The meeting, expected to continue until Friday 20 November, will bring together 40 elected Jesuits, alongside three delegates attending ex officio: the Provincial Superior, Fr Peter Gallagher SJ, the Socius, Br Stephen Power SJ, and the Province Treasurer, Fr Keith McMillan SJ.
The Province Congregation will give Jesuits in Britain an opportunity to contribute to discussions about the future direction and priorities of the Society of Jesus worldwide.
Delegates will elect a procurator, together with a possible substitute, from among Jesuits in the British Province who have professed their final vows. The elected procurator will consult Jesuit communities and apostolic works across the Province, gathering perspectives on their experiences, challenges and priorities ahead of the international meeting.
Beyond the election, the Province Congregation will vote on whether it believes a General Congregation, the highest governing assembly of the Society of Jesus, should be convened. The question will subsequently be considered at the 72nd Congregation of Procurators in Indonesia, where procurators from Jesuit provinces worldwide will vote on whether to call such a gathering.
Further discussions will focus on apostolic planning and the priorities facing Jesuits in Britain, drawing on considerations put forward by the Provincial Superior.
Fr Peter Gallagher SJ said:
“The relatively rare provincial congregation is a reminder that the British Province is part of a worldwide organisation, the Society of Jesus, and that we play our part in its self-examination and government.
“I think all of us who are going to be there need to be spiritually prepared. It is a moment for us to have a certain adventurousness, a certain excited listening to the Holy Spirit, so that the congregation might give to the procurator that we elect, and also to the Province, a push to do some new things.”
The gathering will also mark the first time the British Province Congregation has met in St Beuno’s large meeting room, which was built with this purpose in mind.
The 72nd Congregation of Procurators, convoked by Fr Arturo Sosa SJ in April 2026, will begin in Indonesia on 11 October 2027. The international gathering will bring together representatives from Jesuit provinces around the world to reflect on the life and mission of the Society and the challenges it faces today.
