Anyone associated with the University of San Francisco is obviously familiar with the term “Jesuit.” However, I think that many people perhaps only have a vague understanding of what a Jesuit is, so I thought it would be appropriate to answer the question “What is a Jesuit?” in today’s Acadmic Trivia post. I also thought, who better to answer that question that an actual Jesuit?! We are lucky today to have Fr. Dennis Recio, S.J., answer the question for us. Fr. Recio is a a member of the Jesuit Community here at USF and teaches Asian-American literature and Composition/Rhetoric courses for the Saint Ignatius Institute. Here is Fr. Recio’s answer to the question “What is a Jesuit?”
“The Society of Jesus is a religious order of priests and brothers within the Catholic Church. They are also known as Jesuits. The founder, Ignatius of Loyola (1491-1556), the youngest son from a noble Basque family, established the order with six companions on August 15, 1534 at Montmartre, Paris. On September 27, 1540, Pope Paul III approved the first outline of the order known as the Prima formula instituti [1]. In the same year, Ignatius was elected Superior General of the Society of Jesus. Among the most significant writing produced by Ignatius of Loyola was The Spiritual Exercises. Arranged into four weeks, Jesuits participate in a 30-day silent retreat during the novitiate, the first two-years of a Jesuit’s religious formation. Guided by a seasoned spiritual director, The Spiritual Exercises provides Jesuits with a religious foundation by praying through the life of Jesus Christ. The order’s motto is A.M.D.G. (Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam) which translates: For the greater glory of God [2]. Students who have attended Jesuit secondary schools may recall writing A.M.D.G. at the head of their papers before submission, emphasizing that the work we do in all our ministries, including studies, is for the purpose of seeking God’s greater glory.
Bust of St. Ignatius of Loyola inside our own St. Ignatius Church. Bonus trivia: The bust is supposedly set at the same height as St. Ignatius actually stood.
Members of the Jesuits are either priests, candidates preparing for priesthood, or brothers. Candidates preparing for priesthood fall into two categories. Men in their first two years of religious life are known as novices and reside at the novitiate, a religious community in which a staff of ordained Jesuits train novices in preparation for first vows. During this time, novices will: deepen their prayer life, partake in The Spiritual Exercises, study the Constitutions of the order, perform menial tasks (as reflective of a life of humility), and participate in various ministries, usually involving work with the poor, in the larger community. After first vows, novices become scholastics and continue through three phases before priestly ordination: First Studies (in which men study philosophy), Regency (in which men work in either a high school or another apostolic work), and Theology (in which scholastics seek to complete a Master’s in Divinity). Upon entrance to the Society of Jesus, Jesuits can expect to spend an average of ten to twelve years in formation before seeking ordination.
The Jesuit Seal
Upon ordination, men will usually work in a ministry of some kind which allows them to develop their Sacramental life as a priest. For example, a Jesuit might be assigned work as an associate pastor of a parish where he will offer mass regularly, preside at baptisms, funerals, and weddings, and participate in the life of the local community. Other men might continue on to doctoral studies while others may work in community organizing or administration. After a certain period of active ministry, the provincial, the leader of the province in which the man lives, can invite the Jesuit to participate in Tertianship, which is the final phase of probation. Tertianship is a specific period of formation, usually eight months, in which an ordained Jesuit returns to a formation community and repeats portions of the novitiate which includes the 30-day retreat. During this time, the man continues to deepen even further his relationship to Jesus Christ through prayer and sustained reflection.
Although Jesuits participate in various ministries, we are commonly known for having run colleges and universities. As early as 1551, Jesuits had begun to open schools at a rate of about four or five per year and sought to establish more. In a letter from one Jesuit to another, it was understood that there were two ways of helping one’s neighbor: first, through colleges (or high schools) in which one could instruct the youth in letters, learning, and the Christian life. The second way was through sermons (what has become known as homilies), reconciliation, etc. However, it was understood that schools were understood as a “super-category equivalent to that into which all the other consueta ministeria fell”[3].
Fr. Recio, S.J., teaching class
In relation to other religious orders, Jesuits have a considerably lengthy period of training (or formation). Aspirants to ordination can enter with a college degree and still expect to spend roughly ten to twelve years in schooling and training. Having entered the Society in Jesus in 1993, I spent my novitiate in Culver City, California where the novitiate for the California Province is currently located. After taking first vows in August ’95, I went on to study philosophy before teaching high school in San Francisco and Los Angeles. After the period of regency, I studied for a Master’s in Divinity near Boston and returned to California Province where I was ordained on June 12, 2004.”
A very special thanks to Fr. Recio for taking the time to answer this question so thoughtfully (complete with footnotes!). Our Jesuit education is a point of pride here at USF, and I think this teaches us all more about what it means to attend a Jesuit university. A thought for our Communication Studies majors: Given the requirement of a 30 day silent retreat, I wonder how many communication students have become ordained Jesuits? I’m not saying that you couldn’t do it, just that it would be quite a challenge! Thank you, Fr. Recio, for joining us here on the blog! Do you have an academic trivia question that you want answered? Send it to me at edoohan@usfca.edu.
[1] “Jesuits.” The New Catholic Encyclopedia. 2nd edition. 2003. 779-795.
[2] Ibid, 780.
[3] John W. O’Malley, The First Jesuits. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1993. 200
If you haven’t taken your Core Lit requirement, you should totally take Fr. Recio’s Asian American Literature course! It’s great and not just for Asian Americans. You’ll learn a ton! Also – I asked Fr. Recio about St. Ignatius and he said it’s true, he really was very short!
I agree with Professor Ho. I took Father Recio’s Asian American Literature class and it was one of my favorite classes at USF! The reading that he gives is extremely interesting and he is fabulous at lecturing on it. Do yourself a favor and take this class.