~ by Sean Towey, nSJ

St. Robert Bellarmine must be doing a lot of vocation work for the heavenly court; three of the four Oregon Province novices graduated from Bellarmine Preparatory School in Tacoma, with the fourth novice hailing from El Salvador.

Perry Petrich, nSJ graduated with the Class of 2003, Bryce Deline, nSJ with the Class of 2004, and Sean Towey , nSJ with the Class of 2006. For one glorious year, while Perry was a Senior and Sean a Freshman, all three men attended the school together.

Though some Jesuits from the lesser cities in the Province, such as Spokane, claim the high vocation rate from Bellarmine is due to the inability of these young men to do anything else with their lives, the novices cite other reasons.

The excellent retreat program at Bellarmine, including the junior Encounter and senior Pilgrimage and Magis retreats, planted the seed of spirituality that grew into Jesuit vocations. It opened them to an understanding of how the Holy Spirit operated in each of their lives.

The sustaining presence of Fr. Gerry Chapdelaine, SJ and Fr. Fred Mayovsky, SJ provided examples of very real men leading the vowed life faithfully. Also, Fr. John Fuchs, SJ played an important part in the vocation stories of Sean and Bryce; Fuchs baptized, gave first Holy Communion to, and confirmed Sean. He led Bryce in spiritual direction before entering.

Most importantly, the faculty and staff at Bellarmine Prep remain steadfast in their commitment to supporting the Province in garnering vocations. Several teachers broached the idea of Jesuit priesthood to the current novices during their high school careers and continue to support them in their decisions. Jim Fish and Jack Peterson, in particular, have supported both students and alumni in discerning their vocations.

Perhaps most influential was the City of Tacoma itself. More commonly known by its moniker The City of Destiny, Tacoma raises its sons to reach for their greatest desires, fostering a general attitude of greatness.

Keep praying for us, St. Robert Bellarmine.

Sean Towey, nSJ is currently a second year novice in the Society of Jesus and enjoying the novitiate experience of being sent out into the world on unique mission experiments.