On the last day of the Mid-Autumn Festival, which coincided with the commemoration of the birth of The Greatest Sage and Teacher(至圣先师) Confucius, Brother Howard Tu (杜嘉豪) professed his Final Vows on 28 September at the chapel of Fu Jen Faculty of Theology of St Robert Bellarmine in Taipei.

The Eucharistic Celebration was presided over by Chinese Provincial Fr Stephen Tong SJ, with Fr Alberto Nuñez Ortiz SJ, Rector of St Robert Bellarmine community, and more than 30 Jesuit priests from various regions concelebrating, while Deacon Nguyen Van Thu, Joseph, ordained just this past summer, served at the altar and proclaimed the Gospel.

The liturgy was simple yet solemn, filled with a warm family atmosphere and deep fraternal bonds. About 50 people attended the celebration, including Brother Tu’s parents and younger sister, theology scholastics, as well as regents studying Chinese in Taiwan.

At the beginning of the Mass, Fr Tong recalled serving as Brother Tu’s assistant novice master in Manila over 20 years ago. He said he never expected to receive Brother Tu’s Final Vows two decades later as provincial.

In his homily, Fr Tong recalled Fr General Arturo Sosa’s remarks to the conference major superiors earlier this year: the core identity of a Jesuit is that of a religious, while the priesthood is a mode of service. This, he said, reflects the universal Society’s emphasis over the past decade on the vocation of the Jesuit Brothers. Fr Tong noted that the presence of Jesuit Brothers reminds all Jesuits of what it means to be a religious.

Turning to the day’s readings (Job 1:6–22; Luke 9:46–50), Fr Tong reflected on the importance of humility. He noted how the Society was once the largest male religious order in Church history, possessing significant influence. Today, its membership has dropped sharply from 36,000 at its peak to over 17,000, while vocations have declined and many apostolic works have closed.

These signs of the times remind the Society that it is “least” and has nothing to boast about, said Fr Tong. He also pointed to recent documents of the Society that repeatedly emphasise that “we ourselves are collaborators, and we do not ‘have’ collaborators.”

To follow Christ, poor and humble, is to embrace poverty and humility. Therefore, Jesuits must learn to be “small” and “open,” learning to “listen” to others on the journey of synodality to discern the messages and values they convey. “For the one who is least among all of you is the one who is the greatest” (Luke 9:48b).

Fr Tong then invited the Jesuits to consider Job’s response to suffering and loss with a heart of humility as an expression of the Ignatian attitudes of the “Principle and Foundation” and “Indifference”. Job recognised that, “The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away.” Such freedom in the face of loss, Fr Tong said, can serve as a touchstone for Jesuits, especially when they face declining health, reduced energy, failure, or criticism. These experiences can reveal whether they consider themselves “small” or “important” and whether they possess the indifference and freedom to face diminishing circumstances.

Fr Tong concluded his homily by urging the congregation to free themselves from attachments in order to acquire inner indifference and work for the greater glory of God. He connected this with Zhuangzi’s philosophy of “breaking free from attachments big or small, so as to depend on nothing (无待) and reach the untroubled ease (逍遥).”

Toward the end of Communion, as Fr Tong elevated the Blessed Sacrament, Brother Tu knelt before the Eucharist to profess his Final Vows, completing a 26-year journey of Jesuit formation. Immediately afterwards, the young priests and scholastics of St Robert Bellarmine community also knelt before the Eucharist to renovate their vows, reaffirming their commitment to spend their lives in the Society.

After the Mass, Brother Tu first expressed his gratitude to his parents and family, noting that without their sacrifices, he would not be who he is today. He then thanked his Jesuit brothers for their forbearance over the past 20-plus years, humorously asking them to “continue to accept and tolerate” him. Finally, he gave thanks to God, attributing all glory to Him.

Photos by Jesuit Communications Chinese Province and Scholastics Jakub and Gio