Personal Introduction

Welcome! My name is John Roselle, SJ, and I took lifelong ("perpetual") vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience as a Jesuit on August 13th, 2011 after a two-year novitiate. I am now a Jesuit Scholastic for the Wisconsin Province of the Society of Jesus. I will study philosophy and theology for the next three years at Loyola University in Chicago. At the same time, I will do part-time ministry in some capacity with the poor. After that, I will likely teach for three years before finishing three more years of theology. Then, God willing, I will be ordained a Roman Catholic Jesuit priest! It's a long road, but a blessed, fun, and enriching one. This blog exists as a resource for friends, family, and others who are interested in my progress through the Jesuit process of formation. Every day is its own adventure, and I am happy to have you along with me to share in this. This blog contains my own personal thoughts and should not be taken to speak for the entire Society of Jesus. Feel free to contact me. God bless you!















Saturday, November 13, 2010

Re-Cap of the Past Year

  1. Entered the Jesuit Novitiate: on August 29, 2009 near Detroit, Michigan, with 12 other first-year novices
  2. Serving at a Jesuit infirmary: visiting with, being inspired by, and taking care of elderly Jesuits nearby who are "passing the torch" onto the next generation
  3. Serving at a nursing home: providing accompaniment to elders and befriending them
  4. Serving at a grade school: teaching the Bible to preschool and kindergarten students via fun skits and songs
  5. Community living: having a blast with my new brothers throughout the fall, breaking new ground with them through communal prayer, faith-sharing, playing sports, ministries, etc.
  6. Spiritual Exercises: making a 30 day silent retreat in Gloucester, Massachusetts by the Atlantic Ocean, praying my heart out and receiving much healing and inspiration
  7. Vocation promotion: traveling to Omaha for a week to speak with high school and college students about my vocation story, the joy of the Jesuit life, and what is in their own hearts for their own vocation, whatever it may be
  8. Living in a L'Arche community: five weeks of community-living with persons in Clinton, Iowa who have developmental disabilities and much to offer me in terms of genuineness, humility, and kindness
  9. Pilgrimage: $35 and a one-way bus ticket to Seattle, and I had to find my way home in a month--a chance to totally trust God and the goodness of others
  10. Peru: going to Lima for 5 weeks to learn Spanish and see the international face of the Society of Jesus, getting to live with young Peruvian Jesuits in formation
  11. Moving to St. Paul, MN: in early August we moved to the new novitiate for the Wisconsin, Detroit, and Chicago provinces of the Society of Jesus
  12. Welcoming a new crew: 10 new first-year Jesuit novices have come to join us, bringing a lot of life to the new house
  13. Serving at the Listening House: providing a listening ear and counsel at the "living room of the homeless" in downtown St. Paul
  14. Teaching ESL: working weekly with an immigrant from El Salvador as she struggles to learn English
  15. Discerning Long Experiment and Vows: from January through May of 2011, I will live and work at a yet-to-be-decided Jesuit ministry somewhere in the 13 states of our Tri-Province, where I will do full-time ministry and seek to receive confirmation from God as to whether I should profess lifelong vows in the Society of Jesus on August 13, 2011
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2 comments:

  1. UnknownNovember 13, 2010 at 2:18 PM

    A great way to observe the feast of St. Stanislaus Kostka! Best of luck with this endeavor.

    ReplyDelete
  2. AnonymousNovember 13, 2010 at 5:28 PM

    going for the longest blog title ever... WIN!

    ReplyDelete

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