Jesuit Institute welcomes new team of Ignatian Formators to strengthen support for Jesuit schools

June 17, 2026

Four experienced educators have joined the Jesuit Institute’s new Ignatian Formators team to support Jesuit schools across Britain in deepening staff formation in Jesuit values and spirituality.

The initiative responds to growing demand from schools for structured formation opportunities for staff and leaders, and reflect the Jesuit Institute's commitment to supporting schools in their mission.

The new team brings together four experienced educators and formation leaders:

  • Seanead O’Neill – Assistant Schools Officer, working alongside Schools Officer Maria Neal to support the Jesuit Institute’s schools programme
  • Damien Morley – Ignatian Formator for Jesuit schools in the Ribble Valley, including Stonyhurst College, St Mary’s Hall and St Joseph’s Primary School
  • Roderick Howlett – Ignatian Formator for St Aloysius’ College (Glasgow) and its junior school
  • Nelle Carty Dalton – Ignatian Formator for St Ignatius College (Enfield), Wimbledon College and Donhead Preparatory School in London

They will support staff formation within Jesuit schools through retreats, training programmes, induction sessions and opportunities for reflection rooted in the Ignatian tradition. They will also help school leaders explore discernment and spiritual conversation as part of the life and mission of their schools.

Maria Neal, the Jesuit Institute’s Schools Officer, said: "Our response to the changing needs within education has been a typically Jesuit one: both courageous and pioneering within the context of the Catholic Education landscape in the UK. As a team of five, we can offer Inset, support, retreats and training within Catholic Multi-Academy Trusts, working with Catholic Dioceses. There is a real appetite for formation in Catholic schools, and we are ready to meet this call, bringing Ignatian spirituality to a wider educational audience."

The formators are currently being inducted into the work of the British Province of Jesuits and the schools they will serve ahead of the new academic year.

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