Tertian
What is the European English-speaking Tertianship?Formation in the Society of Jesus is much more than a mere professional training. It involves personal and spiritual growth in the body of the Society. The Jesuit Constitutions assign three probations before taking final vows:
The first probation is the so-called 'candidature' before entering the novitiate and takes place at the beginning. Here the motivation and determination of the candidate to live with and in the Society of Jesus are to be proved.
The second probation is the novitiate as such: two years in which to consider the undertaken election to become a Jesuit – and seek for confirmation.
The third probation is therefore known as the 'tertianship'. It is usually to be made after ten to fifteen years after the novitiate and at the end of the Jesuit's professional training. St Ignatius called it a 'school of the heart'. It is a time in which the tertian deepens his own commitment to the Society and its Lord, Jesus.
The European Tertianship in Dublin lasts a little more than eight months, usually from September to May. Under the patronage of the President of the Conference of European Provincials (CEP), this Tertianship attempts to provide a particular experience of the Society in Europe as a faith community for corporate mission. But the means to this end are the same in all tertianships of the Society of Jesus:
• Apostolic prayer
• Spiritual direction
• Communal sharing and discernment
• Experiments (January – April)
• The Long Retreat (November – December)
• Studies of the major documents of the Society of Jesus, the Church, and the Society's history.