Vocation Events

Come and See Weekend
When: February 13, 2009 (overnight guests welcome) / April 3-5 , 2009
Where: Cincinnati, OH / Loyola University; Chicago, IL

This weekend, for men between the ages of 18 and 35, provides an opportunity to learn more about the life and work of Jesuit Priests and Brothers. Presentations on the vows, formation, spirituality and the apostolates of the Society of Jesus are part of the program as well as time to meet Jesuits and socialize with others considering the Jesuits. Each participant will live in a Jesuit community. The weekend is free of charge and runs from late afternoon on Friday until early afternoon on Sunday. For more information or to participate in the weekend, please contact Fr. Patrick Fairbanks, S.J. (vocations@jesuits-chi.org or 773.975.6363).

Novitiate Visit Weekends
When: See List below
Where: Loyola House Novitiate; Berkley, MI

These weekend visits give men a lived sense of what life as a novice is like. Besides time for prayer and reflection, these visits are mainly an opportunity for talking with the current novices about their experiences of this stage of Jesuit formation. For more information or to participate in one of the weekends, please contact Fr. Patrick Fairbanks, S.J. (vocations@jesuits-chi.org or 773.975.6363).

February 20-22, 2009

Six Weeks a Jesuit
When: June / July to August 2009 (exact dates coming soon)
Where: Chicago, IL / Midland, Ont.

Come join us for an in-depth experience of Jesuit life. Each summer the North American Jesuit Vocation Directors sponsor the Six-Weeks-a-Jesuit program. From the end of June to the beginning of August, candidates for the Society of Jesus from all over the United States and Canada immerse themselves in Jesuit life. The program during the summer of 2008 will take place in New York and the Martyrs Shrine in Canada, and participants will live in Jesuit communities and work in Jesuit apostolates. In addition, participants will gather for weekly conferences that introduce different aspects of Jesuit life.

The program begins and ends with an orientation and closing weekend. There is also a get-away weekend of fun/reflection half-way into the program. Participants in the Six-Weeks-a-Jesuit program should be men who are seriously discerning God's call to the Jesuit vocation and are willing to commit themselves to a summer of serious and intentional prayer, work, reflection and fun. For more information please contact Fr. Patrick Fairbanks, S.J. (vocations@jesuits-chi.org or 773.975.6363).

Candidates' Meetings
When: Monthly
Where: Various places

Discernment Groups
When: Varies
Where: Loyola University Chicago, University of Chicago, Notre Dame University

These gatherings of men interested in discerning a vocation to the Jesuits offer an opportunity for prayer, reflection, and sharing. Usually held on college campuses, men have the opportunity to meet others who are in the discernment process and to mutually engage in discernment. For more information, please contact Fr. Patrick Fairbanks, S.J. (vocations@jesuits-chi.org or 773.975.6363).