Join the Jesuits

  Can anyone become a Jesuit ?
A. Yes, if he has the right spiritual motivation. Namely, to give one’s life totally to God, and to the promotion of faith and justice wherever there is a greater need.

Perhaps I should also add quickly, that the Jesuit vocation is restricted to Catholic men. Those not of the Catholic faith are not eligible, and no women are eligible.

It is true that several older religious groups in the Church (like the Dominicans, Franciscans and others), and some more recent ones (like the Salesians and the Holy Cross family), have admitted women into the same religious organization, even though under a separate jurisdiction and formation. The Jesuits have no such provision however. It may be stated however that the Jesuits have inspired several independent groups of religious women, who keep close ties with the Society and who have adopted the Jesuit spirituality.

  What special qualifications do you need to become a Jesuit ?
A. You don’t need to be a genius. But (i) you do require a reasonable intellectual ability to go through the Jesuit and priestly studies. (ii) sufficient emotional maturity and human qualities, and (iii) a good health to be able to undertake the various apostolates of the Society of Jesus.

  Is it true that becoming a Jesuit today is easier than it used to be ?
A. Not quite so. The demands and requirements are the same. But today a Jesuit needs a greater degree of maturity and personal responsible freedom than before, given the changed structures and greater demands within the Church and the Society of Jesus.

  Please give me an idea on what it takes to become a Jesuit priest ? How long are the studies ? How much does it cost ? What educational qualifications are necessary ?
A. The Jesuits do not demand from the candidates any payment; the Society bears all the expenses of the training. The minimum qualification is the 12th standard, i.e. junior college. Then the usual training, with a few possible exceptions, consists in:

+ 1 year of prenovitiate, to learn the required language, and to get more deeply acquainted with the spirit of the Society of Jesus.
+ 2 years of novitiate for a solid spiritual formation after which the life-long commitment of Religious Vows is taken.
+ 1 year of Juniorate to study literature, art and film appreciation, and other such skills.
+ 2 years of Philosophy studies or to finish the graduation if not done before.
+ 2 years of apostolic experience (in the city and in the rural areas).
+ 3 years of Theology studies, after which the Diaconate is given.

In all about 11 years. There follows, however, a period of about 9 months of Diaconate ministry ending with the Ordination to the Priesthood.
Then come about 3 years of priestly ministry in various apostolates. In the city or rural areas.
At the end of these varied experiences of training and ministry, there are 5 to 9 months of a profound spiritual renewal called the Tertianship followed by the Final Vows, which add a greater legal bond to the Society than the First Vows did.

The training is long because the Church wants the Jesuits to be well formed to undertake any missions that the Holy Father, the Pope, may like to entrust to it. It is important, however, to understand that once the novice has taken the Religious Vows, after the 2-year novitiate, he is already a full member of the Society of Jesus even though he is still in training.

  Is becoming a priest and becoming a Jesuit the same ? How are Jesuit priests different from secular priests ?
A. Not exactly. (i) Becoming a Jesuit means joining a Religious Order in which one takes Religious Vows. A secular (better ‘diocesan’) priest does not take these Religious Vows though he is also bound by celibacy. But as far as the priesthood goes, both are the same.

  I have a friend who is a ‘lay brother’. What exactly is this ?
A. The Society of Jesus is a Religious Body that has both priests and brothers called lay or better Coadjutor Brothers. So one may opt to be a full fledged Jesuit without becoming a priest. Except for the priesthood he is like all the other Jesuits, and has the same rights and duties of the Jesuit priests.

  Is it true that you have to give up sex forever ?
A. Yes! But it is not a mere ‘giving up’. It is rather to have such a deep personal commitment to Christ that voluntarily excludes a total and exclusive commitment to another human being. The joy of a life fully given to Christ and to his people, who become his family, more than compensates for the sacrifice of any sexual activity.

  A friend tells me that Jesuits spend a lot of time praying. Please explain how and why this is so. ?
A. Jesuits do pray. They do give time to prayer as a necessity to maintain their deep union with God and to draw inspiration and strength for the apostolate. But St. Ignatius, the Founder, wanted the Jesuits to be so habitually immersed in God that they would not need many hours of set prayer, but they would find God in all things. They would be deeply united with God even in the midst of their apostolic activities.

  Will I be allowed to leave once I have joined ?
A. A Jesuit who commits himself to God for life and maintains this commitment through regular and deep personal prayer does not want to leave the Society. If, however, if later on he discovers that he joined without knowing clearly what he was joining, or, because of lack of prayer, he later loses his vocation, he has to be dispensed from his Religious Vows before leaving. This dispensation has to be obtained from Rome.

  How am I sure that God has called me to become a Jesuit ?
A. If I feel deeply convinced that God calls me. If I have the right spiritual motivation and qualifications as indicated under (1) and (2). And finally if the rightful authority accepts me, I can safely assumed that I do have a vocation and that God does call me to be a Jesuit.

  What kind of Young Men do we seek?
A. At a recent meeting about vocations promotion, the Provincial of Bombay formulated five criteria for those who are assisting young men their vocational discernment. The descriptive criteria are the following:

• a person of notable human and Christian qualities;

• who, in general, is not more than 32 years old;

• with an inclination to study and the capacity to undertake a long period of intellectual formation;

• capable of working in a group, having already had the experience of true friendship;

• with talents that can be put to use in the specific works that the Society promotes.

If you think you have the above characteristics, you have the makings of a Jesuit candidate.

If you have a question related to the Jesuits, write to us at: info@bomjesu.org