Father Dan McDonald, SJ took up cooking out of necessity in 1970. Living in a small Jesuit community in St. Louis, and being on a tight budget, he scoured a local farmer’s market for bruised and discarded vegetables. He trimmed and cleaned what he found, and worked meals together from the glorified scraps. “As I developed some dishes people liked, I noticed that the food, in fact, created an atmosphere of relaxation and conversation,” he says.

These experiences planted the seed for Fr. McDonald’s love of cooking to be fully realized years later when he lived in Italy for more than a decade. Describing Sunday pranzos in homes of Italian laypeople, he says, “Course after course was presented with ingredients mixed from an understanding of thinking outside the recipes. What emerged was something that came out of a love of what the earth can produce, something that brings a reflection of self-creation and community.”

The world sometimes forgets that priests are people first, and to balance the intensity of the ministry, they turn to personal hobbies and interests just like the rest of us. Today, Fr. McDonald’s best dishes are inspired by the lessons of creativity he learned from the great nonnas who presided over the kitchens he frequented in Italy. He shares his skills generously, as one of many Jesuits who do the same, cultivating their talents in pursuit of cura personalis, to make a greater gift of self to God and others. It was the desire to create better gifts that led Fr. Ken Styles, SJ to begin making his own greeting cards. At first, he used Adobe Photoshop to pair images and sayings. But his creativity expanded naturally, and now he makes handmade pop-up greeting cards. Known for their personalized art and messaging, they sometimes include humor, and Fr. Styles is always relieved when the humor is well received.

“As I approach my 80th birthday, I realize my hands will not always allow me to do what I now can do,” he says. “Do what you can, while you are able.”

Br. Ken Homan, SJ first took up woodworking out of a combination of being a cash-strapped novice and still wanting to give gifts to people on special occasions. “One of the great joys of woodworking is how it brings me closer to others, and is often a form of ministry in and of itself,” he says. “I’ve gotten to make diploma frames for friends who were the first in their families to graduate college. I’ve made memento boxes for friends’ wedding days.”

Over the years, he has advanced from creations like wine racks and picture frames to dining tables, nightstands and river-style coffee tables.

He’s also taken on more high-profile projects, such as building a doghouse on wheels for Georgetown University’s Jack the Bulldog mascot. Recently, he has spent summers overseeing the preservation of the Jesuit-built 1854 cabin at the St. Ignatius Mission on the Flathead Indian Reservation in Montana.

Incorporating prayer into the solitary nature of his craft, Br. Homan is particularly moved by friends who love his creations because they were made by him. “That’s been a great way to learn about how God loves us,” he says.

“It’s not because of our accomplishments, but because God loves us and so loves watching us do things that bring us joy.”

Collecting is another favorite pastime of some Jesuits. The simple hobby can grow from casual personal interest to a body of work that brings together items worthy of study, such as the world-renowned fable collection of Fr. Greg Carlson, SJ. Housed in the Reinert-Alumni Memorial Library at Creighton University, the Carlson Fable Collection consists of more than 10,000 unique books and nearly as many objects, including toys, figurines, playing cards, apparel and other unique items. The collection features 73 languages, stamps from 28 countries, and perhaps its greatest treasure, 102 etchings of the Fables of La Fontaine by Marc Chagall.

Father Fran Daly, SJ began collecting military miniatures when he was in high school. Years later, while cleaning out his family’s house after his father passed, he came across his old collection and began adding to it. Featuring painted metal and plastic figures that stand just over two inches high, the collection is focused on the Civil War. Fr. Daly has even created dioramas depicting scenes from famous battles, such as Gettysburg, Antietam and Fort Wagner. Though he has not had much time for his hobby in recent years, to this day anyone entering his office at Manresa Jesuit Retreat House in Bloomfield Hills, Mich., can see items from his conversation-starting collection on full display.

Midwest Province Secretary Br. John Moriconi, SJ displays pieces from his Star Wars and Star Trek memorabilia collection in his office in Chicago. Featuring action figures, figurines, models, posters, prints and other items, such as a storm trooper nutcracker, a Darth Vader Pez dispenser, and a R2-D2 bobblehead, Br. Moriconi’s collection began in his youth and coincided with a love of science fiction in both literary and cinematic form.