The Nicolaas Kluiters Tertianship is a formation initiative of the Jesuit Conference of European Provincials (JCEP), offering Jesuits an opportunity to deepen their spiritual life and renew their commitment to the Society of Jesus. Tertianship is the final stage of Jesuit formation, usually undertaken after several years of apostolic experience, and includes a period of prayer, reflection and the Spiritual Exercises of St Ignatius of Loyola.

This year’s edition brings together 14 participants from across the world and is led by Dany Younes (Near East Province) and Arnaud de Rolland (EOF Province). Due to the ongoing political instability in the region, the Tertianship is taking place in Alexandria, Egypt, rather than in its usual location in Bikfaya, Lebanon. Despite this change of venue, the programme continues to offer participants a valuable opportunity for spiritual renewal, discernment and fraternity. The following article was brought to us by one of the participants Benoît Ferré (EOF).

Composition of place: fourteen Jesuits squeezed into a tiny boat at the foot of the Qaitbay Citadel. One man, alone, rows to move and steer us. The grand tour of Alexandria's bay we had pictured has turned into a few lazy circles on the water. The boat rides a little lower than usual, sinking deeper into the depths of the bay. The rhythm is soothing. We are where we belong, and we are smiling. Welcome to the Nicholas Kluiters European Tertianship Program, 2026–2027 session.

Our first outing, to the historic site of Alexandria's legendary lighthouse, set the tone. In the same boat, gathered from the four corners of the world, are twelve tertians and their two instructors: Pius, from Myanmar (MYN); Francis, from India (PUN); Cornelius and Ehimanre, from Nigeria (ANW); Shepherd, from Zimbabwe (SAP); Mykhailo, from Ukraine (PME); Błażej, from Poland (PME); Benoît, from France (EOF); Manuel, from Spain (ESP); Jose Miguel, from Ecuador (ECU); Michael, from the United States (UEA); and Matthew, from Canada (CAN). Dany, from Lebanon (PRO), and Arnaud, from France (EOF), look after the group. The one rowing, of course, is Christ. He sets the pace. And, a privilege of the tertianship whose worth we are coming to appreciate, we take our time moving forward. His rhythm respects the rhythm of our hearts. So here we are: gently, the school of the heart is drawing us down into the depths of our humanity, visited by God in every dimension. With gratitude and hope. With healing and reconciliation where needed, and where it is given.

Admittedly, we were expecting something else. We had heard about the big boat of Bikfaya, which sailed along smoothly on its own, drawing in particular on Dany's experience. The bombings in Lebanon changed things. To be sure of landing somewhere, we would go elsewhere: to Alexandria. From the very start, our tertianship let us touch the instability and vulnerability of those who live in the Middle East. We did not board the kind of boat we had imagined. Dany, the only true Arabic speaker on board, is not on home ground. He is exploring and discovering many of the practicalities alongside us (visas, internet, group travel). Far from unsettling us, this is increasing our capacity to welcome, day after day, what we are given and what it is possible to live.

Alexandria opens its treasures to us. We live in one of the city's most densely populated neighborhoods (Fleming: 67,000 inhabitants per km²), where life never stops: car horns day and night; muezzins calling in chorus at the appointed hours; the traffic; stray dogs and cats everywhere; café terraces... Yet our little boat is very comfortable. We are hosted by the Sisters of Saint Vincent de Paul on a property bequeathed by Tito Pascha, a small paradise in the middle of this hectic life. Between morning classes, afternoon personal work, and community sharing or recreation, we can also go swimming (the Mediterranean is a ten-minute walk away!), play sports, or simply soak up the electric atmosphere of the surrounding streets.

Behind today's Alexandria, you first glimpse the wealthy Alexandria of the 1950s: remarkable buildings still stand, often hidden beneath years of accumulated dust. The lighthouse and the library need no introduction, but ancient Alexandria is far more than a faded memory. We have visited the second-century catacombs, Pompey's Pillar (on the site of an ancient Roman temple), the Roman amphitheater... And, a special privilege for us as tertians, Alexandria and Egypt are also the land of the great theologians of early Christianity and, above all, of the Desert Fathers. It is they whom we follow through Ignatius, attentive to the movements stirring within us and taking particular care with the practice of guarding the heart. We are about to visit some of the monasteries that have endured to this day. As we return to the roots of our vocation, we are graced with a return to the roots of our Church.

As you can see, God was indeed waiting for us in Alexandria! The Holy Family went before us in this land. Christ is still steering the boat. Take heart!