Groups: A Heart on Fire - Midwest

In addition to being a Jesuit, people are sometimes surprised to learn that I am also a nurse. I hear things like, “I didn’t know Jesuits could do that.” Or they ask, “How does that work?”

Nicholas Albin, SJ, began to ponder his vocation at the suggestion of one of his Jesuit professors at Xavier University.

As I applied to enter the Jesuit novitiate, I wondered if I had wasted the last ten years earning a bachelor’s degree and doctorate in engineering. I had to come to terms with the fact that I could very well be giving up science and engineering for good.

When I got to Saint Ignatius High School, I remember being impressed with the Jesuits there, how different they were from my parish priest. This would be the first of several encounters with Jesuits that would seal my own fate as a member of the Society of Jesus.

Andrew Cera, SJ, reflects on how his vocation has been formed and filled by so many names and faces.

Trevor Rainwater, SJ, attended Creighton University where he first encountered Jesuits. Delighted to meet this group of men who shared a deep love of Christ but, at the same time, were involved in a variety of professions, Trevor decided to enter the Society of Jesus in August 2010.

My single greatest hesitation in entering the Jesuit novitiate had nothing to do with vows of poverty, chastity, or obedience. It was all the moving around that got me. “Can you really form lasting and loving relationships while constantly on the road?”

My vocation to the Jesuits initially unnerved me. One clear winter morning, a simple question floated into my consciousness: “Why not a Jesuit?”

When I was in the third grade, I happened upon a book about St. Isaac Jogues, the 17th century Jesuit missionary, getting flogged, flayed, and having his fingers chewed off on a mission to “New France.”  It was perfect for an eight-year-old boy with a penchant for reading and dreams of being a world explorer. …

Br. Matt Wooters, SJ Read More »

“What are the differences between a job, a career, and a vocation?” Damian Torres-Botello, SJ, reflects on his desire to serve others through his Jesuit vocation.