V O C AT I O N S
This year five Jesuits were called to final vows: Fr. Christopher Devron, Fr. David Godleski, Fr. Benjamin Hawley, Fr. Karl Kiser, and Fr. Sean O’Sullivan. Among the thousands who witnessed them profess their full incorporation into the Society of Jesus were candidates considering joining the Jesuits. We asked a few of these candidates to reflect on how the Final Vows liturgies have influenced their own vocation discernment as they ponder First Vows. “Being present for the vows ceremony helped me to imagine, in a greater way, what it might be like to take similar vows in the near future. As good as it is to talk about these things, it’s also helpful to watch another man, somebody who has made vows before, renew and further these promises. And to do so with a bit of anxiousness in his voice, kneeling before Jesus himself in the Eucharist.” — Bryan “I have understood a calling or vocation to the priesthood to be my response to Christ’s call to do His work as a Jesuit, but I am coming to understand that a vocation with the Jesuits is also a call and response in itself. Being a candidate, entering the novitiate, and journeying through formation are part of my call to the Society, of what I vow—poverty, chastity, obedience—and the work that comes forth from that. Final vows are the response back to me, the Society of Jesus embracing, accepting, and acknowledging my call. A little overwhelming? Yes. Quite powerful? Absolutely. Witnessing the ceremony moved me closer toward a path I want even more to venture upon.” — Damian 6
From First Vows to Final Vows By Fr. James Prehn, SJ
Fr. Karl Kiser, SJ, professes his final vows before the Blessed Sacrament. Fr. Brian Lehane, SJ (right), celebrated the Mass.
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idn’t you do this already?” my younger brother asked when I invited him to attend my profession of final vows in the Society of Jesus. That’s also what he said when he came to my ordination 10 years earlier. For him and many others, first vows, ordinations, and final vows all just run together. On May 22, I attended the final vows of my friend, Karl Kiser, at University of Detroit Jesuit High School and Academy where he serves as president. With the support of more than 1,000 people in attendance, Karl knelt in front of the Blessed Sacrament and professed in a final and definitive way that he is a Jesuit (see photo above). Mind you, Karl was ordained in 1997 and he first took vows in 1986. So what does it mean that he professed his solemn vows of final incorporation into the Society 27 years after he entered the novitiate? It is all about promise and potential, and ideally how the Society challenges and tests Jesuits in formation to hone their talents and gifts. Our inFor more information about the Jesuits, please contact:
tellects, imaginations, passions, and convictions are offered in service of the Church and all of God’s people. At final vows, all of it—our very priesthood—is placed at the disposal of God through the Society of Jesus. When a Jesuit professes first vows after two years in the novitiate, the formula sounds almost ornate, especially compared to the simplicity of final vows. For first vows, the Jesuit novice promises to become poor, chaste, and obedient with God’s help. At final vows, the Jesuit professes who he has become over the past many years, and the Society affirms that what he professes is true. When I took my first vows I was 23 years old and was capable of taking basic care of myself, but that was about it. By the time I took my final vows, I had completed two masters degrees and a doctorate, taught for a number of years, worked as the principal of a high school, heard thousands of confessions, presided at hundreds of masses, and served as spiritual director for dozens of people. Needless to say, thanks to the Society’s Fr. Patrick Fairbanks, SJ Vocations Director 2050 N. Clark St., Chicago, IL 60614 Phone: 773-975-6363 vocations@jesuits-chgdet.org
careful nurturing, I brought a lot more to the table at my final profession. I was much more nervous at first vows than I was at the final ones, maybe because it’s easier to say who you are than what you hope you will become. Listening to Karl profess who he has become was an honor for the Jesuits and lay people in attendance because all of us to varying degrees have had the privilege of watching the events and moments of joy, sorrow, humor, and holiness that have made him into the Jesuit he is. It was a sacred moment that gave me a sense of gratitude for the Society and God’s generosity to it. Final vows might seem redundant or esoteric, and trying to explain them to people is something of an impossible task. They are, however, representative of the culmination of a lot of work and effort for equipping a Jesuit to do great things for the people he is sent to. They represent a profound moment where a man pledges that he will take care of the Society and the Society acknowledges that he can because of who he has become. n Fr. James Prehn, SJ, is Provincial Assistant for Secondary and Pre-Secondary Education for the Chicago-Detroit and Wisconsin Provinces