Vocations

Yesterday, I gave a day of recollection for a Come & See program at the Jesuit Novitiate in Lusaka. Fifteen men participated in the Come & See and over half expressed a serious desire to join the Jesuits. The men ranged in age from grade 11 in high school to college graduates. The quiet and recollection began the program and when we finished the candidates joined the fifteen novices for two more days of conversation and come and see. The candidates were very serious when we met and strictly observed silence so it was difficult to read faces for any reactions to the talks. However, by the end of the day, the smiles returned and I know that they were ready to join the novices to ask the "real" questions of religious life.

During the Mass, I invited the men to share their reflections on the experience and it was very rewarding to hear their insights and the commitment that they had to following Christ. The Society is very alive in Africa and I am grateful for this opportunity. It was a good experience to be in a room with over thirty young men interested in the Jesuits and our way of life. And as I mentioned the smiles returned during the sharing.

At the conclusion of Mass I opened it up for questions that they might have for me. They asked questions about vocations in the United States. And perhaps the most challenging question was about the Iraq war and why the Church in the United States was not more critical. It was difficult to answer, because the press does not carry the statements of the Bishops that speak strongly against the war. I tried to answer, but I am afraid I did not come up with a good answer. I am aware that people like people from the United States, but they do not understand the ways of our government. It is also interesting to note that the Church and the Society are more influential in Zambia than they are in the United States.