Memorable Hakal [ Vocation ] Camp in Unai, Gujarat,India

Memorable Hakal [ Vocation ] Camp in Unai, Gujarat,India

Glad to inform that we had a very successful Hakal Camp in Unai.

There were 81 boys who came from different missions of South Gujarat.

A great experience of “JOINING HANDS” to work together to get

Good and Many vocations to the land of Gujarat.

We enjoyed the hospitality  and generosity of the Unai fathers and they truly left no stone unturned to make us feel at home and left every possible facility at our disposal.

Fr Jitu and Schs Brijesh (Guj), Sandeep (Haz), Navin (Pat) gave their very best to make the camp a memorable experience.

We do have another Hakal Camp for the SK, North and Central Gujarat boys.

Dates : 18^th Nov (4 pm) to 20^th Nov (2 pm)

Place : Jeevan Darshan, Vadodara

Boys : from 8^th std to 12^th

Note: If there are some boys from South Gujarat who for any reason could not attend the Unai Hakal Camp, they can be sent to Jeevan Darshan.

In gratitude to all those who are “JOINING HANDS” to continue the great mission that Jesus himself started. Let us continue to be a “fire that enkindles other fires” in all that we do.

Sudhir Chettiar, sj

Vocation Promotor , Gujarat Jesuits 

Jesuits : Our Universal Vocation

The Jesuit Curia in Rome. The dome of St. Peter's Basilica can be seen in the distance.

Our universal vocation: to go anywhere in the world where there is hope for God’s greater glory.

Our Universal Vocation

Although most people encounter Jesuits locally in schools and other ministries, the Society of Jesus is in fact a missionary order—the largest such order in the Catholic Church. Fr. Adolfo Nicolás, S.J., Superior General of the Jesuits, has reaffirmed what he calls “the vision of our universal vocation, which is “to go anywhere in the world where there is hope for God’s greater glory.”

International Jesuit ministries are seeking to nurture hope in places that would seem to offer little of it. Case in point: refugee camps, where the Jesuit Refugee Service sponsors schools for children who often spend years in those troubled surroundings, along with many other services. Hope is found in the myriad works of justice, peace, and care for creation—the Jesuit social ministries described at greater length here.

There are also primarily spiritual ministries carried out by the worldwide Society of Jesus.

These include the Apostleship of Prayer, which is essentially a global prayer group with daily online offerings. The apostleship has been called “the pope’s own prayer group,” because it also circulates his personal intentions—on behalf of priestly vocations, for example, or mutual respect among world religions. Another spiritual ministry is the Christian Life Communities, a Jesuit-sponsored lay association that has nurtured small, faith-sharing groups in some 60 countries.

A less typical ministry is the Vatican Observatory, one of the oldest astronomical research institutions in the world. It is run by Jesuit astronomers who peer through their telescopes in Tucson, Arizona, and at Castel Gandolfo, the papal summer residence.

In addition, the Society of Jesus has crucial responsibilities in Rome on behalf of the Universal Church. Particularly significant among these is the education and training of future Church leaders.

The Jesuits carry out this task at a number of institutions including the Pontifical Gregorian University, the Pontifical Biblical Institute, and the Pontifical Oriental Institutes. Those three now serve more than 3,500 students from 120 countries on six continents. The students are preparing for service as priests, sisters, religious brothers, and lay leaders. They have a strong impact on the Church: graduates of the three institutions include one fourth of the world’s current bishops and half of the cardinals who voted in the most recent papal conclave.

American Jesuits are actively involved in all of the international ministries. Their provinces or regional jurisdictions take responsibility for ministry in regions not currently served by a Jesuit province abroad. The American provinces also partner with their provincial counterparts, especially in developing nations, on the full range of ministries, in what are often referred to as “twinning relationships.”

Men for others

Statue of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, Fordham University, Bronx, NY.

"It is therefore essential to give young Jesuits a human, spiritual, intellectual and ecclesial formation as deep, strong and vibrant as possible to allow each of them to achieve our mission in the world with a proper attitude of service in the Church."

Men for Others

It generally takes three years of law school to become a lawyer, four years of medical school to become a doctor (prior to residency), and roughly the same length of time to step forward as a candidate for ordained ministry (in most faith communities and religious orders).
Jesuit training is different. It is less a course of study than a journey through several distinct stages of formation, ranging from a two-year novitiate to theological studies to years of fulltime ministry. Through it all, Jesuits immerse themselves in the spiritual and communal practices of their order. They learn to live in God's presence.
For those seeking to be ordained as Jesuit priests, this path of preparation will normally last about a decade. It will last seven or eight years for most Jesuit brothers. That is what it takes to produce men who are trained in the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius Loyola, with the skills to minister to God’s people in a diverse and changing world.
And the training begins only after a period of vocational discernment. A Jesuit spiritual director is involved in helping the young man discern what God is calling him to do, and how best to explore his personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Such reflection could open up a variety of possibilities; a calling to Jesuit ministry is just one of them.
At GC 35 (the 35th General Congregation of the Society of Jesus), Jesuit leaders from around the world explained the purpose of this unfolding process. They declared at the 2008 assembly in Rome: "It is therefore essential to give young Jesuits a human, spiritual, intellectual and ecclesial formation as deep, strong and vibrant as possible to allow each of them to achieve our mission in the world with a proper attitude of service in the Church."
As noted in that statement, Jesuits are trained with a clear view toward the needs of the Church as well as the world. At the same time, this formation is unmistakably personal—centered on the gifts and talents of each Jesuit.
There is a common Jesuit expression—cura personalis, translated from the Latin as “care for the whole person.” It highlights the need to nurture people in all of their dimensions—body, mind, and soul. And it leads the Society of Jesus to focus on the unique potential of each member in formation. In the end, a Jesuit is able to serve the Church and foster an interior relationship with Christ, while pursuing his talent as a math professor. Or in any other walk of professional life.
The journey begins informally, in conversation with a vocation director. That sets in motion a process of reflecting on who God is calling you to be. Click here to contact a vocation director.

Spirituality of the Jesuits

"Ignatius writes the Spiritual Exercises in the cave at Manresa." Painting by Carlos Saenz de Tejada, 1897-1958.

Often described as Ignatius's greatest gift to the world, these exercises unfold a dynamic process of prayer, meditation, and self-awareness.

Finding God in All Things

Throughout much of the world, the Jesuits are best known for their colleges, universities, and high schools. But in a time when many are searching for greater meaning, another aspect of Jesuit life is attracting wide interest. And that is the unique spirituality introduced nearly 500 years ago by St. Ignatius Loyola, founder of the Jesuits.

Ignatius was a Spanish soldier and aristocrat who discerned his calling after suffering nearly fatal wounds on the battlefield. He established the Society of Jesus in 1540, instructing the early Jesuits - to go out and "find God in all things." That is the signature spirituality of the Jesuits.

Ignatian spirituality is grounded in the conviction that God is active in our world. As the great Jesuit paleontologist Pierre Teilhard de Chardin wrote: "God is not remote from us. He is at the point of my pen, my pick, my paintbrush, my needle—and my heart and my thoughts." The spiritual path laid out by Ignatius is a way of discerning God's presence in our everyday lives. And doing something about it.

The Jesuits have a handbook for this search. It is The Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius Loyola, composed by the saint before he was even a priest. Often described as Ignatius's greatest gift to the world, these exercises unfold a dynamic process of prayer, meditation, and self-awareness. The basic thrust is to make us more attentive to God's activity in our world, more responsive to what God is calling us to do. Ignatian spiritual directors accompany or guide people through the exercises in retreat houses, parishes and other settings.

One of the most popular Ignatian exercises is the Daily Examen. It's a spiritual self-review that involves prayerfully recollecting moments during the day and reflecting on how God was present at those times, followed by a decision to act in some way. The Examen is concrete: It focuses your mind on segments of time (no more than a day, preferably), and the feelings that stirred within you, at those specific moments. Walk through the five steps of the Examen here.

There are a number of outstanding resources devoted to Ignatian spirituality.  Sacred Space is a popular prayer site run by the Irish Jesuits, and Jesuitprayer.org was created by the Chicago-Detroit Province of the Society of Jesus to provide daily online prayers and facilitate prayer requests.  In addition, The Jesuit Post, founded by a group of Jesuit scholastics, provides a contemporary look at Jesus, politics and pop-culture in our secular age.

Ignatian spirituality is not merely an inward journey, much less a self-absorbed one. It aims to bring people closer to God and more deeply into the world—with gratitude, passion, and humility—not away from it. Ignatius called on the Jesuits to be "contemplatives in action." Today, Jesuits and their lay collaborators work with people in many walks of life, such as education and business. They help nurture "men and women for others."

What we jesuits do.

Mr. Vincent Giacabazi, SJ, teaching Spanish at De Smet Jesuit High School in St. Louis.

Jesuits and their friends are ministering to people in the hard-to-reach places of the heart.

One Mission, Many Ministries

Jesuits are widely known for their colleges and universities, as well as high schools. And that’s no surprise. Education is a cornerstone of the Society of Jesus, and has been since the late 1540s, when Jesuit schools began spreading through Europe.
But names like “Georgetown” and “Gonzaga” and “Marquette” do not tell a full story of Jesuit ministries. The works are far broader in scope, extending from middle schools in the inner city to refugee camps near Iraq, from retreat houses with an ocean view to parishes next door to college campuses. Jesuits—together with their lay collaborators—are called to these and many other ministries.
In his message to the 35th General Congregation of Jesuits in 2008 (known simply as “GC 35”), Pope Benedict XVI declared: “The Church needs you, counts on you, and continues to turn to you with confidence, particularly to reach the geographical and spiritual places where others do not reach or find it difficult to reach.”
During the first days of his papacy, in March 2013, Pope Francis added his heartfelt prayers. The first Jesuit pontiff asked that the Lord “illuminate and accompany all Jesuits” along these paths.
Geographically speaking, Jesuits serve where needs are greatest -- from underserved neighborhoods in East Los Angeles to developing schools in Micronesia.  They and their many collaborators are involved in myriad international works through such flagship organizations as the Jesuit Refugee Service.
Spiritually speaking, Jesuits and their friends are ministering to people in the hard-to-reach places of the heart. They are doing so as military chaplains, helping soldiers find meaning far from home; as prison chaplains, accompanying those behind bars in a journey of reconciliation; as hospital chaplains, praying for healing together with patients and families; and in many other pastoral settings.
The followers of St. Ignatius Loyola are also exploring the frontiers of mission and ministry.
“Thus as this world changes, so does the context of our mission; and new frontiers beckon that we must be willing to embrace,” the Jesuits declared at their 2008 General Congregation. This spirit is finding expression, for example, in the recent phenomenon of Jesuit middle schools in hard-pressed urban neighborhoods of the United States. Other examples include interreligious dialogue in countries torn by religious violence, and the struggle for environmental justice.

International day of vocations

Society of Jesus Celebrates International Day of Vocations

November 5, 2013 — Today, Nov. 5, is the feast of All Saints and Blessed of the Society of Jesus and also the International Day of Vocations in the Society of Jesus.

Jesuits are blessed to continue to have prayerful men with generous hearts who desire to labor in and for the kingdom of God. Today, Jesuits recognise the ongoing need to engage men who might be called to religious life.

Within the Society of Jesus, there is a great variety of voices and an array of talents, but all are at the service of the call and the mission. Whether teaching, preaching, giving the sacraments or praying for the Society, the voices are varied but there is one message: To love God with all our hearts and to love our neighbors as ourselves.

If you or someone you know is discerning a vocation calling to join the Jesuits in service, we encourage you to visit jesuits.org for more information on the Society of Jesus.

Today, on the International Day of Vocations, jesuits.org offers a prayer for vocations to the Society of Jesus:

Father,
in the name of Jesus,
through the power of Your Holy Spirit,
we pray that You inflame the hearts of men
with courage and trust
and the desire to labor for Your Kingdom
as Jesuits.

We ask You
through the intercession of Mary, our Mother,
St. Ignatius, and all Your saints,
to bless the Society of Jesus
with bountiful vocations
that it may continue to serve Your church
with passion and zeal.

May Your will be done.
Amen.

The Jesuits

The Jesuits

We are the Society of Jesus, a Roman Catholic order of priests and brothers founded half a millennium ago by the soldier-turned-mystic Ignatius Loyola. But you could call us "the Jesuits" as we have been called since early in our history.

In the vision of our founder, we seek to "find God in all things." We dedicate ourselves to the “greater glory of God" and the good of all humanity. And we do so gratefully in collaboration with others who share our values, including laypersons. They have become part of the “we,” the extended Jesuit family.

With close to 17,000-plus priests and brothers worldwide, we are the largest male religious order in the Catholic Church. We are pastors, teachers, and chaplains. We are also doctors, lawyers, and astronomers, among many other roles in Church and society. In our varied ministries, we care for the whole person: body, mind, and soul. And especially in our education ministries, we seek to nurture "men and women for others."

Jesuits draw on the rich tradition of Ignatian spirituality and reflection. In our retreat centers,parishes, campus ministries, and other settings, we offer these resources to all who want to discern God’s presence in their lives. At the same time, we also aim to be “contemplatives in action,” people who bring this spirituality into the wide world. That includes our work on behalf of global justice, peace, and dialogue.

As members of a religious order, Jesuits take three vows—of poverty, chastity, and obedience—and a fourth vow of obedience with regard to mission.  In other words, Jesuits must be ready to accept whatever mission the Pope requires, a vow that is reflective of our broader dedication to the universal Church, and to the greater good of all people from all faiths and cultures.

Our collaboration with the laity flows from our personal relationships with Christ. We see ourselves as companions of Jesus, and we invite others to join with us, as friends in the Lord. Together we build up the body of Christ.

With our friends and partners, we also reach out to a broadly diverse world because that’s where God is. From experience and reflection, we know that meaning, value, and divine purpose can be discovered "in all things."

Publications

Since St. Ignatius bought a printing press in 1556, the Jesuits have been involved in communications. Today the Society of Jesus publishes a number of award-winning journals and publications. Click below to access our latest issues.

America - 10/21/13

America - 10/28/13

America - 11/4/13

HistoryMission and MinistriesStructureGlobal CommunityProtecting Children