(Re)calling

November 5 is the day when the Society of Jesus celebrates all of its members whom the Catholic Church has honored as saints and blesseds. It's quite a crew– from St. Ignatius Loyola and St. Francis Xavier to St. Alberto Hurtado and Blessed Miguel Pro. From the heroic to the humble, those revered by whole nations and those less widely known, no two are alike.

This feast is an occasion used for promoting vocations, encouraging young men who may be thinking about life as a Jesuit to gather in our houses, meet the men who make up our communities, and discuss personal experiences of calling, discernment, and wrestling with questions of what to do with one's life. As my community hosted such an event yesterday, drawing a number of students for Mass, lunch, and conversation, I was reminded of my own experience of calling during sophomore year, and a journey of prayer, discernment, and dialogue that stretched through my junior and senior years. Unlike at Holy Cross, there was no formal vocation discernment group at Dartmouth, yet I was blessed with the company, support, and generous listening of some good friends, helpful professors, and wise campus ministers who helped me to make the decision that matched my desires. And I'm extremely grateful for the Society's decision to accept my application, for the communities with whom I've been shaped, and for the fascinating directions in which my formation journey continually carries me.

More than seven years after joining the Jesuits, in the course of sharing the story of my vocation with young men pondering theirs, I found myself returning to several key questions, no less relevant for me than for them:

• How do I experience God's presence? Christ's call? The Holy Spirit's guidance?
• Where do I find fulfillment?
• What have I learned in the past several years that I couldn't have imagined several years ago?
• What do I wish to give, share, and pass on?

While I could think of some quick and "easy" answers to convey in the course of a few minutes, these questions warrant much more attention. So while I take them up in prayer during the coming week, I invite you to do the same. Look for some further personal reflections on these questions in the near future, and know of my prayers and encouragement for each of you in seeking, finding, and following your own vocations.

Jesuit Community Chapel

College of the Holy Cross

Worcester MA