Sunday, June 7, 2009

Jesuit Vocations In The Phillipines

Jesuit Father Xavier Olin shared how Internet has helped his work. The order's national vocation director cited four applicants who "never knew about the Society of Jesus (Jesuits) until they saw the vocation announcement on Facebook," an online social networking site.

"One of them, an information technology specialist based in Malaysia, was searching and searching until he came here, and said he is ready to resign from his job. He will submit an application in October," Father Olin said.

The Philippine Jesuits post lists of vocation activities, tips on discernment, and "frequently asked questions" on vocation on their website. They maintain a blog site, and post YouTube videos on Jesuit founder, Saint Ignatius of Loyola, information on the Jesuits, and an inspirational music video for vocation applicants.

However, Father Olin agreed that personal contact is invaluable. He cited a recent study of his order that found 95 percent of participants in Jesuit vocation seminars in the last 10 years reported getting information about the order from peers and Jesuit priests. Seventy-two Jesuit seminarians from various Asian countries are in the country preparing for priesthood.

Link (here)

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