Creating safe environments for the young and the vulnerable
E
very Jesuit priest, upon making final vows, makes a special promise to exercise special care “for the formation of children and unlettered persons.” St. Ignatius believed that in the context of more “exciting” and “rewarding” ministries such as preaching, secondary and university education, spiritual accompaniment, and direct concern for the young and the vulnerable (which the expression “unlettered persons” represented in the context of Ignatius’ day) could easily be forgotten by those not actively engaged in care for them. He even went so far as to require, in the Jesuit Constitutions, that superiors of university communities spend 40 days every year in pastoral ministries to the young and the vulnerable.
52 CANADIAN JESUITS
Ignatius’ concern for the young and the vulnerable has taken on a new urgency in the Church of today, in light of revelations of long-standing abuse of young people and vulnerable populations by members of the clergy and religious orders (including the Jesuits of Canada).
