On Saturday 6 September, the parish church of St Mary’s, Harborne — just five minutes’ walk from the Jesuit novitiate — was filled with joy as four European novices professed their first vows in the Society of Jesus, after two years of formation at the Birmingham Novitiate.

The occasion brought together Jesuits, family, friends, and parishioners, alongside major Superiors and representatives from Slovakia, France, and the Low Countries. Fr Peter Gallagher SJ, Provincial of the British Province, presided at the Mass, which was enriched by a choir made up of parishioners and guests. The music included a Mass setting composed especially for the day by one of the novices, Clément Poret.

Fr Simon Bishop SJ, former novice master and now a member of the Birmingham Jesuit community, preached a moving homily. The highlight of the liturgy came when each novice professed his vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience in his own language, according to Jesuit tradition, kneeling before the raised Eucharist after the words “Behold the Lamb of God”. For those present, it was a profoundly moving moment of dedication and faith.

The vows were made by Clément Poret (France), Tim van de Veen (Netherlands), and Slovak novices Samuel Gerčák and Ján Mahút. With the profession of vows, they formally enter the next stage of Jesuit formation. Clément and Tim will now move to Paris to begin philosophy studies, while Samuel continues to Krakow to study at the Ignatianum University. Ján, who entered the novitiate as a diocesan priest, will return to Slovakia, where he joins the Jesuit community in Trnava, serving at the Church of the Most Holy Trinity and the University Pastoral Centre of St Stanislaus Kostka, alongside further formation.

Reflecting on his time in the Novitiate, Tim van de Veen said: “In the first year, it was more about getting to know the Society of Jesus, and getting to know myself a little bit more, but in the second year it was really like ‘okay, I know roughly what it means to be a Jesuit. But now the question is, what does it mean for me to be a Jesuit”. He added: “One of things that really attracted me to the vocation is there is no clear format of how you should be Jesuit, it’s really up to you how to embody your Jesuit vocation.”

The celebration continued after Mass with a joyful reception, organised by Fr David Krol SJ, the new minister of the Birmingham community. It provided an opportunity not only to share in the happiness of the day, but also to thank those who had accompanied and supported the novices throughout their two years of formation.

You can watch the First Vows ceremony in full here. If you are interested in becoming a Jesuit please visit jesuitvocations.uk

The Society of Jesus invites prayers for these four men as they continue their journey of vocation — and for new vocations to follow in their footsteps.

You can download / view the homily from Fr Simon Bishop SJ by clicking on the file link below.