The Making of a Jesuit Priest was produced by
the Maryland Province of the Society of Jesus in 1932. It is an important historical document giving a glimpse into the formation of Jesuits in the early 20th century.
It begins: “The making of a Jesuit priest begins with the moment when the lad of eighteen or nineteen summers, having broken away from his college or high school life, drives up to the portals of the Novitiate, nervous and self-conscious, and is welcomed with both hands by a short, stout, smiling Father called the Master of Novices.”
Among the many images of houses of formation and study is one of the grounds of the seminary at Woodstock, Maryland, Woodstock Theological Library’s namesake.
At the end of the pamphlet is an appendix of a summary of requirements for applying to become a Jesuit. “Application should be made to: Reverend Father Provincial, 724 North Calvert Street, Baltimore, 2 Maryland.” Though no longer the home of the Father Provincial, it is still a Jesuit parish, Saint Ignatius Catholic Church.
entry authored by Amy E. Phillips, Rare Materials Cataloger for Woodstock Theological Library
I like the tone of “a lad of 18 or 19 summers.”
Yes, the tone of the entire pamphlet is like that: informative but having evocative descriptions!
Thanks for this entry, Amy. Concise but informative. It helps me to figure out what we need to do to make our archival materials visible and useful. Keep up the good work..
Rina! We miss you at Woodstock and are happy for your feedback. If you’d ever like us to include a link to your collections on our blog, we are happy to do it. We want to promote the Jesuit collections that we care for, and those all over the world