Father General Arturo Sosa is visiting the Province of
Slovenia from 19 – 20 September. The Central European country has a modest yet
meaningful presence of Jesuits who are engaged in different ministries,
including pastoral care, youth outreach and education.
Over the years, collaboration with laymen and women
has been a vital element in advancing the mission of the Jesuits in the
country. Many lay collaborators have been formed in Ignatian spirituality,
enabling them to embody and transmit Jesuit values authentically. This shared
spiritual foundation helps create a unified sense of mission and fosters a
deeper sense of involvement in the mission.
During this visit, Fr
Sosa met the lay collaborators and volunteers who carry forward the work of the
Society of Jesus at the Father Pedro Arrupe Hall in the Jesuit College in
Ljubljana. Some of these lay collaborators included representatives from the
parish in Dravlje, the largest Jesuit parish in Slovenia: members of the parish
finance council, the parish pastoral council, and the family catechesis group.
One striking instance of this lay collaboration is the example of Mrs Maria
Savšek, who for 25 years has devoted herself wholeheartedly to the
beautification of the Church of St Joseph and the House of Spiritual Exercises
in Ljubljana. On this special occasion, she prepared decorations of handwoven
fresh flowers and placed them on the columns of the main entrance of the retreat
house.