By PJ Williams
In 2014, Fr. Adolfo Nicolás, SJ, then Superior General of the Society of Jesus, wrote a letter calling on the Society to assess and improve the intellectual formation of Jesuit scholastics and brothers.
In response to this call, the Jesuit Conference of the United States and Canada undertook a review of its Jesuit formation process and came up with recommendations for how it might be adjusted to follow that directive. The recommendations are embodied in what is known as the Initiative for Future Formation.
One of the stages most impacted by this review was First Studies.
A Jesuit’s First Studies take place after he has spent two years in the Novitiate, the first stage of Jesuit formation. Typically a three-year process, First Studies include two years of master’s-level philosophy studies and one year of theology. There are three houses of First Studies that serve the Jesuits of the United States and Canada located in Chicago, New York City, and St. Louis. All of them are located close to Jesuit universities where the men can continue their education. Unlike the Novitiate, First Studies houses are not divided by province. This means that men who entered a Novitiate in their home province may not be doing their First Studies in the same province, or even the same country. This can help broaden their worldview and acclimate them to being moved around for future assignments.
Located near Fordham University, Ciszek Hall in the Bronx was selected as the Jesuit Conference-sponsored pilot First Studies program. “The idea was that there would be one pilot that would basically just rethink the whole thing from the ground up, rather than just making some adjustments and turning some dials,” said Fr. Michael Zampelli, SJ, academic director of First Studies at Ciszek. “One of the things they thought could be better was the connecting of the academic and the intellectual capacity of Jesuits so they would be able to address the real-world issues of the day with the tools they’ve been given.”
In the past, theology studies had come later in Jesuit formation, but they have been pushed up to take place before Regency (the next step
of formation) so that Jesuits have more of a theological foundation to prepare them for pastoral work.
One way that Ciszek is working to connect education with action has been through praxis learning. This is where men in First Studies are sent to sites around Ciszek to accompany and serve the community. Ciszek has six different praxis partners, including the Mary Mitchell Family and Youth Center, which helps nurture the potential of youth and families in the Bronx, and Jesuit-affiliated works like St. Ignatius (Nativity) School and Thrive For Life, a ministry that works behind and beyond the walls of prison.
As part of a two-and-a-half-week orientation program, Jesuits at Ciszek are introduced to the various praxis partners and meet with community leaders. They are then asked to pray about their experiences and share where they are feeling called. This decision is not taken lightly, and men at Ciszek are serious about finding that praxis site where they can best accompany the people of the Bronx. “They’re smart, committed, and prayerful,” said Kevin Yonkers-Talz, director of praxis-based learning at Ciszek. “Having accompanied the Jesuits in formation over the last four years has filled me with a lot of hope for the Society of Jesus.”
Men are sent to praxis sites in teams together and work at a single site during their time at Ciszek. This allows them to cultivate relationships with people at those sites as they get to know them over time.
An unexpected challenge that men have to navigate when transitioning from the novitiate to First Studies is time management. “They go from doing essentially one thing, living a certain kind of organized life, to getting thrown into studies, which is really quite a full schedule,” said Fr. Zampelli. Men attend daily Mass, go to class, do homework, minister at their praxis site, pray daily, consult regularly with a Jesuit spiritual director, and take on the responsibilities
of living in a community.
Fr. Zampelli has found it important to check in with men to make sure they find a balance and do not get burnt out. “You have a life, right? It’s New York City; have you gone to a museum? Have you gone to a play? Are you making friends? One of the things that’s important for them to learn is that they will never, ever just be doing one thing.” At his meetings with the men in formation, Fr. Zampelli reminds them that “As Jesuits, [they will] always have to do more than one thing.”
“What’s different about the Ciszek pilot program is the intentional focus on integration. We’re really trying to get those three pieces—studies, apostolic work, and the community living experience—talking to one another and being more integrated,” said Fr. William Sheahan, SJ, rector of Ciszek Hall. Each man’s integration is facilitated by private prayer, regular sharing within their class cohort, and the ongoing guidance of the Ciszek staff.
The first cohort of Jesuits in Ciszek’s new First Studies program arrived in 2021 and graduated in May 2024. During this time, the model at Ciszek was assessed and modified where needed. “If you read the Constitutions, what the Novitiate is to be is very prescribed,” said Fr. Sheahan. “First Studies is much more loosely prescribed, and thus it’s a little easier for us to tweak these things.”
The summer before the fall semester of their third year, the men at Ciszek begin a six-month-long scholastic exchange program at the ITESO Jesuit University in Guadalajara. During this time, they are studying Spanish and continuing their coursework while living in the Jesuit First Studies community in Guadalajara. “It’s meant to facilitate second language acquisition,” said Fr. Sheahan. “The former way of doing it over the course of six weeks wasn’t sufficient for the men.” At the same time, Jesuits in First Studies at the ITESO send a cohort of men in First Studies to Ciszek both to learn English and study for that same fall semester at Fordham University.
In addition to fluency in a second language, other benefits of this arrangement are Jesuits acquiring greater understanding of other cultures, appreciating the differing concerns of the Society of Jesus and the Church outside the U.S. and cultivating international Jesuit friendships. While the Society has grown smaller, the world has also grown smaller thanks to tools like social media and video conferencing. This has allowed Jesuits in First Studies to maintain friendships with their international brothers and start planning for the future. “They can start dreaming and thinking about some of those apostolic implications of maintaining these friendships,” said Fr. Sheahan. Jesuits currently in First Studies will be the men leading the Society in 20–30 years as provincials, pastors, and heads of schools. The seeds for international collaboration for the Jesuits are already being planted.
While there will be fewer Jesuits in the future, that is not necessarily a bad thing. “The Society is going to be smaller, more nimble,” said Yonkers-Talz. “How agile can you be in relation to what’s happening in the world around you?” While it will take years to see the full outcome of changes being implemented in Ciszek’s pilot program, the men currently in First Studies are being given the tools to best serve as Jesuits. “Giving them access to rigorous philosophical, theological, and social science methods helps them engage that reality. The challenges will, no doubt, be great, but the hope is that they’re going to be agile and wise enough to navigate them.”
