Check this page monthly for stories about interesting people throughout the Maryland Province. If you want to suggest someone to be featured here, contact Kate Pipkin at kpipkin@mdsj.org.

Mr. Ian Mitchell, SJ, a Jesuit of the Maryland Province, is a student in First Studies living at Gonzaga House Jesuit Community in Chicago, Ill. He entered the Society on August 24, 2002. Recently he took time from his studies to answer a few questions and share some of his thoughts with us.

Where are you from?

That's a tough question. I'm British by birth and nationality, but one grandmother was from Ireland. My immediate family moved to the United States when I was very young, and I grew up in Atlanta, Georgia. Between leaving high school and entering the Jesuits at the age of 32, much of my life has been spent in the Washington-Baltimore region.

What were you doing before you entered the Society?

For much of my 20’s, I worked in Washington, D.C., at the National Geographic Magazine. People always ask me if I was the one sent out to track migrating whales or chop through jungles to find long lost cultures, but in actual fact, I spent a lot more time tracking down photos and chopping through jungles of paperwork! It is a great organization that does important work, and I have many friends there. I left National Geographic in 1999 to more fully explore vocation discernment. This took me to India for the best part of a year, where I was a volunteer with a Jesuit-founded rural development program, and I visited a number of other Jesuit and Catholics ministries. The Jesuits were very good to me in India - so good that when I returned to the United States, I sought them out for work again. For the last two years before entering the Society, I worked at St. Ignatius Church and the Francis Xavier House of Prayer in Baltimore.

What drew you to the Society of Jesus?

Now that's a big question! Well, let's see... I can honestly say that I never thought of being a priest when I was growing up! My parents were a mixed marriage, Anglican and Catholic, and our home wasn't an overly religious place. I turned to faith and the Catholic Church in an intentional way while I was in college at the University of Virginia. Friends I met there pointed me to Holy Trinity Parish in Georgetown when I moved to Washington, D.C., after graduation. Holy Trinity was a wonderful community in which to grow in my personal faith and gain a deeper sense of what that faith meant in our world - all in connection with the Jesuits. In 1995, at the age of 25, I finally asked to be confirmed. I suppose that was when I started asking myself, "Where does this journey stop?" I began to wonder about an even deeper commitment to living out my faith. This led to service in the parish as a catechist, exploration of overseas volunteer opportunities, and eventually hesitant conversations with Jesuits about religious life. This was just the beginning, and the journey to finally entering the Jesuits would take too much space to explain here. But as I grew in my Catholic faith, I became increasingly aware of the Jesuits as a group radically committed to Christ and to service of all of God's people. In the end, I suppose it was this combination of deep spirituality and apostolic zeal that attracted me.

What kind of work do you expect to pursue after ordination? What do you see as your gifts at the present moment?

Any of my Jesuit brothers who know me well could tell you, this is one of the more difficult questions for me to answer - not for lack of ideas, but because of many possibilities, and needs crowd in. The international/intercultural mission of the Society attracts me, not only for the good works we become involved in, but because this continues a strong tradition of reconciling, learning from, and humbly sharing the Gospel with different peoples across the world, which in my opinion, has never been more urgently needed than now. I also have a strong desire to work
with and learn from the poor. This could entail social work with poor people in urban settings, work in international development, or response to emergencies such as the growing tide of migrant peoples - all with which Jesuits are deeply involved. I'm grateful that I have already been able to begin training as a spiritual director, and believe that in this ministry we have a great gift to help people notice God's presence in their lives. When, God willing, I am ordained, I know I will have special opportunities to serve people as a priest. But I also like to think that I'm not just waiting for ordination, partly because I'm 35 now, and mainly because the formation of Jesuit brothers and priests entails a lot of apostolic work, even while we study. Ultimately, I hope to stay available for mission, realizing that, as Jesuits, we walk a fine line between searching for God's grace in our personal apostolic desires and being responsive to the needs of the Society, the Church and the world.

When will you be ordained?

There's no date on the calendar yet. I expect about 10 years of formation for ordination, which would mean I could be ordained in 2012. The exact length of formation can vary from Jesuit to Jesuit, and this is more often the case with men who enter in their late 20’s and 30’s with varying degrees of prior applicable experience. But there's no getting around it -- we have a long and thorough formation.

What is your philosophy on life?

I'm still working on that one! I think that's why I have been sent to study philosophy. But in the meantime, I find there is one phrase, which occurred to me during the 30-day silent retreat that often comes back to mind. "Stay simple, humble, grateful and close to Jesus!"

What Jesuits have most influenced your life so far? Why?

There's obviously a long list of Jesuits I've read about or studied who I would say have influenced me. But of the Jesuits I've met, one particular group stands out - the Maryland men of the Jamshedpur Province in India. Joe Lacey, SJ, was an associate pastor at Holy Trinity when I went there in 1992, and Dick McHugh, SJ, joined him there not long after that. I have since met and been inspired by a number of others, including Frank McGauley, SJ, with whom I worked in Baltimore before joining the Society.

These "Jamshedpur men" have inspired me in many ways, particularly in their openness to learning from and being changed by their contact with the people of India. If it is possible to reconcile the religious zeal of a missionary with the vulnerability required for any true dialogue, it is partly through the example of men like these. Their hard work, generosity, courage, compassion, creativity, humor, honesty in their weaknesses, and deep faith are a great example. These examples have contributed to the success of the thriving Jamshedpur Province, as well as a number of other missions in and outside of the Maryland Province. I pray that God will continue to grant us these graces and show us where they are most needed. I also believe that the people of the Maryland and Jamshedpur provinces have much more to share and to learn from one another in the years ahead.

What advice would you give anyone contemplating joining the priesthood or the Society of Jesus?

Pray, and find a good spiritual director! Prayer, and it can take many forms, is fundamental to growing intimacy with God, which is the only thing that can make such a vocation possible or sustainable. A good spiritual director won't tell you what to do, but can help you review your life and prayer in an honest and balanced way, and help you to notice where God's grace is at work, and where the spirit of darkness often tries to get in the way.