No day is ever ordinary
R.J. Fichtinger, S.J. novice, Society of Jesus

I decided to become a Jesuit after going to several retreats and meeting the Jesuits, particularly at the "Come and See" Weekend at the novitiate. Perhaps more interesting is how I met my first Jesuit.
After feeling like it was time to actively pursue whether or not I was being called to the priesthood, I hit the first place I could think of for information--Google. A few Web pages later and I was at the Society of Jesus Web page and dropped an e-mail to the vocations director. Both he, and later the vocations director for the Archdiocese, recommended a retreat in Buffalo, MN, at the Christ the King
Center. That retreat was a great opportunity to see many Religious and priests and explore the many different charisms they represented. After meeting with Fr. Sazama, the vocation director for the Society of Jesus' Wisconsin province I felt that I may have a calling with the Jesuits and began the process of other retreats where I felt more and more confirmed in that vocation.

After being accepted to the Society of Jesus, I entered the novitiate in St. Paul.  I was then on a five- month experiment working with the American Indian people of the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation as a counselor at Red Cloud Middle School and in the various parishes staffed by the Jesuits as an assistant youth minister.

What I like most about being a Jesuit is the way the Society will challenge me and call me to grow in ways that I could have never imagined for myself. I loved counseling before entering the Jesuits, and they have managed to find ways to help me grow in my vocation while using the skills I gained in college. In short, no day is ever ordinary.