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These are the vows professed at the end of Jesuit formation. At this point, the Jesuit is fully accepted by the Society of Jesus. On Saturday, September 8, Fr, João Carlos Onofre Pinto, SJ, and Fr. António Valério, SJ, reached this moment as Jesuits.

The liturgical feast of the Nativity of Our Lady and the Jesuit retreat house Casa da Torre were the time and place chosen by the two Jesuits to profess their final vows, among Jesuits, relatives and friends.

At the beginning of Jesuit formation, after the two years of Novitiate, Jesuits profess vows of perpetual poverty, obedience and chastity. In his first vows, each Jesuit also promises to become part of the Society at the end of their formation, if the Society decides to receive him definitely as part of its apostolic body. At the time of final vows, Jesuits also profess a special vow of obedience to the Pope, making themselves available to work actively in any mission he might entrust to the Society.

The love of God makes all things possible

The Provincial, Fr, José Frazão Correia, SJ, said during his homily: “Mary is not only the one who gives birth; she was also delivered. Her story does not start with the Incarnation, but when she was conceived, loved. It is so important to go back to the first love. Jesus was the perfect son because he knew he was loved and he learned to share. (…) Is it possible to be poor, chaste and obedient? Not with our own strengths, it’s the love of God that makes it possible.”

Father Provincial asked João Carlos and António to “mark your lives with the name and love of God, in spiritual and actual poverty, desiring for you the worst and for your brethren the best (…) make your hearts each day more similar to the hearts of Jesus and Mary, crazy for Christ and not wise to the eyes of the world.”

A testimony from Fr. João Carlos, SJ:

“God aroused from my talents the vocation to consecrated life and I quickly understood that I cannot do anything without him. Despite my limits, God invites me to be part, as a Jesuit priest, of his mission of consoling, showing to others the meaning only he himself can give.”

A testimony from Fr. António Valério, SJ:

“To profess the final vows in the Society of Jesus means, in the first place, to be sure of God’s grace in my life, always capable of multiplying as good fruits my abilities and weaknesses. I come to this day very consoled with everything I was given through the companions and so many people who awakened in me the values of friendship and service.”

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