On December 3, 2020, during a meeting of Croatian Jesuit associates, the participants proposed to start a formation program on Ignatian spirituality and pedagogy for the members of Ignatian associations and institutions. After consulting the organizational team, the Croatian Provincial, Fr. Dalibor Renić, decided to begin the formation of coordinators of Ignatian identity.
The first formation cycle began in March 2021, with an online meeting, which was then followed by four other online meetings and a weekend, during which the coordinators were able to meet with other participants and to listen to different talks by Croatian Jesuits. Some 10-20 people from various Ignatian associations participated in each of these meetings, and they learned about the life of St. Ignatius and different aspects of his spirituality.
In the concluding evaluation, all participants expressed their satisfaction with the program and expressed their wish to continue it. Some have already introduced similar meetings in their associations and work teams. One participant wrote: “Already after the second meeting, I have felt a change in communication, not only among those members that participated [in the formation program] but also during meetings with other members [of the association] and one can notice a better cooperation. It seems to me that God is calling us to continuous action, to spread Jesuit spirituality, not only in our communities but also beyond them. I think that, once we adopt the acquired knowledge and experience, we should continue as group.”
Luka Ilić, SJ