May 26, 2026 — Fr. Arturo Sosa, SJ, Superior General of the Society of Jesus, is asking Jesuits to bring a “new intensity, coherence and depth” to their work with young adults. “Our apostolates are privileged spaces of encounter with the young, and Ignatian spirituality finds a natural resonance in their daily lives,” Fr. Sosa wrote in a letter to Jesuit Major Superiors released on Pentecost Sunday.
Fr. Sosa noted that young people all over the world are taking leadership roles to confront global challenges that include war, climate change and an erosion of human rights.
“We see youth in Myanmar, Iran, Lebanon, Ukraine, the USA, South Sudan, Nicaragua, the Philippines, Venezuela and so many other places courageously stepping forward to fight for change,” he said. “We share their hopes and ideals. We want to journey with them towards a hope-filled future.”
We believe in young people. We believe in their energy and their passion. We share many of their ideals, and we admire their capacity to incarnate those ideals.
-Father General Arturo Sosa, SJ
Fr. Sosa highlighted the three hallmarks of Ignatian young adult ministry: helping young people to discern where Jesus is leading them; cultivating a sensitivity to the poor; and fostering community, which he said is “a valuable antidote to the loneliness that many young adults feel.”
Younger Jesuits have a particular role to play in the Society’s commitment to reaching young adults, Fr. Sosa said, as they “form part of a new generation, and they too are seekers and searchers.” He asked them to “contribute their creativity, their spiritual depth and their digital skills to help us advance our work with young adults,” and he established a working group to explore how digital applications can help in the accompaniment of young adults.
“In the Society of Jesus, we have unique possibilities to walk with young adults — possibilities that have been built up over centuries,” said Fr. Sosa. “Jesuits have opened schools and universities down through the ages. Today, with our mission partners, we have contact on the ground with so many young people and a unique window into their lives. Our apostolates are privileged spaces of encounter with the young, and Ignatian spirituality finds a natural resonance in their daily lives.”
Magis 2027 in Korea before World Youth Day is another way the Jesuits will work directly with young adults. About 1,000 young people from Jesuit and Ignatian backgrounds are expected to attend, and participants will return home with new ways to do outreach to fellow young people.
“We believe in young people,” Fr. Sosa said. “We believe in their energy and their passion. We share many of their ideals, and we admire their capacity to incarnate those ideals.”
