Society of Jesus Welcomes 45 New Novices

[Thijs]

I'm praying that this generation comes Jesuits faithful to the Church and to the charism of St Ignatius. I used to discern with them but their heterodox views of their formators put me off

http://www.jesuits.org/story?TN=PROJECT-20150904110141

[Benedictus]

I'm praying that this generation comes Jesuits faithful to the Church and to the charism of St Ignatius. I used to discern with them but their heterodox views of their formators put me off

http://www.jesuits.org/story?TN=PROJECT-20150904110141

If you had a vocation by God to join the society then that's more important than a trend or judgement about the formators IMHO.  How would things ever change if nobody, with ideals like yours, was willing to join and persevere? I think many of the provinces have changed for the better in the last ten or twenty years. But, like anything, sometimes you just have to grit your teeth and develop resilience when things aren't going easy. Turn lemons into lemonade

[Sr Mary Catharine OP]

There are some really fine new Jesuits in Canada and US. There is great hope that the "silly season" is over. Last year at our meeting of novice mistresses we had John O'Brien, SJ with us for some lectures. He is a scholastic right now. His dad is the famous Michael O'Brien, the novelist.

[Benedictus]

There are some really fine new Jesuits in Canada and US. There is great hope that the "silly season" is over. Last year at our meeting of novice mistresses we had John O'Brien, SJ with us for some lectures. He is a scholastic right now. His dad is the famous Michael O'Brien, the novelist.

[Charbel]

One of these men was a former priest at my parish. Good to see him doing well!

[TheresaThoma]

All the young Jesuits I have met have been wonderful, faithful priests (or soon to be priests). I pray that these young men will also be wonderful faithful sons of St Ignatius and of the Church.  

[Thijs]

If you had a vocation by God to join the society then that's more important than a trend or judgement about the formators IMHO.  How would things ever change if nobody, with ideals like yours, was willing to join and persevere? I think many of the provinces have changed for the better in the last ten or twenty years. But, like anything, sometimes you just have to grit your teeth and develop resilience when things aren't going easy. Turn lemons into lemonade

No, I don't want to do Zen meditation thingy, occupy wall street/acorn activist type of religious, etc.

They do change after 10 years? Thank God

[Thijs]

anyways..prayers for them

http://jesuitsmidwest.org/news-detail?TN=NEWS-20150821023652

http://jesuitsmidwest.org/news-detail?TN=NEWS-20150818091857_a

[Benedictus]

No, I don't want to do Zen meditation thingy, occupy wall street/acorn activist type of religious, etc.

They do change after 10 years? Thank God

You don't have to do those things. I'm just entering in my second year as a novice this fall and there's nothing crazy about it. The reports of growths in vocations of late is a real blessing.  Thanks for sharing the links

[NadaTeTurbe]

I would not be a catholic (or a christian) without the dedication of jesuit priest. Many prayers for these novice, and thank you God for the Company ! 

[veritasluxmea]

If you had a vocation by God to join the society then that's more important than a trend or judgement about the formators IMHO.  How would things ever change if nobody, with ideals like yours, was willing to join and persevere? I think many of the provinces have changed for the better in the last ten or twenty years. But, like anything, sometimes you just have to grit your teeth and develop resilience when things aren't going easy. Turn lemons into lemonade

I agree in general, and what I'm saying IS NOT about the Jesuits specifically, but I would like to add a word of caution. God doesn't call people to unhealthy communities. If you're discerning with a community and there are deep issues, please stop, take a breath, and seriously discuss it would a person who is NOT AFFILIATED with the community in anyway, an unbiased third person. Being picked to reform a community, like St Theresa of Avila, is rare. Don't join thinking your Theresa of Avila. You're not. On the archives of Phatmass there are threads and posts about what to avoid in religious communities for anyone who wants to learn about it. 

I think this is an example of where vocation as a choice plays a part- it's ok to compare communities and make a choice based on a good decision and a simple initial attraction. God calling you to a specific charism might not look like an "I just know" feeling on the inside or a set of coincidences or getting a feeling in prayer or how much you love the community. Yes, sometimes those do play into a vocation- but sometimes making a decision based solely on those "signs of a call" can be wrong. God can and does call people to specific charisms, but we are also formed into the charism of the community we choose. It's a balance.

So back to the Jesuits, it's undeniable that in the past few decades they have experienced some... silliness. To the point where it's not unreasonable for someone to conclude there were some unhealthy issues going on, serious enough to affect the formation and spiritual life of a good part of their members. That goes beyond imperfections to being downright unhealthy. If someone is aware of that and makes a decision not to join, there's nothing wrong with that. It looks like nowadays that isn't the case, but if it ever was, it sounds wise to avoid that. 

[Benedictus]

I stand by what I said in the context of the OP comments. I agree with some of what you said but I think it goes off on a tangent a bit. I'm guessing you've never been part of a Jesuit community, so you wouldn't know how the changes have come about. Vocation blog isn't a debate forum so I won't come back at length. I'll leave it there.

[veritasluxmea]

I stand by what I said in the context of the OP comments. I agree with some of what you said but I think it goes off on a tangent a bit. I'm guessing you've never been part of a Jesuit community, so you wouldn't know how the changes have come about. Vocation blog isn't a debate forum so I won't come back at length. I'll leave it there.

Ok, I'm glad to hear that. When I was first discerning as a teenager I almost joined a community of women even though I had been discerning for less than a year. Let's just say they were... not a healthy community. I was to naive to see the warning signs and thought God was calling me there. I learned the hard way about what makes a healthy community, and came to a more mature understanding of callings. So, whenever I see a post or idea on VS that could be misinterpreted as encouragement to join an unhealthy community, I get nervous. Some girl could be reading that and thinking of the community they're discerning with and misinterpret your words. I will go off tangent to explain why that may not be true for the lurkers' sake. Again, I think the Jesuits are a lot better now (I'm part of a prayer group led by a Jesuit and I love it) and I know the positive long-term changes to their community came from the inside, with dedicated people who love their order and didn't "give up". But I'll give OP the benefit of the doubt, I don't know how old he is or where he discerned, maybe it was a different story for him. I can hardly blame someone for not joining a community they thought was unhealthy (whether or not it really was) when I did the same thing. 

Edited September 13, 2015 by veritasluxmea

[Benedictus]

Ok, I'm glad to hear that. When I was first discerning as a teenager I almost joined a community of women even though I had been discerning for less than a year. Let's just say they were... not a healthy community. I was to naive to see the warning signs and thought God was calling me there. I learned the hard way about what makes a healthy community, and came to a more mature understanding of callings. So, whenever I see a post or idea on VS that could be misinterpreted as encouragement to join an unhealthy community, I get nervous. Some girl could be reading that and thinking of the community they're discerning with and misinterpret your words. I will go off tangent to explain why that may not be true for the lurkers' sake. Again, I think the Jesuits are a lot better now (I'm part of a prayer group led by a Jesuit and I love it) and I know the positive long-term changes to their community came from the inside, with dedicated people who love their order and didn't "give up". But I'll give OP the benefit of the doubt, I don't know how old he is or where he discerned, maybe it was a different story for him. I can hardly blame someone for not joining a community they thought was unhealthy (whether or not it really was) when I did the same thing. 

[Thijs]

You don't have to do those things. I'm just entering in my second year as a novice this fall and there's nothing crazy about it. The reports of growths in vocations of late is a real blessing.  Thanks for sharing the links

I understand but as you are in formation you have to conform what your formators would like you to do and what the community practices/doing. I admire St Ignatius, St Francis Xavier and it pains me that I have to do those things. Before I do really wanted to jump for it, persevere maybe like what St Theresa of Avila did as long as it has at least a solid and faithful orthodox spiritual director but oh no, he is an expert in parapsychology and discusses ghosts and this kind of stuffs a lot. Sad to say from that time I'm done with it. 

I congratulate you for being second year on your formation. Jesuits needs men like you. Look for Pope Francis as your inspiration and I admire our Pope for what he is doing. He has done and been doing tremendous and superb job. A lot of my friends are going back to Church and has been into confession, some are asking if we can talk about Catholicism, etc.

If ever you may be into the governance of your universities, I pray that with the likes of you could save Georgetown

[veritasluxmea]

I'm sorry, are you being sarcastic? I must be reading those emojis wrong because being rude and dismissive doesn't sound like you. If you are... If I posted something bad or wrong, just let me know. I'm open to changing my mind and taking it back. (Actually I want to do that if I really did post in error.) Where are we having a miscommunication? Do you think I'm talking about you and the Jesuits? I'm not, I think you made a fine decision to join. Do you think people should join unhealthy communities if they feel called? Ok, we can agree to disagree, and I'd be interested to hear why. I'm under the impression it's ok to get OT to explain something to the letter. Learning to distinguish between healthy communities and unhealthy communities, and not falling into the "God is calling me so I should join against my better judgement and everyone else's advice" mentality, is one of those issues that should be explained to the letter. That's all. It really has nothing to do with the Jesuits in particular. 

Edited September 14, 2015 by veritasluxmea

[Amppax]

My best friend is about to spend a year discerning with a Jesuit community in Russia. 

[Benedictus]

I'm sorry, are you being sarcastic? I must be reading those emojis wrong because being rude and dismissive doesn't sound like you. If you are... If I posted something bad or wrong, just let me know. I'm open to changing my mind and taking it back. (Actually I want to do that if I really did post in error.) Where are we having a miscommunication? Do you think I'm talking about you and the Jesuits? I'm not, I think you made a fine decision to join. Do you think people should join unhealthy communities if they feel called? Ok, we can agree to disagree, and I'd be interested to hear why. I'm under the impression it's ok to get OT to explain something to the letter. Learning to distinguish between healthy communities and unhealthy communities, and not falling into the "God is calling me so I should join against my better judgement and everyone else's advice" mentality, is one of those issues that should be explained to the letter. That's all. It really has nothing to do with the Jesuits in particular. 

No, If I didn't agree with you and it concerned me enough I'd say so. My first post wasn't intended to be about unhealthy communities, but about attitude and resilience. A single post won't ever address every possible concern or angle for every subsequent poster or reader. I only posted afterwards because you used my post to make your first reply. I can see how you connected the dots to make the additional points you did but, as I said, that wasn't my point. I guess that's where the miscommunication would be. Your issue wasn't my beef

[veritasluxmea]

No, If I didn't agree with you and it concerned me enough I'd say so. My first post wasn't intended to be about unhealthy communities, but about attitude and resilience. A single post won't ever address every possible concern or angle for every subsequent poster or reader. I only posted afterwards because you used my post to make your first reply. I can see how you connected the dots to make the additional points you did but, as I said, that wasn't my point. I guess that's where the miscommunication would be. Your issue wasn't my beef

Oh now I see, thanks for humoring me and explaining it out. That makes sense! 

[Benedictus]

I understand but as you are in formation you have to conform what your formators would like you to do and what the community practices/doing. I admire St Ignatius, St Francis Xavier and it pains me that I have to do those things. Before I do really wanted to jump for it, persevere maybe like what St Theresa of Avila did as long as it has at least a solid and faithful orthodox spiritual director but oh no, he is an expert in parapsychology and discusses ghosts and this kind of stuffs a lot. Sad to say from that time I'm done with it.

I hope you've been able to move on with peace to other things. Yep, formation community can be tough. The challenges vary for each individual -  I find I have to find more energy than I expected and I get very tired - it's a very packed timetable with lots to do. It can be daunting, but the other novices help. We're sort of in our own community bubble until after first vows, which has its benefits. The thing about Jesuits is their diversity and, some would say, eccentricities. They have work, hobbies and apostolates in all sorts of areas. The good thing is they work on the frontiers and this comes with some element of risk, including bad apples, but also many blessed souls and great religious. My SD has experience as a retreat leader and teacher, both aspects have been helpful.

I congratulate you for being second year on your formation. Jesuits needs men like you. Look for Pope Francis as your inspiration and I admire our Pope for what he is doing. He has done and been doing tremendous and superb job. A lot of my friends are going back to Church and has been into confession, some are asking if we can talk about Catholicism, etc.
 

Thanks -  I take each day at a time, giving thanks to God for everything. I'm often out of my comfort zone, but it's all good. Pope Francis is a typical Jesuit in many respects. I have a close love for the last two Popes though.

If ever you may be into the governance of your universities, I pray that with the likes of you could save Georgetown