'A brother's work can be anything that helps others'
Bro. John Moriconi, SJ, Special to The Michigan Catholic
Published January 5, 2007
Vocations Supplement
Can you say Mass?" "When will you be ordained?" "Can you get married?" These are questions that I often get when I tell people that I am a brother in the Society of Jesus, a religious order also known as the Jesuits.
Many people have not encountered a religious brother and do not know who we are or what we do. Some common misconceptions are that brothers are studying to be priests, brothers and deacons are the same thing, and the term "brother" refers to anyone in a religious community.
What is a brother? Let me begin by explaining about religious orders. A religious order is a group of people who live, pray and work together to build the Kingdom of God. Each member of a religious order professes vows of poverty, chastity and obedience. These vows help the members to be available and accessible to everyone they work with – especially the poor and needy.
Each religious order has a unique spirituality or way of engaging and encountering God and others.
A brother is a lay (that is, non-ordained) member of a religious order who uses his gifts and talents to model Jesus Christ to others.
A brother's work can be anything that helps others. A fellow Jesuit brother runs a warming center for homeless and addicted people in Detroit. Another is an astronomer working at the Vatican Observatory. I know brothers who teach and others who make sure that the school building runs properly. Whatever a man's talent, it can be used to help others and to help build God's Kingdom on Earth.
When did my vocation begin? It began when my family taught me through their words and actions about loving Jesus and God. I started thinking about becoming a religious brother during high school. At the University of Detroit Jesuit High School, I encountered spirit-filled Jesuits who encouraged my classmates and me to search for God in ourselves and in others. Those Jesuits helped me to realize that loving God is not enough: one has to help those in need.
The Jesuits who taught me in high school allowed their love of Jesus and their love for God's people to motivate every aspect of their lives. Everything these Jesuits did was "for the greater glory of God." This giving of self for God's kingdom encouraged me to imagine myself doing the same thing.
During my college years at the University of Detroit, I continued thinking about becoming a religious brother. After much prayer, discernment and talking with friends and family, I decided to enter the Society of Jesus after college. When I entered the novitiate, the two-year introductory and testing period of religious life, I gave up the little I owned and began trusting more fully in God (and the Jesuits) to care for my needs. During the novitiate, I was able to encounter the poor and needy through various training experiences: I worked as an orderly in a hospital, tutored students for their G.E.D. on a Native American reservation, worked in a soup kitchen, and gave retreats to high school students. As I was helping others, I also studied the laws, history and spirituality of the Jesuits, and learned about St. Ignatius Loyola, the founder of the Jesuits. All of these experiences confirmed my desire to serve others as a Jesuit for God's greater glory.
After obtaining a master's degree in theology, I spent seven years teaching in a high school. While I was teaching about the Bible, I was able to help my students think about their relationship with God and others. I helped them to understand that God loves them unconditionally and wants the best for them.
At times I had to help the students understand that what they thought was "best" was not: fortune, fame, and glory are nothing compared to loving God and helping others.
Currently I work in administration for the Jesuits, where I am able to use my gifts to better facilitate the work and lives of fellow Jesuits.
A final note: When I meet people who know what a religious brother is, I often find that they are quite comfortable and open with me because I am a brother. In a way, it is almost as if they consider me a blood brother, and not just a religious brother.
Bro. John Moriconi, SJ, works in the Detroit province of the Society of Jesus. For more information about the Detroit Jesuits call (313) 861-7500.
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