My Final Vows in the Society of Jesus

Anthony D’Souza, SJ

The final incorporation into the Society of Jesus is a profound and defining moment in every Jesuit’s life. For me, it marked not just the completion of a journey, but the beginning of a new one, one filled with love, responsibility, and deep personal commitment. Until now, the Society has cared for me, guiding, forming, and nurturing me through the various stages of Jesuit life. But with the final vows, something essential shifts. I now embrace the Society not as a stepmother, but as my own mother, to be loved, cherished, and cared for in every way possible. This is no longer just a mission entrusted to me. Instead, it is my family, my home, my responsibility.

My final commitment is a loving responsibility that I joyfully promise to the Society. It is a vow to share in her joys and struggles, to care for her people, to guard her charism, and to serve her mission with fidelity and generosity.

This moment of grace was made all the more meaningful by its setting. In Rome, during the Ignatian Month, I pronounced my final vows in the presence of the Jesuit family at the Church of the Gesù, the mother church of our Society. The Superior General, Fr. Arturo Sosa, received my vows in a solemn celebration that will remain forever in my heart. In his homily, Fr. Sosa reminded the primacy of prayer in the life of a Jesuit. He urged us to be praying and prayerful priests, men deeply attuned to God’s voice, capable of discerning His will amid the complexities of people, time, and place.

His words resonated deeply within me. Prayer is what anchors us; it sustains our mission and faithfulness. It is through prayer that I find the strength to live this commitment, not as a duty, but as a daily act of gratitude, a daily act of love as my own. From this day on, I accept the call not just to belong to the Society but to care for her as my own.