by Fr. Dan Reim, SJ
 Jesuit vocation directors, including author Fr. Dan Reim, SJ, are a major resource for those thinking about joining the Jesuits; Fr. Reim gives his point of view of his job as an introduction to the photos and write-ups of those who joined the Jesuits in the United States this year. For more information about vocations to the Society of Jesus, visit: |
Those considering Jesuit life have a host of questions, the most common among them being "How do I know if I'm called to be a Jesuit?"
Discerning a religious vocation takes time and prayer. Moments of clarity are followed by periods of doubt. It is the vocation director's job to help those considering a Jesuit vocation learn about the Society of Jesus and about themselves, resulting in a faith-filled decision to respond to God's invitation to "Come, follow me."
Who's becoming a Jesuit these days?
In the '50s and '60s most entering religious life were in their late teens; today the average age is around 30. Many college-aged men are considering becoming Jesuits, but a good number think they have not had enough life experience or do not know themselves well enough to make such a decision. It's generally a man who's worked for several years after college and finds himself asking, "Is this all there is to life?" who turns to the Jesuits.
Some of them come from professional backgrounds that range from educational administration to optometry. Others are working toward graduate degrees in biology, theology, and computer science, among others. One worked for the Jesuit Volunteers International in Micronesia, another grew up in Egypt, and still another led his family's traditional Irish music band. As diverse as they are, they have all discovered God's great love for them and strive to respond to God's invitation to a full life.
Get with the program
All ten Jesuit provinces in the United States have programs, run by vocation directors, that help men decide about religious life in general, Jesuit life in particular. One big part of the program is spiritual direction. Vocation directors help candidates find spiritual directors, whose task it is to help candidates work on methods of prayer, learn about Ignatian spirituality, and discern God's action in their lives.
A spiritual director meets with a candidate every three or four weeks for six months or so in a relationship that is kept confidential, even from the vocation director.
One candidate wrote, "I always looked forward to the drive down to Cincinnati to meet with my director. I would come in and say, ÔHow can I be dating this girl, thinking she's the greatest thing in the world, and still always be thinking about the Jesuits?' " My director was always calm and kept me laughing. I felt he helped me recognize that God was calling me to this [Jesuit] life."
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First-year novice Richard Ross unloads the trunk as he moves into his new home, the Jesuit novitiate in Berkley, Michigan, this August. That's second-year novice Ralph Cordero right behind him, his mother Loretta over on the left, and niece Katie on the right. |
Come and see
In John 1:35-39, when John the Baptist's disciples asked Jesus where he lived, he responded, "Come and see," an answer that became the name of another part of the program. "Come and See" weekends, a popular way candidates learn about the life and ministry of the Jesuits, are held at a novitiate, a retreat house, or a university. The weekends give candidates insights into the spirituality, history, life, and ministry of the Jesuits while giving them time to reflect. From Friday evening until Sunday candidates eat, pray, do chores, and recreate with Jesuits. Chatting with Jesuits of all agesÑthose in formation and those in full-time ministryÑcandidates learn what Jesuits do and how they live. They discover, if just for a weekend, what it's like to be a Jesuit.
"The weekend was a wonderful experience," wrote one candidate, "and really helped me understand the mission of the Jesuits ... Is this for me? [The weekend] has not answered this question, but it has really shed a lot of light on it."
Retreat
Another part of the program is the retreat. Candidates are encouraged to make a silent five- or eight-day retreat under a Jesuit's direction to learn more about Ignatian spirituality and to reflect on their vocations. One candidate put it this way:
"For me the eight-day retreat was a chance to listen very closely to God. Not only to discern his wishes but to just rest in him for a while. He gave me a renewed sense of my call to be a disciple of Christ and taught me a few valuable lessons ... It gets pretty difficult at times, but such is the road to God."
Vocation director as guide
The vocation director is not a recruiter; it makes no sense to talk someone into joining if they're not called to be there. Rather, the vocation director helps the candidate in discerning where God is leading him, whether that means becoming a diocesan priest, a religious of another order, married, or single. I'd tell a candidate discerning between married and religious life that he has to start by seeking God's will. Too many of us decide what we want and then hope God goes along with it! Christian discernment has as its end what God's will is for us. It's not God's will that we make a choice that makes us miserable; it is, however, his aim to draw us into greater union with him and with others, and that might be by calling us to a choice that's more challenging. (Why God doesn't call more of these great guys to be Jesuits is one of my top five questions to ask at the pearly gates!)
The vocation director also helps candidates explore the spirituality of the order, community life and vows, and ministry. While diocesan priesthood and other religious orders have the same end, serving God and Church, there are many ways to that end. Ignatian spirituality is not Franciscan spirituality, the way Jesuits live in community is different than the way Trappists do, and the ministries of the Jesuits differ from those of other religious orders.
Assessment
The vocation director also spends time assessing the candidate's capacities for religious life. Does he have the capacity for reflection? For finding spiritual fruit in praying over Scripture? Can he benefit from the Spiritual Exercises? Will he not just survive community life and vows but actually thrive in this way of life? Can he do the work Jesuits do? Positive answers lead to the next step.
Application process
So a candidate has been in spiritual direction, has made a retreat, and has participated in the other steps in the candidacy program. He feels it is God's will to seek admission into the Society of Jesus, and the vocation director concurs. The application process begins.
The candidate writes up his family history, education, work experience, and so forth. Next is a spiritual autobiography, a dozen or so pages of how he has experienced God's presence in his life and how he believes God has led him to this point where he seeks to become a Jesuit.
Baptismal certificate, academic transcripts, financial information, and letters of recommendation are rounded up. Next, the candidate has a physical and starts a round of interviews with Jesuits, a psychologist, and often a layperson familiar with the Jesuits. Finally, he meets with the vocation director for an extended interview.
Materials collected and interviews completed, the information goes to the provincial or, depending on the province, to a committee that reviews the applications and makes recommendations to the provincial. Most candidates find that the process confirms their discernment. Writing down thoughts and feelings and sharing them with interviewers helps clarify their sense of God's awesome invitation to this life.
Commitment
We Jesuits are on a mission. We need men whose hearts are on fire for God and Church, who are physically, emotionally, and spiritually up for the challenge. Those considering a vocation to the Jesuits are faith-inspired. They know Jesuit life is demanding and low on the pay scale, they are nonetheless drawn to this life of service to God with a brotherhood of others who have also given themselves to his service. One candidate explains his feelings:
"I want to do something good in the face of so many growing serious dangers and evils in our world today. I sense in the Society of Jesus and other religious orders people living in a radical way. I want to be there. I see so much evil in our world today, and I have a desire to be on the side of the good guys. I am willing to do what it takes to do that