Jesuits In Their Own Words

First Studies

posted by: jcad on Tuesday, March 13, 2007

I am a Jesuit scholastic currently in my final year of the three- year First Studies program at Loyola University Chicago, one of three Jesuit universities where Jesuit scholastics receive their philosophy and early theology training. In May of 2003, I will earn a Master’s in Social Philosophy.

The past three years have been busy ones, as I have been a full- time student taking three or four graduate classes each semester. Philosophy is the study of wisdom, and I feel that these years have been a blessed and fruitful time to contemplate and learn about the meaning of life, how people think and why they think the way they do.

The Ciszek Hall community at Fordham University.Although it has been an academic period, it has also been an enriching time apostolically as I have done many ministerial and community works that have balanced the heady emphasis of academic studies. The city of Chicago has provided opportunities for a multitude of ministries. I spent a year and a half working at Misericordia, a home that serves the developmentally disabled. I assisted the residents in their art studio and the staff in teaching and performing artistic projects. I saw firsthand the power of art to cut across all ability levels to promote creativity, pride and self-expression – it was marvelous seeing many of the residents blossom in the art classes. I later became a mentor to two 30-year-old men with Down Syndrome.

I currently work at a battered women’s shelter as a mentor to the children of the women residents. There, I am a big buddy to a Hispanic youth, helping him with constructive learning and playing experiences – things that are often neglected in an emotionally embattled household. I have also taught First Communion classes to him and his siblings and was able to assist in the First Communion mass.

During First Studies, our summers are a block of time that allows us to engage in a full time ministry that we find meaningful. My first summer was spent with the Jesuit Refugee Service in Los Angeles working at detention centers for legal and illegal aliens. I was a chaplain at three facilities and held communion services, befriended the detainees and taught English and other classes. I was primarily a spiritual presence in a very inhospitable environment. This past summer, I went to Zambia to learn about AIDS while working for a Jesuit-founded organization that addresses the psycho-social needs of HIV positive and AIDS infected people. I was able to dabble in many varied ministries in Zambia including hospice care, art therapy, public relations and activism. I also shot a video to record the tragedy of AIDS and to facilitate fundraising and consciousness raising.

It has been a rewarding time of academics mixed with ministry and, yes, I have been challenged every step of the way. Through it all, I have had many community responsibilities. For instance, I am in the middle of coordinating and executing a Taize prayer service for Advent and am on the social events committee at my Jesuit house, organizing the many special holiday events. There is truly never a dull moment!