Six decades after the return of the Jesuits to Vietnam, the province held its first assembly of Jesuit brothers in Thu Duc district, Saigon City. With 16 Jesuit brothers in attendance, the assembly from April 3 to 6 aimed at consolidating, studying and renewing the identity and mission of the vocation of the brothers.
Vietnam Provincial Fr Vincent Pham Van Mam SJ gave thanks to God for the many blessed and saints who are Jesuit brothers, and for the 18 Vietnamese brothers currently in the province. He said that their presence and commitment make the Society more vivid. Fr Mam spoke of how brothers can deepen their identity, how they can be innovative in their vocation and mission, and the importance of discernment in their apostolic work. He also spoke of the opportunities and challenges they face.
Fr FX Nguyen Hai Tinh SJ, formation delegate, then guided the brothers in deepening their knowledge of the identity of the Jesuit brother, using General Congregation 34 documents.
As St Ignatius made clear, a brother is not a “poor vocation” reserved for a superfluous mission.
“The vocation of the brother is a special grace from God to the Society … It portrays most purely the true nature of both the Jesuit vocation and mission,” said Fr Tinh. He said that brothers are present in the Society not for reasons of works nor services but for their own being, presence and charisma.
Understanding the Jesuit brother’s identity, according to Fr Tinh, necessitates understanding the Society’s identity. He enumerated the three characteristics of the Society: as a religious order, Jesuits dedicate themselves to God through their vows; as a priestly order, Jesuits do apostolic works relating to their priestly ministry, that is, caring for the soul; and as an apostolic order, distinct from the contemplative orders, Jesuits help souls by doing external works.
“There is only one vocation and mission shown in various ways, depending on personal graces and gifts,” reiterated Fr Tinh. “There is only one criterion in accepting a man to the Society either as a priest or a brother, that is, his readiness to be sent anywhere by the Pope.” Fr Tinh highlighted the distinction between vocation and ministry to avoid typecasting the brothers’ vocation with specific ministries. Brothers are open to a variety of ministries, he said. However, since ministries are particular methods to do mission, once chosen, they need to be carried out with full dedication and professionalism. In order to do this, brothers should receive sufficient training in personality development, community development, spirituality, theology, pastoral care, languages and in their area of specialisation. Self-formation, regular training and accompaniment are also needed. In addition, the brothers should make a commitment to international ministries.
The brothers also learnt about the psychology of religious life from Fr John Baptist Phuong Dinh Toai MI. Through Fr Toai’s input, the brothers deepened their understanding of their own psychology as well as the impact of psychological influences on their religious life. This will help them face the challenges that may come in their religious life as well as in their ministries.
Finally, the brothers underwent the process of discernment following the three steps Pope Francis outlined in his apostolic letter to all consecrated people in 2015. Fr Truong Van Phuc SJ led them through this process, which involves looking back on the past with gratitude, living in the present with passion, and hoping for a bright future.
After discerning and sharing, the brothers discussed possibilities for future communal apostolic ministries such as proclamation of the Good News, especially to ethnic people; pastoral activities for the poor, especially the sick; and training high school students in faith and care for humanity.
The assembly concluded with a thanksgiving Mass led by Fr Mam, after which the brothers left their first gathering with hearts full of gratitude to God, to the province and to each other.