The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1901-01-30
TRRININS OF A JESUIT
ROUTINE OF THE NovITIaTE TO BE
OPENED N A NEW YORK TOWN.
The Discipline the scverest known to
ANY CaIriEG-Tcst of the Sovice's
Fitncss-DaiIy Routine.

Frederick MD Letter n New 1ofk sun
Under construction at St. Andrew's-on-
the-Hudson, near Poughkeepsie. is the flu
ture home o. a novel addition TO the
educational institutions OF New York State.
To the building, when IL is completed, will
be transferred the Jesuit Novitiate now
situated at Frederick. There will be carried
on the system of training which the So
ciety of Jesl:its considers necessary to
qualify men for fellowship with the fol-
lowers of st. Agnatius Of Loyola-
OF all the schools and colleges in the
State the Military Academy at West Point
not excepted, the discipline at this schooi
will be the most severe. The life OF the
Jesuit novice is a hard one. From the
morning oblation to God at $50 O'Clock TILL
lights out" at 10 at night, the routine OF
the novitiate covers a multitude of re-
quirements ranging from washing the
breakfast dishes in the kitchen to convers-
ing In Latin after supper and maps out a
day that is flll of duties and activities,
and governs all with a discipline that is
unexampled in rightly.
To become fuIl-fedged Jesuit is infinite
ly more difficult than to become a min
lister in any Protestant denomination. nor
is the course of training for secular
Catholic priest 10 be compared with that
through which; a novice must pass before
being admitted. into the membership or the
Society of JesiIits. The applicant Tor al
mission TO the novitiate must first OF all
pass successfully an examination or an
unusually difficult and searching nature,
designed to determine the likelihood OF
his becoming useful member OF the So
ciety. Upon arriving at the novitiate after
passing this preliminary examination, he Is
kept for week or ten days separate from
the other novioes. The rules of the society
are nut into his hands and he has an OPP
portunity to scquaint himself fully with
the nature of she life upon which he pro-
poses to enter. For a short time he is
put In retreat and kept in perfect silence
In order that ke may mediate upon what
he has learned
THE DAILY ROUTINE.
Sometimes ali applicant discovers during
this probation that he has not the courage
to enter upon the life of the Jesuit. but all
who are still OF mind to do so at the end
OF the trial are received as novices, clad in
the Jesuit habit of black, and enter upon
the routine of the novitiate. They rise at
$50 o'clock in the morning, make a short
visit TO the chapel at in order TO make
their morning ;oblation to God, and from
6 TO Z make their meditation, which Is a
consideration IF a brief lecture delivered
by the master of novices, and is supposed
TO end with some good resolution and a
prayer by the novice that he may be able
to keep 1t during the ensuing day. AT 6:55
the bell rings for mass, which occupies half
an hour The next quarter of an hour is de-
voted TO a reconsideration of the medita-
ton. and then comes breakfast, which lasts
until $780, wheE the novices must settle TO
their desks for half hours reading of
Rodriguez on christian Perfection"
At an instruction In the rules is given
by the master Of novices, after which they
have to make their beds and arrange their
cells, and whea this is done to perform a
certain amount of manual labor-duSting.
sweeping, washing dishes, sometimes clean
ing and scrubbing and other mental offices.
AT 1915 they have to learn by heart for a
quarter OF an hour some portion or the
rules of the society or prayers, psalms or
hymns. After this they have some free
time, during which they may walk in the
grounds. pray in the chapel or read some
life OF the sairts or other spiritual work.
AT IL 80 they assemble for outdoor manual
work. which consists of chopping and saw
ing wood for fuel. sweeping up leaves,
wedding the flower beds some similar
labor. At 12.30 they return to the house,
and at 1910 the bell summons them to
chapel, where they spend fifteen minutes
in prayer and: in examining their con-
sciences as TO: how they have done the
various duties Of the morning. all of which
they are required 10 perform in silence.
The dinner bell rings at 1 O'Clock, and
ali repair to the refectory. After dinner
short visit Is: made TO the chapel and an
hour of recreation follows The occupa-
lions of the afternoon a repetition of
those of the earlier part OF the day, save
that on three days of the week a walk
OF about two hours has to be taken in
companies of Two and three No one is
allowed to choose his companions. but
the master of novices arranges the various
companies. AT a second meditation of
half an hour has to be made in the chapel.
after which the recital of some prayers
and some free time bring them on TO sup
per at 7:30 o'clock. After this they have an
hours recreation. during the first half of
which Latin has to be spoken. At Q
come night prayers in the chapel; then
fifteen minutes spent I'm the preparation
of their meditation for the following morn
ing. and after "a final examination of con-
science on their performance of the duties
of the day, ali lights are put out at 10
o'clock.
FORMS OF DISCIPLINE.
In Catholic countries the Jesuit novice
is sent out for about thirty days to beg
aims in the streets, and where possible he
must spend about the same length of time
in hospital. nursing the sick, dressing
their wounds, maling their beds. etc. A
month is spent IN the kitchen. during which
the novice has TO pare potatoes wash
dishes. grind coffee and perform any other
mental duties assigned by the cook whom
the novice has TO obey implicitly. as for
the time being his superior. He has also to
take recreation during this month with
the lay brothers and to conduct himself
as one Of them,
During one month in his first year every
retreat. 1t consists of thirty days occupied
exclusively in prayer, meditation and sim
iiar employmerts. Three recreation days
are allowed during the retreat. which are
spent in long walks. Except during these
three days there is no time of recreation.
and silence has to be kept strictly through
out.
Such is the life OF the Jesuit novice for
the first two years of his training Thu
balance of his preparation is perhaps
equally hard. but in different way and
not so interesting. The three years fol-
lowing these two of preliminary training
he spends IN Study. Then he goes TO one
of the colleges OF the society and for five
or six years be is employed in teaching.
Following this he goes to the theological
college of his province for three or four
years of theology. Then comes a final
year OF probation. when he returns n
the novitiate and for twelve months re-
peats the experimental tests and trials OF
the first two years of his noviceship. He
has 10 sweep and dust the rooms and cor
rfdors. chop wood. wash dishes and do
Other mental work, besides going over
again the spiritual work OF the novice
the long retreat OF thirty days included
II he comes through this successfully be
Is admitted 10 full membership I'm the So
ciety OF Jesus He IS generally we'll on in
the thirttes and has spent about seventeen
years In training for his work.
Every detail Of the routine OF the Jesuit
novftiare takes into account the object of
the society TO train its members I'm a spirit