Associates gather at a recent Come and See Weekend
Who is a Jesuit Associate?
A Jesuit Associate is a man who is discerning the call to service
in the Church as either a priest or brother in the Society of Jesus.
Associates range in age from students in high school and college
to men already pursuing careers. As an Associate, a man is offered
several opportunities to learn about and experience what life and
ministry in the Society of Jesus involve.
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How can I become an Associate?
A man who is interested in the Associates' program should contact
the Jesuit Vocation Office. The Vocation Director then introduces
him to one of the Jesuit priests or brothers responsible for coordinating
vocations in the man's local area. After a period of reflection
and conversation, the Area Vocation Coordinator may invite the man
to join the Jesuit Associates. An Associate continues in his ordinary
occupation and participates in programs as he is able. He is also
involved in spiritual direction and Ignatian prayer.
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Spiritual Direction
Spiritual Direction is the help that one person gives another
to enable him or her to become more conscious of how God is working
in his or her life and how he or she may become more responsive
to God. The term "direction" does not mean to imply that
the director alone is the active partner in the relationship - the
one who initiates, leads and instructs - while the one being directed
is the passive receiver of the director's wisdom.
In the spiritual direction of Associates, the emphasis is on helping
a person examine carefully the desire and attraction to become a
priest or brother in the Society of Jesus. As an Associate, a man
and his director, over a period of several months, will prayerfully
try to discern whether the desire for a religious vocation is from
God, that is, whether God is calling the man now, or in the near
future, to be a Jesuit priest or brother.
What are some of the matter talked about in Spiritual Direction?
Anyone who believes that he or she may have a vocation to religious
life should be willing to invest time in conversations with a director
he or she can trust and with whom he or she can talk openly about
matters that have a close bearing upon a religious vocation.
Within the context of the Society of Jesus, the director will want
to know about the origin and growth of the desire for the priesthood
or brotherhood as a Jesuit. A person in direction may anticipate
discussing one's life of faith, prayer, and an experience of God's
nearness, support, and call to life in the Society of Jesus. It
may be somewhat difficult at the beginning of spiritual direction
to put into words things that are very personal and interior, but
with the help of the director this should become easier as the conversations
unfold.
A vocation to any manner of religious life develops out of one's
personal history. The spiritual director will be interested, therefore,
in knowing an Associate's background: family, friends, values, interests,
and anything else that might be helpful.
Part of spiritual direction will also involve learning more about
the Society of Jesus in today's world. In such a context, the Associate
is more greatly disposed to making an enlightened decision about
the future.
How frequently does spiritual direction take place? In ideal circumstances,
the Associate would meet every two or three weeks with the Spiritual
Director for a period of four or five months. At the beginning of
the direction, by mutual agreement, meetings occur more often than
the usual two to three weeks. In some cases direction is prolonged
over a greater period of time, or it is reduced to a shorter time
- to make, confirm or strengthen a decision on whether God is calling
an Associate to religious life in the Society of Jesus.
What role does the Spiritual Director play in the formal application
to the Society of Jesus? The Spiritual Director is not a member
of the Admissions Board and does not participate in the Board's
deliberation. He or she is never asked to supply an evaluation of
an aptitude for the Jesuits. The work of the Director is to help
in the discernment of God's activity in the Associate's life.
For more about Spiritual Direction download and read Companions
in Grace, The Ministry of Spiritual Direction,
by Mary Naughton, Pastoral Associate of the Church
of St. Ignatius Loyola, New York, NY.
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SJAP Yahoo Group
The SJAP (Society of Jesus Associates' Program) Yahoo Group is
an electronic discussion community for members of the Jesuit Associates
of the Maryland and New York Provinces. The group keeps Associates
updated on events, news, photos, and opinions of men in discernment.
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Suggested Reading
Complimentary copies of To Fling out Broad His Name and
The Autobiography of Saint Ignatius Loyola are sent to
each new Associate. In addition, the Vocation Office highly recommends
a number of other titles which we think might be of interest to
you.
Contact the Vocation Office to request these titles and for a complete
list of all our books in stock:
| Author/Editor |
Vocation Office Books In
Stock |
| William Barry, S.J. |
Contemplatives in Action |
| James Martin, S.J. |
In Good Company |
| James Martin, S.J. |
Awake My Soul |
| William O'Malley, S.J. |
The Fifth Week |
| Margaret Silf |
Inner Compass |
| Michael Harter, S.J. |
Hearts on Fire |
| Various authors |
Come & See Series
(thought-provoking books exploring the Catholic Christian tradition) |
We also suggest these newly published or noteworthy
titles which are available at your local or online retailer:
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