By Rachel Amiri
Not far from the campus of Saint Louis University (SLU) sits a row of century-old houses brought together by a singular mission. The Bellarmine House of Studies is one of two houses of first studies in the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States where Jesuit scholastics and brothers dedicate three years to study and continued growth in Jesuit identity after pronouncing perpetual vows.
“They’re engaging culture; they’re engaging history; they’re engaging the life of the mind for the service of faith and the promotion of justice, to serve the people of God,” said Fr. Tim Kesicki, SJ, who has served as rector since 2024.
During first studies, Jesuits work to integrate rigorous academic training with prayer, community life and apostolic service. As they prepare for future ministry, they learn to hold the balance, Fr. Kesicki said.
“We’re here for intellectual formation and for ministry, but we’re also here to learn how to manage our time with all of these competing interests and opportunities,” said Tom Laughlin, SJ, a first-year scholastic from the USA Central and Southern Province.
“Making mistakes, asking for help and praying about all of it becomes a balancing act,” said Rajae Clarke, SJ, a scholastic from the Jesuits USA East Province. “The minister here, Fr. Glen Chun, SJ, told me: ‘This is where you learn how you’re going to be a Jesuit.’”
Daily Order
On a typical day, 22 Jesuits in formation from the provinces of the United States, Canada and the Caribbean fill the floors of the Bellarmine House with activity. Along with their formators and Jesuits in residence or pursuing language studies from around the world, the community numbers 29; the average age of the lively community is 35.
“There’s a certain ‘pray together, work together’ mentality to the house,” Fr. Kesicki said.
The Jesuit scholastics put it more succinctly.
“We have a lot of fun,” said Mike Mateo-Sebastian, SJ, a scholastic from the Jesuits USA West Province. Game and movie nights, Jesuit-prepared dinners showcasing diverse cuisines, outings and athletics, like the annual basketball game against the Dominicans, round out community life. There’s always a brother Jesuit willing to offer encouragement, too.
“I love this house. I love my community. It’s been the biggest blessing,” Clarke said. “We’re failing together; we’re succeeding together; we’re forming our Jesuit identity together.”
The daily routine is rooted in prayer: daily Mass, typically attended in community, as well as an hour or more of personal prayer. Community Mass flows directly into social and dinner, connecting the liturgy with the spiritual conversation and fellowship that follow.
Laughlin, who resides in the chapel house at Bellarmine, often starts his day in the chapel. “Even though there’s this long list of things to do, silence for an hour and entering into conversational prayer with Jesus is foundational,” he said.
Academic Formation for Ministry
As a house of first studies, Bellarmine welcomes Jesuits from diverse academic backgrounds. Most will earn a Master of Philosophy and Theology for Ministry from the College of Philosophy and Letters during their three years at SLU.
“SLU has a long tradition of teaching Jesuits. The strength of the university keeps us here,” said Fr. Kesicki. “We want Jesuits to be as engaged in a broad, humanistic course of study as we do in the more specific study of philosophy and theology.”
This foundation prepares Jesuits for future study, as well as to serve in full-time apostolic ministry during regency.
“None of us is here because we only want to study. We’re here because we want to have a closer relationship with God, and in turn that makes us want to want to serve the people and engage in community life. This is, for me, the work of first studies,” Clarke said.
A seminar on Jesuit history taught by Fr. Thomas Flowers, SJ, professor of Ignatian formation, helps men in formation understand the Jesuit mission and way of being more deeply so that it can be part of every aspect of their lives.
“We’re always encouraged in our studies to make connections to our Jesuit identity, to the mission of the Church,” Mateo-Sebastian said.
In the Service of the Apostolate
“While the primary focus of first studies is on academic and intellectual formation, studies are in the service of the apostolate,” Fr. Kesicki said. “Because of this, each Jesuit engages in service to the poor and those on the peripheries.”
As the assistant rector of Bellarmine House, Fr. Flowers assists in selecting sites for apostolic ministry and regularly meets with Jesuits about their experiences.
“For me, it is natural that I also accompany the men in their ministerial work, because it is a place where they receive practical formation in how to live out this Jesuit charism amid the complications and beauty of service among the poor and marginalized,” Fr. Flowers said.
Mateo-Sebastian serves in the Abriendo Puertas program of St. Francis Community Services, a ministry of Catholic Charities serving new arrivals in the St. Louis area. A Guatemalan American immigrant himself, Mateo-Sebastian supports case managers and assists with translation and job interview training.
“[Apostolic work] has helped ground me,” he said.
Clarke assists with the ID program at St. Francis Xavier College Church, a longstanding outreach effort to assist residents with obtaining legal identification documents.
“My job there is to provide the service and be attentive to what’s going on in me as I provide that service,” he said. “It’s difficult. You speak to ten people for 15 minutes on a Tuesday, and that experience travels with you throughout the whole week. You’re in class thinking about it. You’re reading things, you’re thinking about it. You’re in prayer. All these things are connecting,” said Clarke.
A Privileged Time
An integration seminar taught by Dr. Randy Rosenberg, dean of the College of Philosophy and Letters, helps Jesuits make connections between thinking, feeling, judgment and action.
“What my class asks students to do is learn how to think reflectively about real human experience – especially experiences of service, leadership and ministry – rather than just talking about ideas in the abstract,” he said.
The three years of first studies are a time of growth in Jesuit identity and important preparation to serve as available and reflective ministers in the Church.
“I view these three years as a privileged time for continuing the internal work to get greater self-knowledge, greater interior freedom, so that when I can go back to full-time ministry, I’m even more free to be of generous service to others,” Laughlin said.
“We are growing in a holistic understanding of the many ways that one could be a Jesuit,” Mateo-Sebastian said. “Always rooted in Christ, loving God, always serving the Church, but we all bring our own personalities to the table. Seeing how to do that has been a grace.”
Coffee and Conversation
“Java with the Jesuits” is a weekly drop-in event featuring coffee, treats and spiritual conversation at the clocktower, a prominent landmark on Saint Louis University’s campus. It serves as an opportunity for Jesuit scholastics studying at SLU to connect with other students outside the classroom.
“There’s a good community of familiar faces, as well as new students each week,” said Tom Laughlin, SJ, a scholastic of the Jesuits USA Central and Southern Province. “There’s a lot of spiritual conversations. You never really know what the questions will be. It’s enlivening.”
The scholastics’ presence on campus has a “larger than life impact,” said Dr. Randy Rosenberg, dean of the College of Philosophy and Letters. “So many other SLU students point to Java as an experience that is meaningful for them. They’re really an important presence.”
To learn more about a vocation in the Society of Jesus, visit www. beajesuit.org.
Featured Image: Father David Kiblinger, SJ, a doctoral student at Saint Louis University, preaches at the community Mass at the Bellarmine House of Studies. Jesuits in formation attend Mass daily and are encouraged to do so in community.
