Parish leaders from Jesuit parishes in Britain will gather on 16–17 March in Woking, Surrey to work on a “Blueprint for Synodality in our Jesuit parishes”, following a rich year of local workshops, regional meetings, and a national conference on synodality.

Seventeen members of the British Province serving in Jesuit parishes will spend two days working with facilitator Danny Curtin and Fr Matthew Nunes SJ, Director of the School for Synodality to discern how principles of deep listening, shared decision‑making and collaborative mission can be integrated in parish life. Fr Paul Nicholson SJ, Director of the Jesuit Institute, who recently joined the global Ignite the Way formation meeting in Salamanca, will also attend to support greater coordination of synodal initiatives across the Province.

Br Ken Vance SJ, Delegate for Pastoral Ministries and guiding voice in the synodal process, said: “Much has been achieved by our eight parishes in the past year in adopting the process of Synodality. This meeting will share examples of good practice and help co-ordinate the Province's approach to Synodality.”

Fr Paul Nicholson SJ, Director of the Jesuit Institute, said: “I’m looking forward to seeing at this meeting how the spirituality work of the Jesuit Institute might best help our Jesuit parishes respond more fully to the challenges of synodality”.

The March meeting is part of an ongoing journey that began with parish‑level workshops earlier in 2025, where parishioners explored accompaniment, deep listening and collaborative discernment within their local communities. Those conversations led to regional gatherings held in Edinburgh, London and the north of England, which prepared the way for the Jesuit Parishes Conference held from 12–14 November 2025, where delegates from the eight Jesuit parishes reflected on how to respond to the Synod on Synodality’s call for a more inclusive and participatory Church.

A wider Jesuit movement: Ignite the Way

The work in Britain comes amid a wider global effort by the Society of Jesus to support synodality. In late November 2025, nearly 100 Jesuits, lay leaders, religious sisters and others gathered in Salamanca, Spain, for the first meeting of Ignite the Way, an international initiative that equips facilitators to help communities practise shared discernment, deep listening and collaborative leadership.

Over the course of 2026, regional teams will begin running formation programmes tailored to local contexts. A new website, www.ignitetheway.org, will serve as a central hub for resources, guidance and news, helping teams adapt materials for their formation work.

Turning vision into practical steps

Alongside the Province‑wide blueprint, many Jesuit parishes are already acting locally. At St Aloysius’ Church in Glasgow, a series of synodality gatherings have taken place; Farm Street Church in Central London hosted a discussion titled “What church do we want and how do we build it?”; and St Anselm's in Southall has launched a year‑long programme that will culminate in a synodal parish council.

These initiatives reflect a shared Jesuit commitment to build parish communities that walk together, listen deeply and discern how God is calling them to serve today.

Photo by Caleb Miller on Unsplash