What kind of young men are joining Us?
We are very consoled by the fact that generous and gifted young men continue to join the Society. All of them are different and there is no ‘type.’ At the same time there are some important characteristics which we look for.
They are committed Catholics who want to be know, love and follow Jesus. They want to see renewal in Christ’s body, the church, so that it will be what it is meant to be AMDG!
They are faithful to the papacy. The Jesuit story started with St. Ignatius and his companion offering themselves to the Pope to be missioned by him. To be a Jesuit is to listen very carefully to what the Pope is saying and to do what he asks of us.
They have some education and life experience. We usually don’t accept young men who are just leaving school. Then again, the longer you wait to join the harder it can be to begin a new life. Most candidates fall into the 25-35 age bracket but technically we can accept men up to the age of 50.
They are committed to Ireland but are open to the world. Joining the Jesuits means spending some time abroad and bringing that breadth of experience back home.
