fr Leonard discussed how missiological documents contribute to our understanding of the church as a “teaching” church and the call presented in those documents to witness to Christ by word and example. Fr Dardis used short 21st century video clips and ancient Bible passages to illustrate how the faithful can live more deeply the desire to bring the Good News, challenge ideologies, and become prophets of a Gospel based and synodal future.
The conference also included Ignatian-style Examen exercises, workshops conducted in small groups, dialogues, and sharing sessions with the resource speakers. Each of the three days concluded with a Thanksgiving Mass, fostering a sense of gratitude and spiritual reflection among the participants. [Chinese Province]