This post post first appeared on JesuitsEast.org

By PJ Williams

The election of Pope Francis, the first Jesuit pope, led to an increase of men interested in joining the Society of Jesus.

The election of Pope Francis in 2013 was a significant event for the Church. As the first Jesuit pope, he has made history over the last two years for his diplomatic efforts and his attention to and care for those on the margins of society. This type of leadership has inspired many and deepened their faith. For others, following the pope’s example has meant the possibility of joining the Society of Jesus as a brother or priest.

"We have people inquiring today who didn't know the Society of Jesus before Pope Francis," said Fr. Chuck Frederico, SJ, vocation director for the Maryland and USA Northeast provinces. For the past six years, Fr. Frederico has been working to promote vocations on the East Coast. Vocation ministry has been evolving over time, offering wider ranging discernment opportunities on the local, regional and national levels.

The East Coast vocation office, located in New York City, is equipped to handle requests from men in places as far away as Georgia, Fr. Frederico said. Fr. Chuck is tasked with connecting interested inquirers with Jesuits and the Society’s institutions that can help them learn about the communal, apostolic, and prayerful dimensions of the men in the Society.

“The work of the vocation office is three pronged: including promotion, accompaniment, and assessment,” said Fr. Chuck. While news stories about the pope and posters for vocations can help a man who is discerning, these are not the only tools.

“Nothing in the world can replace the most effective kind of vocation promotion – that’s the ask,” explained Fr. Frederico. "The greatest promotion work our Jesuits and colleagues can do to express their love and commitment to the Society of Jesus would be to ask a young man to consider a vocation to our life."

Grassroots promotion is most effective in nurturing vocations, explained Wendell Laurent, vocation team coordinator. “Something that our research has shown, is that if young men have multiple ‘asks’ from different people, that’s more likely to spur them on to look into a vocation.”

The work of cultivating vocations is shared with others by identifying key collaborators who can be educated on ways to create a culture of vocation at Jesuit schools, parishes and ministries. “Men at Jesuit schools and parishes already have Jesuits who they know and talk to such as teachers, advisors and spiritual directors,” said vocation promoter, Fr. Fred Pellegrini, SJ. “So, we talk to Jesuits in their communities or faculties and staff members from the schools to help them understand how they can talk about vocations positively and support men who might be interested in learning more.”

Fr. Frederico meets with faculty and staff members from Xavier High School  to encourage them to create environments that will nurture  those discerning Jesuit vocations. — Fr. Frederico meets with faculty and staff members from Xavier High School to encourage them to create environments that will nurture those discerning Jesuit vocations.

Accompaniment

Promotion is only the beginning of the vocation process. After a man makes contact with the Society, the vocation team will accompany him through the start of a discernment process. Much of the accompaniment involves an emersion into Jesuit life and work to see if the experience is stirring up something in candidates. Fr. Frederico and the vocation team work to provide events such as Six Weeks a Jesuit, Come and See Weekends and discernment retreats which give these men the opportunity to experience life as a Jesuit. During these programs Fr. Frederico and Fr. Pellegrini work with candidates, listening to each man and learning about his background, interests, spirituality and desires.

The Vicenza Day program allows Jesuits to open up their residence for a day to men in discernment to expose them to an experience of Jesuit Community. The men in discernment get to eat and pray with Jesuits as well as do some Christian service work outside of the community. “Vicenza Day introduces candidates to Jesuits living in community that are happy in their own vocations, and that’s very attractive to them,” says Laurent.

Jesuit formation might take years, but the vocations events give rich glimpses into Jesuit life. “They can ask themselves, ‘What is this doing inside me? What’s it stirring in me? Do I see myself as part of this?’” said Fr. Pellegrini.

Serving as a delegate for the Jesuit provincial, Fr. Frederico is ultimately the last person that the candidates go through before applying to the society. “Jesuits need a spiritual depth and freedom to serve where the need is greatest, including internationally. I try to get a sense of whether a man who wants to join us has that capacity. Over time and after careful and deliberate assessment of a candidate I can recommend a man to the provincial,” Fr. Frederico said.

Building Tomorrow's Society of Jesus

The office’s promotion efforts have benefitted from a recent grant from the Raskob Foundation for Catholic Activities to be used toward the 2015 Candidacy Program. The grant will help expand discernment programs and has already helped the vocation team cover transportation costs for men interested in the Society. “Because of where we’re located, candidates are coming from the whole eastern seaboard and we want to try to give them an exposure to our life as best as we can. If a college student has a hard time paying for a flight to visit our novitiate in Syracuse, or if a candidate needs to have an experience of Ignatian Spirituality on a retreat, we can help pay for that,” said Fr. Frederico.

Fr. Frederico (left) and Fr. Pellegrini (right) are excited to see what can be done to create new discernment programs with the recent vocations grant that the office was awarded.

The grant helps to cover the cost of the eight-day retreat that the vocation team runs every year for men in discernment, costs that can exceed $550 per person. “The grant enables us to be creative in our programming, while offsetting our budget so that we can look at new ways of doing promotion,” Fr. Frederico said.

As the ministry of vocations expands, Fr. Frederico and Fr. Pellegrini said they look forward to continuing the individual response to men discerning life as Jesuits. They report that their efforts are already paying off. “There is a tremendous amount of diversity among Jesuit candidates today. We’re seeing people from all over the East Coast, from all socioeconomic backgrounds and with different connections to the Jesuits. Truly there is a promising future for the Society, and it’s exciting to be on the front lines of this work,” Fr. Frederico said.

Learn More

Here are some ways you can learn more about the Society of Jesus, Ignatian spirituality, and the Jesuit vocation:

Visit www.JesuitVocations.org for more detail about a Jesuit vocation.
Speak with a Jesuit brother or priest in your area.
Contact a Vocation Director
Make an Ignatian retreat at one of the many Jesuit retreat centers around the nation or ask a Jesuit vocation director or promoter about discernment retreats being offered.
Attend informal meetings publicized in province and alumni bulletins.
Pray for the guidance of the Holy Spirit, and share your journey.

Innovative Vocations Programs For Those Discerning