Formation
Jesuit regency, a laboratory of the real by Fannie Dionne
Photo: Jesuits of Haiti
“
Regency plays a special role in the overall formation of a Jesuit,” wrote former Father General Peter-Hans Kolvenbach, SJ (1983–2008), regarding the formation of members of the Society of Jesus. Every Jesuit, during his long formation, must go through this period of about two years during which he works in an Ignatian apostolate, discerned with the provincial according to the reality of the young Jesuit, the needs of the province, and the requirements of Jesuit formation. “It was one of my best experiences in the Society of Jesus,” says Frantz B. Georges, SJ, who did his regency at the Jesuit Refugee Service – Canada. This is just one of the apostolates where the regents of the Province of Canada and Haiti can meet. In recent years, Matthew Hendzel, SJ, has been a spiritual director at Loyola House Retreat Centre; Jean Francky Guerrier,
SJ, has worked in many apostolates in Haiti (such as the National Office of the Jesuit Migrant Service and the Grand Séminaire de Notre Dame de Cazeau); and Brook Stacey, SJ, has been involved with young people as a teacher of math, physical education and religion at St. Paul’s High School, as well as an assistant coach for the school’s wrestling team. But why insert this long period of work between the stages of Jesuit studies? The primary goal of any formation in the Society, explains Fr. Gilles Mongeau, SJ, socius (the superior’s assistant) of the Jesuits of Canada, is the psycho-spiritual maturation of the young Jesuit and the deepening of his relationship with Christ in mission. It is a time to deepen in wisdom — to learn to have a more profound understanding of reality — but also to discover one’s particular gifts.
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