A new vocation awareness campaign by the Society of Jesus.

The Superior General of the Society of Jesus this week launches a digital project on Jesuit Vocations with a special call to future candidates. In an April 12^th letter to all Jesuits Fr Sosa announces a new vocations website and a new social media video campaign.

“We need people with a passion for the Gospel and a love of Jesus, a flexibility to go anywhere, an interior freedom like that of St Ignatius and of St Francis Xavier” said Jesuit superior General, Arturo Sosa. “Our world is crying out for healing – a healing that can only come about in lasting ways through Christ. We want to share His message of healing and of reconciliation. That is why we exist as the Society of Jesus”.

Jesuits work in places as far apart as Afghanistan and Venezuela, Sri Lanka and Sweden, Angola and Vietnam. Work includes parishes, schools, social advocacy, universities, spirituality. And so, a feature of the campaign is a sense of universality. The site is already translated into four languages; the video is aimed at social media and can easily be modified across cultures.

“All around the Society, I have seen inspiring passion for the Gospel and great creativity especially during this lockdown period” said project organiser Fr Mark Ravizza. “The faces of the people in the film clip and on the new site speak of love shown more in deeds than words. We want to make sure that the Society of Jesus is known beyond any myths or stereotypes, and beyond anything that it does. We want to be known for our love of Jesus and our desire to serve and follow Him.”

In recent years the Jesuit mission has coalesced around four main compass points:

• Showing the way to God.
• Walking with the marginalised and the excluded.
• Journeying with youth for a hope filled future.
• Collaborating in the care of the common home.

“Our work is varied across different parts of the world but our focus is always Jesus” said Father Sosa. “He is the one who calls us. He is still calling young men from different cultures and peoples. We put our trust in Him believing always in His faithfulness”.

The project organiser is General counsellor Mark Ravizza along with the team at General Curia Communications. The short video and website were produced by freelance filmmaker and designer Mikoɫaj Cempla of Human Stories Studio https://humanstories.studio/

Further details can be obtained from Fr Ravizza This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or from the General Curia communications webmaster This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

The site is accessed at https://vocations.jesuits.global/ where you can also see the video.

The desire to serve Jesus

"But at the heart of the campaign is the desire to share the inspiration and reason: to follow Jesus, his call and the desire to serve him in the world, as contemplatives in action," explains Fr John Dardis SJ, General Councellor for Discernment and Apostolic Planning and Head of the Curia's Communications Office.

“Young people have great and good desires. We have over 2 million students in the world. I have been a university chaplain. I have so many times witnessed their generosity. But they too must be able to hear a call. I myself was thinking of becoming a doctor. Three months before the end of school, a Jesuit asked me what my plans would be. He then suggested that I think about the possibility of religious life.
Therefore, I started to consider this hypothesis too, until I gradually decided to enter the Society. Without that priest, perhaps, I would be someone else today.”