Last year around this time when I decided I wanted to volunteer for a year, I began looking into many different programs. I was going on my eighth year of Jesuit education, so naturally I looked into the Jesuit Volunteer Corps. However, since I was going to be a free agent again, I also explored the market of religious volunteer programs through the Catholic Volunteer Network. In addition to JVC, I looked into programs with the Vincentians, Franciscans, and the Salesians among others, and after a great deal of prayer and mutual discernment, I signed with the Salesian Lay Missioners in South Sudan.  My Jesuit friends, though very supportive of the program, jokingly wondered why I did not decide to continue with them. While on orientation back in July/August, whenever my past with the Jesuits was brought up, I would get heckled quite a bit by the Salesian priests (all in good fun). Being the second largest religious order behind the Jesuits, I think the SDBs have the little brother mentality. Anyway, while the Jesuits we mad about “losing” me, and the Salesians were giving me trouble about my previous coaching, I thought I was going to get away from the drama while in South Sudan. Not so fast.

Last week, we received word that a Jesuit priest was coming and staying with us for a year. Fr. Francis SJ arrived and is helping out as an administrator at the Don Bosco Senior Secondary School. Like many of the Jesuits I have encountered over the years, Fr. Francis and I hit it off. However, after talking about my past with the Jesuits, but now being with the Salesians, he lightheartedly said, “You betrayed us!” Not again I thought J.

Though I seem to be in the middle of a heated rivalry, I feel like the luckiest guy on earth. Not many people get to form such close relationships with these two great orders. While they love to joke about one another, the more I spend time with the Salesians, the more I see how similar they are to the Jesuits, and vise versa. At their cores, both focus on educating the youth and being missionaries of Christ. Seeing the two orders work together here shows me they are first and foremost Catholics serving the Lord, and that trumps any affiliation they have to their order. They both want to spread Christ love and bring people closer to him, and they rely on each other’s strengths for help. Think about it… with Jesuits’ strength in education and the Salesians’ forte in youth formation, the kids here with have no choice but to be amazing students and followers of Christ. Plus, now we all have both St. Ignatius and St. John Bosco watching over us.

Vivian Soul
11/12/2012 04:59:27 am

Love this, it just goes to show you are where God always planned for you to be. Now are they trying to talk you into becoming a Priest? LOL That will be funny. Salesian or Jesuit?

Reply
JB
11/12/2012 10:57:04 am

I find this funny, Tom. I was once a Salesian, and one time when talking to a Jesuit, he jokingly told me, "you guys got the treasure Don Bosco, who knows how to educate kids, but it's us the Jesuits who actually practice his methods". We laughed.

Reply
10/13/2013 11:55:36 am

Success is the maximum utilisation of the ability that you have.

Reply



Leave a Reply.