First Vows
From left: Jesuits Brennan Dour, Patrick Fenner, Austin Kleman, Brian Martindale, and Kyle Vieth
Photo: Dave Hrbacek
Photos (left, above left, and top): Don Doll, SJ
On Saturday, August 13, 2022, at St. Thomas More Catholic Community in St. Paul, Minnesota, five Midwest Jesuits pronounced first vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience in their first public statement of commitment to the Society of Jesus. Each Jesuit received a vow cross (see below left), which he will keep for the rest of his life.
Pronouncing first vows is the culmination of these Jesuits’ two years spent at the novitiate, where they have further discerned their vocations and learned more about how to pray, living in community, and the Society of Jesus.
All of the Jesuits who took vows this year are in formation to become a Jesuit priest, and thus will now be known as “scholastics” (as opposed to Jesuit brothers). After pronouncing first vows, Jesuits enter first studies, a two- to three-year period of graduate coursework in philosophy and theology, where most obtain master’s degrees.
