This morning, after prayers in the Aula together, Fr. General Adolfo Nicolas announced the names of nine Jesuits who would form the core of his General Council. Each of the nine was assigned as a Regional Assistant: that is to say, each would help Fr. General in his governance of a specific geographic region of the Society of Jesus (called an “Assistancy,” in Jesuit jargon). Each would also be a General Counselor, that is, someone who would help Fr. General in his supervision and care over the whole Society.Fr. General appointed me one of his General Counselors, and Regional Assistant for East Asia and Oceania. This Assistancy covers the Provinces of China, Japan, Korea, Vietnam, the Philippines, Indonesia, and Australia, the regions of Malaysia-Singapore, Thailand, Micronesia, and East Timor, and the missions of Myanmar and Cambodia. As Regional Assistant, I will have to visit the men and our apostolates in this area; help Fr. General with the requests, reports and other correspondence that come from the region; give him the advice he needs on decisions that will have to be made, on personnel, houses, communities, finances, ministries, and the like. As General Counselor, I am supposed to “collaborate with the General” and his other counselors, on policies, decisions, and implementation of those decisions, concerning the universal Society. (Cf. No. 382, Complementary Norms).
The Process of Selection
What was the process that led to this appointment? Last Ash Wednesday, the delegates of GC35 broke into Assistancy discussion groups in order for each Assistancy to come up with a terna, a list of three names to be submitted to Fr. General, as possible candidates for Regional Assistant and General Counselor for our respective regions. Guided by a list of desired qualities provided us by Fr. Nicolas, our conversation that day was an experience of consoling spiritual freedom in discernment. This is not to say that it was not difficult.
We discussed many Jesuits as possibilities, some present among us, many more not among our number. What really stood out, however, was the spirit that I had already experienced in our search for a new General: a spirit of real love for the universal Society and a deep desire to help the General for the sake of Society and its mission, even if it meant sacrifices for the persons involved and their respective Provinces.
On Thursday, after some quiet time for prayer and a little more time for one-on-one conversations, our Assistancy group voted and formed a terna. My name was on the list submitted to Fr. General. From Friday to yesterday, Fr. General spoke to many people, as part of his process of making final decisions. He spoke with me on Friday morning. This morning, he announced his decision.
There is one final process remaining. From the nine of us, or from any other professed member of the Society, the General Congregation will choose four as Assistants ad Providentiam. These four members of the General’s Council will have a special care for the person of the General and his capacity to govern the Society well. The Constitutions and Complementary Norms give a fuller description of the role of the Assistant ad Providentiam. At any rate, from today till Friday, all the electors of the General Congregation will be involved in murmurationes about possible candidates, even as we struggle along with our present work of discussing and drafting documents. This Saturday, February 16, the Congregation will elect the first two Assistants ad Providentiam. On Monday, we will elect the last two.
When that process is done, the General will have his basic team in place. He will probably assign a few more Counselors, probably with more sectoral (rather than regional) portfolios, such as a Counselor for formation. But that will depend on the General’s priorities and his sense of the assistance he needs from the universal Society.
The Next Few Months
I am very grateful that Fr. General has kindly given me up to about a year to prepare for this new assignment. After the General Congregation, I will go home, to tie up loose ends, but mostly, to set in motion the search process for a new Provincial. Because this process will probably involve a “domino effect” (once a new Provincial is chosen, another process will have to begin to look for a successor for whatever position the new Provincial will have vacated, etc.), this may take several months. During those months, the General has also said that he may require me to attend some meetings in Rome.
If all goes well, however, perhaps the Province will have a new Provincial around the time the new school year begins or sometime soon after that. I hope to ensure that the transitions and changes my new assignment will set off in the Province will not be too disruptive. After my successor is installed, the General has graciously allowed me a few months of “mini-sabbatical.” I should be back in Rome ready to start my new mission by around January 2009.
Some Personal Notes
I think my deepest regret is that the Province will have to be inconvenienced because of my new mission. It is clear that this assignment means, not just a little sacrifice on my part, but also sacrifice on the part of the Province. Plans for the future now have to re-adjusted, and will involve some disappointment and dying to self on the part of others beyond myself. I am consoled however that Fr. General and other members of the Congregation have acknowledged and expressed gratitude for the “sacrifice” on the part of the Philippine Province. I am deeply consoled too by the response of many Jesuits and lay partners from our Province who have texted or emailed me, expressing their sadness but also their strong desire to subordinate the good of the Province to the good of the universal Society, their simple acceptance of the will of God.
After Mass this evening, I laughed when a smiling American Jesuit came up to me and said, “Had a life-transforming day today, have you?” In truth, however, I have found myself remarkably strengthened by the kind responses of my brother Jesuits here in Rome. It was funny to walk down the corridor this evening and hear the venerable Fr. Jacques Gellard, Assistant ad Providentiam and Admonitor of Fr. Kolvenbach, greet me, with a kind of benevolent amusement in his voice: “Good evening, Fr. Assistant.” So many brother Jesuits here, from so many different countries, have expressed good wishes and promised prayers, and I have been deeply touched by the sincerity and brotherhood behind their words. I was very moved too by a few, including some I respect very much, surprising me by saying: “I am very happy that you are part of the Council.” I confess feeling overwhelmed and humbled by their apparent confidence in me. Most strengthening for me was to hear a few Jesuits say words to this effect, “Thank you for accepting this sacrifice, this service, for the sake of the Society.” These last, to me, understood best.
Will I be able to learn Italian now that I am 48, going on 49? Will I learn it well enough to function at the level I am expected to, or at least, so I don’t feel like a total outsider in this country that I will have to call home for several years? Those are some of the petty little worries that buzz around in my brain like annoying flies from time to time. But, on the whole, I thank God that I am at peace, grateful that I can serve Fr. General and the Society in this new way. I trust that if this is God’s will that I am accepting, He will take care of me and of the Province, and He will guide me along the way that unfolds from this day.
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