Niko Lignore, SJ, Fr. Nick Colalella, SJ, and Luke Olsen, SJ, of the USA East Province, professed their First Vows in the Society of Jesus on August 12, 2023, at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Syracuse, NY. They are pictured below with Father Provincial Joseph O’Keefe, SJ (far left), and Fr. George Witt, SJ, director of novices (far right).
These three men began their journey together two years ago, after much discernment and prayer, when they entered the Jesuit novitiate, Fr. Colalella already an ordained priest. Through this foundational time of formation, they have learned the joys and challenges of Jesuit community life, new ways of praying, and becoming more accustomed to seeing the world the way St. Ignatius invites us. Prayer, study, and apostolic service helped them build a stronger relationship with Jesus—a companionship—that has empowered each of them through grace and courage to kneel before the Eucharist and pronounce perpetual vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience. With silver crosses in their hands and the official “SJ” after their names, they now embark on the rest of their formation as brothers in Christ, companions in the Society of Jesus.
As Fr. Witt in his homily so poignantly described to Niko, Nick, and Luke about the commitment they are making, “It is a graced interplay of the deep desire to match an interior life of prayer rooted in God’s love, with an exterior life of service. With Christ… in imitation of Christ… called by Christ. The very heart of a Jesuit vocation.”
Please pray for these men as they live out their vows and serve their Savior by serving others.
Below is the full Vow Mass (the Mass begins at the 32-minute mark).
