JESUIT TERTIANSHIP IN THE PHILIPPINES: August 2007

Friday, August 31, 2007

History & Scenery

Got back late last evening from an overnight trip to the northwest coast of the island of Luzon. My Uncle Bob and Aunt Tonette and I traveled to the city of Vigan, an 16th century Spanish colonial town, famous for its well-preserved buildings. I'd compare it to Williamsburg in the U.S. It was a long drive up to Vigan from Manila -- about 6 - 7 hours -- but well worth it! We traveled through miles and miles of rice plantations, with gorgeous views of the central and northern mountain ranges and the China Sea off to the west. We must have passed through about a dozen small towns in the large province of Ilocos, from which my aunt comes. Blue skies, puffy white clouds, and temps in teh 80s made for perfect traveling weather.

We stayed overnight in the Plaza Hotel in Vigan, which itself is beautifully restored to its 18th century glory. We took a horse and buggy ride (called a "calesa") through the town, and stopped in to see the cathedral church, the archbishop's palace, and many other historical sites. Lots of little shops selling lovely handicrafts, especially wood carvings, pottery and weaving. Flilipinos, I am quickly learning, are tremendous artisans, and very proud of their work, rightfully so.

Back for a day of rest today, then off tomorrow (Sunday) for an overnight trip to the southern part of Luzon where my mother is from. More to see and do, and I'm soaking it all in!

I've got lots of photos, but Blogspot is being a little stubborn in not letting me post them. Stand by, and you'll see them soon, I hope!

Thanks for the comments! Keep 'em coming! I continue to remember you in my thoughts and prayers!

Wednesday, August 29, 2007

A Long Journey and a Warm Welcome

After a long and relatively smooth 16-hour flight, I'm finally here in Manila, Philippines. It was hard for me to believe that I actually arrived, so long have I been planning for and looking forward to this trip. It was after 10pm when I arrived, so I didn't get to see much of Manila as my Uncle Bob and Aunt Tonette drove me to their home for my week-long stay with them. They have a nice home in Quezon City, which is just outside of Manila. They and my cousins and second cousins have been treating me ROYALLY thus far.

I used this first day to lie low and get over jetlag. Hard for the system to adjust when there is exactly 12 hours difference between Cleveland and Manila. But, my mid-day sleepyness will pass, I'm sure. I've been playing a lot with my second cousins, Franciso (aka, "Kiko") and Francesca (aka, "Chesca"). They're 8 and 5 years old respectively, full of questions and loaded with tons of energy. It's been good to re-connect with their mom (my cousin Tina) and her husbandR oque. as well as my other cousin Aurora and her husband Carlos and their 4-year old twin sons Andre and Joquin, and their 8-month old daughter Maria.
Got that all straight? It's going to take me a while to keep straight which child belongs to which cousin of mine, but I'll manage.

I'm off to Vigan tomorrow with my aunt and uncle for an overnight siite-seeing tour. I'll be sure to include photos of the historical sites I see in my next update of this blog. Thanks for checking in! Stay well, and thanks for the thoughts and prayers!

Tuesday, August 14, 2007

Welcome to Fr. Guiao's blog!

Glad you're checking in! This is a new venture for me, but I'm excited to share my experiences in the Philippines as I pursue my Jesuit tertianship.

I'll try to update this blog weekly, filling you in on my adventures, travels, insights, and experiences along the way.

Thanks for keeping me in your prayers. Count on mine for you!

Check back often!

The Spiritual Exercises of Saint Ignatius Loyola

The Spiritual Exercises are a time-honored method of prayerful discernment developed by Saint Ignatius Loyola in the 16^th century. It consists of a series of meditations and contemplations, most based on the gospels. In its classic form, the Spiritual Exercises are administered in a 30-day silent retreat, which is divided into four segments, or “weeks.” In Week I, the focus of prayer is on the loving mercy of God; in Week II, the focus is on the incarnation, birth, and ministry of Jesus; Week III focuses on the passion and death of Jesus; and Week IV focuses on the resurrection of Jesus. The aim of the Spiritual Exercises is to help the retreatant come to a level of spiritual freedom from inordinate desires such that one can prayerfully discern the will of God and align one’s life to it. Saint Ignatius Loyola based his Spiritual Exercises on his own experiences of prayer and his amazingly sharp intuitions about human nature. It’s worth noting that Ignatius came up with the Spiritual Exercises when he was a layman, long before his formal studies in philosophy and theology, and long before he even thought of establishing the religious order known as the Society of Jesus.

In addition to the classic 30-day retreat format, the Spiritual Exercises can also be experienced in the (condensed) form of an 8-day retreat, which is commonly offered by retreat houses and spirituality centers. The Exercises are also offered in a form called “The Spiritual Exercises in Daily Life.” This is a format devised by Saint Ignatius himself when he realized that most people do not have the freedom to devote 30 days of their lives to a silent retreat. So he devised this 30-week form of his Spiritual Exercises in which the retreatant devotes one hour each day to prayer and meets weekly with a spiritual director to reflect on each week of prayer. No condensed version here, as all of the meditations and contemplations of the Exercises are engaged, just over a protracted period of 30 weeks. Many retreat and spirituality centers, as well as some parishes are now offering the Spiritual Exercises in Daily Life.

The Spiritual Exercises of Saint Ignatius have been hailed as one of the greatest and most effective tools available to Christian men and women (not just Jesuits) who long to know and live the will of God in their lives. The Spiritual Exercises thus stand as one of the greatest legacies of Saint Ignatius Loyola.

What is Jesuit Tertianship?

Lots of people ask me, "What exactly are you going to the Philippines for?" My answer to them is, "I'll be doing my Jesuit Tertianship there." And after scratching their heads, they go ahead and ask, "What's Jesuit tertianship?" Here's a simple explanation.

Jesuit tertianship is the final phase of training for a Jesuit. It is a program that usually lasts seven to nine months, and it is a requirement for all Jesuits (priests and brothers) prior to pronouncing final vows in the Society of Jesus. There are currently about 27 Jesuit tertianship programs all over the world for Jesuits who are invited to this final phase of training. While a few tertianship programs exist in the U.S., I very much wanted to take this opportunity to do my tertianship in the land of my Filipino origins, for reasons which I will explain in various postings on this blog.

For us Jesuits, tertianship is a time of intensive reflection and renewal on our lives as a members of the Society of Jesus -- a kind of "spiritual sabbatical." The centerpiece of any Jesuit tertianship program is the Spiritual Exercises, otherwise known as the 30-day retreat. This will take place in the month of November in my tertianship program. Other activities include studying the various foundational documents of the Society of Jesus, as well as the rich history of the Society of Jesus. We also do various ministerial projects during tertianship -- a total of three projects in this particular program, including work with the poor and marginalized and spiritual and sacramental ministry.

I'll be sure to detail my experiences in the postings on this blog. Thanks for your interest in my progress, and most of all, thanks for your prayers on my behalf! Be assured of my own for you!

JESUIT TERTIANSHIP IN THE PHILIPPINES