Leaps of Faith: Choosing the Jesuit Life
Members of Loyola’s First Studies program and tomorrow’s Jesuit priests: Todd Keough, S.J. (left), Lukas Laniauskas, S.J., and Samuel Sawyer, S.J.
Few people today consider joining a religious order, and even fewer actually take the vows. In a society which champions the individual—in which Time magazine claims that the person of the year is “YOU”—what makes a young man decide to devote his life wholly to God and to other people?
Here are a few stories about that leap of faith from members of Loyola’s First Studies program, part of the rigorous preparation for the Jesuit priesthood.
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When Samuel Sawyer, S.J., was a freshman at Boston College, he heard a Jesuit speak about Ignatius Loyola and the inception of the Society of Jesus. As the Jesuit spoke about Ignatius’s religious awakening and the devotion of the first companions to helping others, Sawyer experienced what he calls a “flash of insight.”
“It sparked something inside me. I thought, ‘That’s what I want to do,’” he says.
Initially intimidated by the thought of becoming a Jesuit, Sawyer tried to set his mind on other goals. “I tried to push it off and pretend it hadn’t happened, but I couldn’t help thinking about it,” he says.
Sawyer graduated from college in 2000, but wasn’t yet ready to begin his formation. After about two years, he realized that his volunteer work through his parish was sustaining him far more than the 50-60 hours a week he spent working as a software engineer. Sawyer knew he was finally ready to devote his life to the Jesuits.
“When I was 18, it felt like I would have to give up so much,” Sawyer says. “One of the things I learned over time is that this vocation is a gift. It’s what God wants for me. It’s about saying yes to a great thing, which involves saying no to some other good things. In the end I feel like I’m being given far more than I’m giving up.”
‘Falling in love with people’
Lukas Laniauskas, S.J., attended both Loyola and the Rome Center as an undergraduate. While studying in Rome, surrounded by a rich tradition of Catholicism, Laniauskas began to feel that the priesthood might be his calling.
“I would describe it as falling in love with people. That’s the center of it all,” says Laniauskas, who believes that the best way to give of himself is to become a Jesuit.
Laniauskas, who is of Lithuanian heritage and speaks the language fluently, spoke to the head of the Lithuanian Jesuits and told him he was considering the priesthood. “He said, ‘Let’s determine where God wants you,’” Laniauskas recalls. “That sentence hit me like a ton of bricks. It’s what God wants that will be the greatest.”
He entered the novitiate, the first stage of priestly preparation, in Lithuania. Laniauskas now finds himself back at Loyola, right where he started.
“I came back with a sense of pride and ownership and belonging,” he says, although his experiences have made him see things through a slightly different lens. After traveling the world in pursuit of his calling, Laniauskas is now living it in a place that feels like home.
‘I know what I’m supposed to do’
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He spoke to a priest, who told Keough that his interest in the priesthood might be exaggerated by his renewed enthusiasm for the Church after a long break. The priest advised Keough to take more time to think about it.
But the feeling wouldn’t go away. In 2003, Keough went on a spiritual retreat through his university. The spiritual director asked him about his friendship with Jesus, and suggested Keough pray on the image of John resting his head on Jesus’ chest. Keough went to the beach alone, and leaned his head to the side, as though it were resting on Christ’s chest.
“I felt a presence,” he recalls. “I felt a hand on my head. I thought, ‘What do you want from me?’ and I heard in return, ‘You know what it is.’ I ran back to the spiritual director and told him, “I know what I’m supposed to do.’”
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The path of Jesuit formation Jesuit formation technically takes 10–15 years, but it’s really a lifelong process. Here’s an overview of the formal steps:
apostolic work
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Keough has now been with the Jesuits for four years, and runs retreats for homeless people who are addicted to alcohol or drugs. Because these are trials he has overcome, Keough believes he’s able to relate to them and help in ways that might not otherwise be possible.
“I think that before I never let people love me, and now I do,” says Keough. “I think I really give of myself, without it being about me. I try to give of what I’ve been given. Some days you fail at that, but you try.”
Although membership in Catholic orders continues to decline worldwide, the Society of Jesus is the largest, with more than 20,000 members. Loyola’s Jesuit community is a vital part of the University’s organization and mission, offering the service and the spiritual guidance that shape the character of the University. Jesuit community members have taken many different roads to get here, but they now walk the same path of faith that Ignatius walked all those years ago.