Five Jesuits to Profess First Vows at Regis University

Five Jesuits of the USA Central and Southern Province, Paul Gillam, Jackson Graham, Corey Jackson, Tom Laughlin and Viêt Vu, will profess vows of poverty, chastity and obedience at Regis University in Denver on Saturday, August 9. (Photos provided)

In a joyful witness of faith and commitment, five Jesuits from the USA Central and Southern Province will profess vows of poverty, chastity and obedience at a Mass on Saturday, Aug. 9, at the University Chapel at Regis University in Denver.

Paul Gillam, Jackson Graham, Corey Jackson, Tom Laughlin and Viêt Vu have each completed two years of intensive novitiate formation, a period marked by prayer, academic study and service across Jesuit missions in the United States, the Caribbean and Central America. Their first profession of vows marks the official entrance into the Society of Jesus, also known as the Jesuits, a religious order founded by St. Ignatius of Loyola.

The Mass of First Vows will be celebrated at 11 a.m. in the University Chapel at Regis and will be livestreamed for public viewing at one.regis.edu/university-operations/its/livestream.

Four of the five men preparing to make vows are alumni of Jesuit high schools or universities — a sign of the lasting impact of Jesuit education and formation. During their novitiate years, they each discerned God’s call more deeply by embracing the rhythm of Jesuit life and mission, learning to surrender fully to Christ in service of the Church.

The vow formula each Jesuit will profess publicly includes a promise “to Almighty God, before the Virgin Mary and the entire heavenly court,” marking a lifetime of availability for the Church’s mission through the Society of Jesus.

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To learn more about vocations to the Jesuits or the USA Central and Southern Province, visit www.JesuitsCentralSouthern.org.