Before its dissolution in 1773, the Society of Jesus could boast of thriving communities and missions in Transylvania. After the storms of the last century, in 2008, the long-cherished dream of the Hungarian order to found a monastery in Transylvania came true. 

IGNATIAN SPIRITUALITY IS BACK IN TRANSYLVANIA

The Jesuits returned to Marosvásárhely after 235 years, where they received the former Minorite church and the dormitory building next to it for use. In addition to church, university chaplaincy and dormitory work, they accompanied spiritual exercises and held spiritual days throughout Transylvania from the very beginning. More and more often, they experienced the initiative of lay people and the way in which Ignatian spirituality was able to provide answers to the questions they raised. 

Thanks to the generally felt cooperative openness, the Ignatian way was made available to more and more people throughout Transylvania. It is encouraging to see that more and more people are recognizing the power of Ignatian spirituality, and it is encouraging to see how it awakens a desire for renewal in many. Barnabás Jakabos SJ, head of the Marosvásárhely Jesuit community, testifies to this: 

"One of the most important goals, light and strength of our spirituality is the development of a dedicated life based on reflection in the Holy Spirit. Those who reach the turning point in their personal life where they no longer want to live in anxiety and selfishness as a victim of their environment and talents, but instead want to act freely and enthusiastically in a way that is given to God in the hands of the Good Lord, will instinctively begin to be attracted to the spirituality of St. Ignatius towards, often not even consciously at first. These people used to say: »Saint Ignatius is so free and at the same time so committed...«, »I like that this is a meaningful spirituality - understandable and so normal...«. Whoever wants to organize his life in this way, to make a good decision in the Holy Spirit, to release vital energy for a devoted life, will sooner or later find himself in some kind of spiritual exercise at St. Ignatius."

THE TRAINING OF ASSISTANTS HAS STARTED

On the vigil of the Year of St. Ignatius 2021-2022 - commemorating the 500th anniversary of the conversion of the founder of the Jesuit order - the long-standing wish of the Hungarian Jesuits was realized, that in response to the spiritual needs of the people of Transylvania, they could start training for spiritual practice guides and spiritual guides with the spirituality of St. Ignatius. for those who perceive this call of God, but need to be able to help accompany others in a grounded and appropriate way. 

The duration of the training is four years, during which the participants learn the skills of listening, the method of spiritual accompaniment, and learn the specifics of accompanying spiritual exercises. In the meantime, they complete the thirty-day retreat, and after the second year, they also participate in supervised accompaniment practice. The conditions for applying are proficiency in St. Ignatius spirituality and the fact that the applicant already has a spiritual guide and knows a longer accompanying process behind them.

The workshop follows James Empereur's concept of spiritual guidance, that is, it trains the participants in how to accompany someone for a certain period of time in order to clarify together the religious, spiritual - and sometimes psychological - issues of the accompanied person, so that they can have a deeper relationship with God and contribute to the Christian community for internal service. He does all this by trying to teach future companions how to use St. Ignatius' book of Spiritual Exercises as a "map" in the process of accompanying. 

THEY LEARN TO ACCOMPANY

The term workshop in the name of the training refers to two things. On the one hand, to the practical orientation, and on the other hand, to the fact that the participants already arrive with certain knowledge and experience in the field of St. Ignatius spirituality, and by sharing this "brought" knowledge and experience, they also help each other, "mutually educate". 

Participants learn the method of accompanying - not "leading" or "managing". They practice to interfere as little as possible in the life of the haunted person, not to give him instructions on how to live his life, and not to force different ways of prayer on him.

At the same time, they learn not to remain completely passive, but to participate intensively in the spiritual process of their haunting. They learn how to ask clarifying questions or how to look back at the topics of previous sessions, and how to tactfully formulate specific suggestions or give "invitations" during the process of spiritual accompaniment.

The training prepares the future companions to use the text of the Spiritual Exercises as a "manual" and "map" in the process of spiritual accompaniment. The aim of the workshop is that with the knowledge acquired here and the strengthening of the Ignatian spiritual companion attitude, spiritual companions with the spirituality of St. Ignatius serve the Christian community as a whole, and in a narrower sense, the Hungarian community in Transylvania.