God keeps calling young people to start a spiritual journey of faith and service. This year, the European Jesuit novitiates welcomed 51 new novices with a big desire to start this journey. 51 young blooded men with very different backgrounds, but all with the same desire of following the steps of Jesus Christ. In a time when the number of consecrated people is getting lower and lower it is a big blessing to see that these young Jesuits left all behind to aim a priest or brotherhood life.

But not everything is a piece of cake. Entry into the novitiate implies a preliminary program that brings together candidates with Jesuits who are experts in discernment. The goal is to grow in freedom before God to discover all the dimensions of the Jesuit vocation. This process involves doing spiritual exercises and placing oneself completely in God's hands to choose freely and generously.

You want to know more about how to become a Jesuit? Check our page: https://jesuits.eu/join-the-mission/become-a-jesuit

All together there are 82 novices in the ten European novitiates, 51 in first year and 31 in second year. A novice learns to create a community of brothers who grow in prayer, knowledge of the Society, apostolic work, and personal enrichment. He meets the Lord through the 30-day Spiritual Exercises retreat. At the end of these two years, he pronounces vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience.

In the Jesuit Conference of Europe and Near East there are ten noviciates. These are the details from each one:

 

Birmingham (U.K.) BRI-HIB

First year: 2 Novices

Second year: 4 Novices

Total novitiate: 6 (all of them on the picture)

 

 

 

 

 

Cairo (Egypt) PRO

First year: 4

Second year: 0

Total novitiate: 4

 

Coimbra (Portugal) POR

First year: 4 (on the picture)

Second year: 5

Total novitiate: 9

  

 

 

 

Gdynia (Poland) PMA – PME - RUS

First year: 14 (on the picture)

Second Year: 4

Total Novitiate: 18

 

 

  

Genoa (Italy) EUM – HUN - SLN

First year: 10 (on the picture)

Second Year: 8

Total Novitiate: 18

 

 

 

Lyon (France) EOF

First year: 5 (on the picture)

Second year: 4

Total Novitiate: 9

 

 

 

 

Nuremberg (Germany) ASR – GER - LIT

First year: 3 (on the picture)

Second year:2

Total Novitiate: 5

 

  

 

Ruzomberok (Slovakia) BOH - SVK

First year: 2

Second year: 0

Total Novitiate: 2

 

San Sebastián (Spain) ESP

First year: 4 (on the picture)

Second year: 3

Total Novitiate: 7

 

 

 

 

Split (Croatia) CRO

First year: 3

Second year: 0

Total novitiate: 3

 

 

Read also What the Jesuits of the future are dreaming of