Jesuit novices take first vows
Two British Province novices, Dunstan Rodrigues and John Bosco Noronha, and a Sri Lankan, Thiranjala Weerasinghe, took their First Vows of poverty, chastity and obedience, in Birmingham on 5 September, 2020.
According to the British Province communications office, the three men who have recently completed two years in the novitiate learned to create a community of brothers who grow in prayer, knowledge of the Society, apostolic work, and personal enrichment. They all completed the 30-day Spiritual Exercises of St Ignatius of Loyola, the founder of the Society of Jesus, who introduced the Exercises to people as a means to encountering God.
The pandemic meant that numbers attending had to be severely restricted, but it was a moving and meaningful day for those able to attend. You can watch the Mass here ».
Jesuit formation, or the training of Jesuits, normally takes between 8 and 17 years, depending on the man’s background and previous education, and Final Vows are taken several years after that, making Jesuit formation among the longest of any of the religious orders.
Those in formation from the Irish Province include: Eamon Walls, who joined the novitiate in Birmingham in September 2020; Patrick Corkery, who recently finished his philosophy studies at Loyola University in Chicago and is now doing his regency at Gonzaga College SJ in Dublin; and Teodor Avram, who is doing his regency at Belvedere College SJ in Dublin.
Those from the Irish Province who have been ordained to the priesthood but have yet to take their Final Vows include:
Fr Niall Leahy, who was ordained in August 2020 and is due to go to France for further studies; Fr Eddie Cosgrove, who is director of the Ignatian Spirituality Project (retreats for homeless people) and who is working in Gardiner Street Parish in Dublin; and Fr Shane Daly, who is working in Clongowes Wood College SJ in County Kildare and is due to go on Tertianship in the coming year.
Click here for more information on stages of Jesuit formation ».
