Posts Tagged ‘Vocations’

Jesuit Brother Pat Douglas, who has a master’s in counseling and works with youth in detention centers and with alcoholic recovery on the Rosebud Reservation in South Dakota, says the most common response he gets when people learn about his vocation is: “Why would you just be a Brother?”

Br. Douglas says that while it hurts to hear this comment because “just” denotes some kind of lesser than or lacking, the question does seems to reflect many people’s thoughts on vocation in the Catholic faith.

He writes, “There seems to be a mentality that if one wants to serve God it can only be done through the priesthood…If God is the focus of one’s life it can never be a ‘just’ or lacking in any way.”

As far as his desire to serve as a brother, rather than a priest, he writes, “I guess one never fully knows and that is where faith comes in, but I do know what makes my heart happy and my soul sing and that is being a brother.”

Without the priorities specific to the vocation of a priest or married man, such as sacramental ministry or children, Douglas writes that as a brother he is “free to focus all his energy on his prayer, work and community life.”

Read more of Douglas’s reflections on being a Jesuit brother.

Jesuit Father Andrew Downing, a doctoral student in theology at the University of Notre Dame, recently represented the Society of Jesus at a panel discussion on religious orders at the university, titled “Exploring Diversity in Catholicism.”

Fr. Downing told that audience that the Jesuits are called to service, and that they work to understand the group with which they work.

“That which is more universal is more divine. We go out to those who no one else can go to or will not go to,” he said. “Then we adapt to those places to communicate the gospel.”

Downing said the struggle lies in staying faithful to the gospel while balancing cultural and political currents.

“From that we’ve come to reach a commitment to faith that does justice,” he said. “If we really are to go to those that need us most, we will preach the Christian faith in a way that does social justice for the world.”

Downing said that anyone considering religious life should continuously work through three questions.

“How do they pray? How do they work? And how do they live? That’s how the different orders are distinct, though we’re all trying to serve Christ,” Downing said.

Read more about the panel discussion at The Observer.

Jesuit Kevin Spinale, who entered the Society of Jesus five years ago, says his decision to become a Jesuit came slowly: “I didn’t fall off a horse or anything. I had no desire to do this in high school or college.”

Spinale graduated from two Jesuit schools —  Boston College High and Holy Cross — but did not feel called to the priestly vocation in general or the Jesuits in particular. Two years in the Peace Corps in Romania proved to be eye-opening for him.

“I’d find myself by myself,” Spinale said. “You get to do a lot of thinking, and something started to bite on my conscience or get me to think about what God is.”

Spinale wrote Jesuit Father John Brooks, the former president of Holy Cross and a friend and mentor from his college days. “I told him, ‘I’ve got this sort of subtle biting thing on my conscience,’” Spinale said. “He wrote back, ‘I thought you would ask me about that six years ago.’”

Read more about Spinale and his vocation in the BC High Today magazine.

Jesuit Kevin Spinale, who entered the Society of Jesus five years ago, says his decision to become a Jesuit came slowly: “I didn’t fall off a horse or anything. I had no desire to do this in high school or college.”

Spinale graduated from two Jesuit schools —  Boston College High and Holy Cross — but did not feel called to the priestly vocation in general or the Jesuits in particular. Two years in the Peace Corps in Romania proved to be eye-opening for him.

“I’d find myself by myself,” Spinale said. “You get to do a lot of thinking, and something started to bite on my conscience or get me to think about what God is.”

Spinale wrote Jesuit Father John Brooks, the former president of Holy Cross and a friend and mentor from his college days. “I told him, ‘I’ve got this sort of subtle biting thing on my conscience,’” Spinale said. “He wrote back, ‘I thought you would ask me about that six years ago.’”

Read more about Spinale and his vocation in the BC High Today magazine.

Where does a Jesuit come from?

Why does he join the Society of Jesus?

How does he know his calling?

The Jesuit Conference of the United States has launched a new video series interviewing Jesuits from across the country discussing their vocations, their various paths to becoming a Jesuit and what it has meant to them to answer God’s call. National Jesuit News will feature a new video interview each week. You can watch additional videos by going to the Jesuits Revealed channel on YouTube.

Today’s video features Jesuit Brother Jim Siwicki discussing the unique calling for Jesuits who are brothers. Br. Siwicki is a Jesuit from the California Province of the Society of Jesus where he is the vocation director for the province. You can watch additional videos with Siwicki here and here at the Jesuits Revealed channel on YouTube.