Vocation Tour 2006.

Yesterday, St. Ignatius College Prep was honored with a visit by first-year novices Richard Beebe, Tim McCabe and Chris Staab, who gave eight periods' worth of vocation talks as part of their tour of Chicagoland's three Jesuit high schools. As Rich anticipated in this pre-vocation tour post, the three primi found the experience physically exhausting. However, I'm pleased to report that my brother novices showed impressive stamina in making it through the day and did a fine job telling their stories. After giving the primi a chance to rest for a bit, the St. Ignatius Jesuit community hosted the newest members of the Chicago and Detroit provinces for Mass and dinner before bidding them Godspeed as they headed up to Loyola Academy in Wilmette for their next round of talks. Though I didn't get to spend as much time with Chris, Rich and Tim as I would have liked, I appreciated the opportunity to catch up with them briefly and to introduce them to SICP. Please pray for the first-year men as they begin their Short Experiments: Chris will be working with Mexican migrants and living with the Jesuits at Sacred Heart Church in El Paso, Texas; Rich will be working at a Jesuit-sponsored think-tank called the Center of Concern and will be living with the Jesuit community at Gonzaga College High School in Washington, D.C.; Tim will be working with people with AIDS and living with the Jesuits at St. Agnes Church in San Francisco, California. I'm sure each of the primi will render great service to the people of God they encounter on their experiments, and I look forward to hearing about their experiences when we're reunited in May. AMDG.