Jesuit Constitutions Revisited

How could a document that uses the word “amor” 58 times, the word “caridad” 56 times, and the phrase “gloria de Dios” 289 times be experienced simply as a “book of law?” How could such a volume be summed up as merely a book of regulations rather than an apostolic spirituality? How can this classic become more than a hidden recipe, but rather, actual food and nutrition for the soul? And, if it can, how can it be continually and happily appropriated by Jesuits beyond the novitiate during the course of their formation? Such were the questions that led us to create and develop an eight-day silent retreat focused upon the Constitutions of the Society of Jesus—a wisdom document—for Jesuits during their initial formation beyond the novitiate.

The first retreat occurred in 2013, arranged with the help of Fr. Raymond Guiao, SJ, who at the time was the Midwest provincial assistant for formation. Now, at the beginning of its second decade, the retreat has continued with the assistance of Frs. Timothy Lannon, SJ, and Charles Rodrigues, SJ, the previous and current provincial assistants for formation.

The purpose of the retreat is to help men in formation become even more acquainted with Ignatian and Jesuit spirituality by means of prayer—coupled with daily input, discussion, and examples—about the Constitutions, which, as the late scholar Fr. Michael Buckley, SJ, stated, “defines the Jesuit, and specifies what a Jesuit is and what a Jesuit life is, insofar as that can be done by a classic document.” Men from all four United States provinces and beyond have enjoyed the retreat, optimally 15 at a time.

Besides Jesuits, more and more lay leaders and colleagues in our apostolates are discovering the Constitutions and asking about them. This year in Dallas, Carol Ackels, director of the Ignatian Spirituality Institute, and Fr. Joseph Tetlow, SJ, organized a workshop related to the Constitutions. In recent years, Matthew Couture and Fr. Joseph Parkes, SJ, provincial assistants for pre-secondary and secondary education for the Midwest and East provinces, respectively, have arranged for presentations to high school faculty and leaders on the values and themes of the Constitutions related to the apostolate of secondary education.

The retreat itself is meant to be a time between the beginning of formation (novitiate) and the end of initial formation (tertianship) when a man can integrate his ongoing personal experiences within the framework of the Jesuit spirit and apostolic identity. Since 2016, the retreat has also been offered to older Jesuits, most of whom did not have access to an English translation of the Constitutions until 1970. Besides the bulk of the retreat covering the 10 Parts of the Constitutions, there are also preliminary sessions on The Autobiography of St. Ignatius, the Spiritual Exercises, the Rules for the Discernment of Spirits, and the Formula of the Institute. Though the retreatants are encouraged to pray about any area of their lives, the retreat offers a prime opportunity to pray about the words and thoughts of St. Ignatius of Loyola. Such prayer about the Constitutions— the institutionalization of a charism, when Ignatian spirituality became Jesuit spirituality—opens a person to the depth and richness of our vocation. As one man in formation expressed, engaging the Jesuit religious heritage in a prayerful way allowed him to experience once again a confirmation of his initial calling to the Society. It was something like a homecoming for him.

I am very grateful for those who have made and benefitted from this retreat— as I have—especially since it’s unclear how many more years I’ll be offering this experience. The overall wish and goal is to assist all of us Jesuits to become not only men of the Spiritual Exercises—which is prized so enthusiastically—but also men of the Constitutions, appreciating the founding inspiration and the articulation of our corporate Jesuit life and mission, and cooperating with it unto the glory of God.