Summers
One really exciting aspect of Jesuit formation is how we spend our summers. As novices, we have two summer experiences: going to Latin America, and studying Jesuit history in Denver. In my first summer I went to Ecuador and in my second one I went to Denver.
The purpose of going to Latin America is threefold: to see the works of the Society of Jesus in another part of the world, to get a better sense for the international flavor of the Jesuits, and to work on Spanish, in that order. About half of us went to Ecuador and the other half went to Peru.
The four weeks abroad were split in two parts: two weeks in Guayaquil and two in Quito.
The two weeks in Guayaquil were primarily devoted to working in a Fe y Alegría school for students from grade school to high school. My work there mostly consisted of helping to organize a library and speaking English in classrooms to help students with their own pronunciation.
The two in Quito were more diverse, split between seeing the works of the Society of Jesus in the city and accompanying the Ecuadorian novices on part of their pilgrimage, walking from the mountains to the rainforest. (We went with them for 3-7 days, depending on our stamina.)
My time in Ecuador was challenging at times, particularly in terms of how I learned to deal with the uncertainty of speaking Spanish and my tendency to defer to others. My Spanish certainly improved, but so did my sense of self-esteem and courage. I again had to learn that I needn’t be perfect to be loved and to grow.
The time in Denver was spent alongside all of the other novices in the US and Canada, both first-year and second-year. We learned our own Jesuit history during the mornings and also during one session in the afternoon five days a week. However, I think the bigger purpose of the four weeks is to better get to know the other novices, because we’ll be going through formation with them over the next 10 years or so.
By the time I arrived in Denver, I knew that I would be coming to SLU to study philosophy, so one of my main goals was to get to know the other men who would be joining me here for these three years. I developed a good relationship with both of them and felt comfortable knowing a few more people in my house for the next year.
For me, the most important part of the whole experience came from learning the stories of each of the men in formation. Getting to know people in such a relaxed setting was pivotal for connecting with them. We played sports, climbed mountains, ate, studied, and went out together. Meeting these good men gave me a great deal of peace about the decision I had made to take vows.
Cover Image Santiago_2010 10 04_1912 by Flickr User Harvey Barrison, via Flickr Creative Commons, available here.
