The Way, volume 1 number 1, appeared as a new quarterly in January 1961, with Fr James Walsh as principal editor and Frs William Yeomans and Philip Caraman as co-editors. From the beginning the journal was thematic in approach and was in this respect unique in the English-speaking world. The writers were usually well established in their chosen fields of scripture, systematic and pastoral theology, or spirituality. Originally they tended to be male, Roman Catholic and clerical; over time the choice has broadened to include far more women, lay people and members of other Churches.
Choice of themes has also changed somewhat over the years. In the beginning the tendency was to attempt to follow the liturgical year. Subsequently more generally biblical or classically spiritual themes were introduced. More recently an attempt has been made to ground writing more firmly in experience. Instead of presenting classical themes in their purity, or only secondarily applied to experience, the question is posed: What are the serious and burning contemporary issues in Church and world? The choice of themes has, obviously, reflected changing readership patterns. If at the beginning most readers were Roman Catholic, and clerical or religious, the journal now tries to speak to the concerns of an increasingly diverse readership, both lay and frequently non-Catholic.
In 1969—when, of course, the Second Vatican Council had intervened—the editors announced that ‘the time has come to change our formula’. For them liturgical and biblical renewal had given a salutary shock to Christian complacency, and in their response they retrieved a key Ignatian insight: that the truth of God resides not just in the teaching of authority, but rather in an interplay between tradition and human experience at large. It is through journeys into the unknown and uncharted that we discover God.
Though The Way has continued to change since 1970, the shift articulated here was decisive. If Christian authority resided exclusively in tradition, then ‘spirituality’ could only refer to some part of that tradition, and arguably only a minor part: that enshrined in the religious orders. If, however, human experience was also a locus of religious insight, then ‘spirituality’ could become a matter both of major theological significance and of broader relevance and appeal.
The Way has always carried featured articles: two threads, ‘Recommended Reading’ (now ‘Recent Books’) and ‘Theological Trends’, have run from the beginning. ‘Recent Books’ reviews new books that may be of interest and value to Way readers, while ‘Theological Trends’ has aimed to help readers keep up with current thinking and writing in particular areas of theological or biblical studies. To these have been added ‘From the Ignatian Tradition’, translating and commenting on significant texts from the tradition; ‘The Spirit in Contemporary Culture’, offering spiritual reflections on our current context; ‘Spirituality and Living’, sharing personal spiritual experiences in everyday life; and most recently ‘Our Common Home’, reflecting the increasing importance of the environment and ecotheology.
From an occasional series in 1966, the Way Supplement moved to twice-yearly and then thrice-yearly. It focused on more specialist topics at greater depth and length. Initially the Supplements concentrated on offering updated thinking on the Spiritual Exercises and on various issues of concern to religious communities in the process of renewal. They developed to embrace good writing on the Exercises and Ignatian spirituality in general; material of interest to religious communities or seminaries or clergy; and specialist material on other topics such as communications, media and spirituality. The Way Supplement was merged with The Way when the journal was relaunched in 2003 under the editorship of Philip Endean, and its remit is now reflected in the annual Special Issue as well as the new ‘Studies in Ignatian Practice’ series of booklets.
Today The Way is more than ever led by the developing concerns of its readership: welcoming and publishing articles from all over the world and supporting new writing editorially and through the annual Writers’ Retreat in partnership with the St Beuno’s Jesuit Retreat Centre. We look forward to continuing a tradition of spiritual writing which, at is best, has taken the pulse that beats at the heart of history and set it against the many challenges we face, encouraging us not to linger in the past but to engage with God’s work in the present. Let it inspire us to move forward together with hope.
This page is based on John Coventry, ‘The Way, 1961–1986’, The Way, 50/1 (January 2011), 9–20; Philip Endean, ‘The Ignatian Spirituality of The Way’, The Way, 42/1 (January 2003), 7–21; and Philip Harrison, ‘Foreword’ to The Way, 61/4 (October 2022), 5–6.