Mengapa saya menjadi Jesuit?

Sebuah pengalaman dari Celso Romanin yang telah 50 tahun berada dalam Serikat Jesus

Why am I a Jesuit?

Had we been better off and my parents more money, I would have been able to study Italian as a teenager (most of my friends were Italian and all I could speak was our home language, Fiulano) and I would have been able to go to trade school and become a carpenter. Neither were possible. So my drean to marry a lovely Italian girl, have many children and work with my beloved timber had to be revised.

And so I was led to seek something more.

In my last year of school I began to look seriously at Priesthood. We lived next door to the Capuchins who promised overseas trips and other perks were I to join them. We belonged to a Jesuit parish, I went to a Jesuit College and had a brother a Jesuit. What I saw was a companionship among Jesuits that I couldn't see in others. I decided it was worth a try.

I have since discovered a good companionship which carried me through tough times, for which I am truly grateful. I have been deeply challenged and fulfilled, especially through Vatican II and my times with JRS (Jesuit Refugee Services). It has helped to frame my work in parishes to focus on a Faith that seeks Justice.

I also find great consolation in the Vision of Ignatius at La Storta, and feel somewhat privileged to be there as well, called to companionship with Our Lord.