By Colleen Hogan Many congregations are oriented by Ignatian spirituality, and Ignatian formation typically involves significant classroom time. Dan Leckman, a Jesuit brother, and Sonal Castelino, a Xaviere Missionaries of Christ Jesus sister, can attest to that. But reflective of Ignatius of Loyola’s conviction that God can be found in all things, Ignatian formation also …
By Rachel Moccia Abin Mathew, SJ, discerned his vocation with the guidance of his family and the Virgin Mary. Now, he’s in his first year of philosophy studies at Fordham University in the Bronx, New York, and serving at an after-school program for children in the Bronx. His is a journey marked by deep faith, …
A Bible and the scent of jasmine: Tools for discernment Read More »
By Fannie Dionne After discovering the first signs of his religious vocation at a young age when he attended Mass with his mother, Fr. John O’Brien, SJ, joined the Society of Jesus in 2008. After having held various roles with young people (teacher, school principal, spiritual director), he is now the Vocations Director for the …
By Katy Ramos-Borges If you had met Fr. Ted Penton, SJ, just before the turn of the millennium and told him that he would be ordained a Jesuit priest in 2019, he wouldn’t have believed you. Indeed, Ted was an atheist when he decided to go on retreat at a Buddhist monastery in Thailand. The experience he had there changed everything. Fr. Ted …
How A Buddhist retreat led Fr. Ted Penton, SJ, to the Jesuits Read More »
By Rachel Moccia Matthew Hendzel has always felt a calling to both academic study and pastoral ministry; his Jesuit formation helped him see how he could embrace both. Could you share about your early engagement with your faith? I was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba. My mother was Anglican and my father was Catholic, but they weren’t practicing. I went to a Mennonite high school, and that’s where I started to ask questions about …
By Eric Clayton Kevin Kelly, SJ—director of Villa Saint-Martin, the Jesuit retreat center in Montreal—is a businessman-turned-Jesuit. But, to Kevin, that’s nothing unusual. “I see St. Ignatius not only as a brilliant and spiritual person,” he says, “but also as a businessman.” After all, the saint started and managed a multinational corporation: the Society of Jesus. So, how does business acumen translate into the life of a Jesuit today? Kevin shares how he …
Business Not as Usual: An interview with Fr. Kevin Kelly, SJ Read More »
By Becky Sindelar Erik Sorensen, SJ, had once planned to be an engineer. Today, however, he studies theology at Regis College in Toronto, on his way to becoming a Jesuit priest. His formation has been one of accompanying and building relationships with those he encounters. Before you joined the Society of Jesus, what did you …
Filled with laughter, our interview with Marc-André Veselovsky took place in a joyful atmosphere, reflecting the character of this young man. Twenty-six years old, Marc-André is not only a Jesuit but also a vegetarian, a semi-professional singer, a lover of board games (some might say the more complicated ones…), and a good listener. So, what …
Brave Enough to Try: Marc-André Veselovsky, SJ, and Jesuit Formation Read More »
Before our interview, I had been told that Fr. Marc Rizzetto, SJ, was very funny, very deep, and also…very busy… Nothing I learned in the interview that I finally managed to have with him did anything to dispel these rumours. As a hockey player, photographer, comic book reader (his last read was Gender: A Graphic …
November 15, 2019 – Daniel Leckman, S.J, the youngest Jesuit brother in Canada, agreed to sit down with us to revisit the early years of his formation (his noviciate, regency and theology), his work as a spiritual director, his hopes for new Jesuits as well as for the Church.