As time permits, novices also help supervise the school playground next door, teach catechism, and prepare prayer services for the juvenile detention center. Paul Vu brings his skills as a counselor and his caring smile to the elderly, including Ethel Minerich and Vivian Carlson-Uhler, at a Little Sisters of the Poor Residence once a week. In addition to praying and working together, novices discover that playing together creates bonds of friendship. Conditions around Frontenac, Minnesota, were perfect for cross-country skiing as far as Brian McAdam, Fr. John Paul, Drew Kirschman, and John Meehan were concerned.
Novices enjoy a relaxing afternoon getting to know each other shortly after entrance day.
Elton Fernandes, Andy Jaspers, Drew Kirschman, Fr. John Paul, and Joe Laramie bob along through the choppy waters of the Apple River. Each novice is expected to engage in at least an hour of personal prayer each day in addition to participating in daily community Eucharist. Guided by a director, each man chooses the style and method of prayer best for him. Midway through his first year in the novitiate, the novices make the Spiritual Exercises, a 30-day individually directed prayer experience, the foundation of Jesuit spirituality.