Michael Rossmann of Iowa City pronounced perpetual vows last month in the Society of Jesus (Jesuits) at the Church of St. Thomas More in St. Paul, Minn. He is now a member of the Wisconsin Province of the Society of Jesus.
The vows of poverty, chastity and obedience followed two years of study at the novitiate. He is furthering studies in philosophy and theology at Loyola University in Chicago as he prepares for ordination to the priesthood about eight years from now.
Rossmann is a graduate of Regina High School, Iowa City, and the University of Notre Dame, where he was the valedictorian of the Class of 2007. While at Notre Dame he was active in its Center for Social Concerns and was president of the Peace Fellowship and of the Faith and Justice Network. He is also interested in Christian mission science, resource and agricultural economics and development studies. He has studied and taught in Uganda, Tanzania and Poland. He has traveled throughout East Africa and Europe.
The Society of Jesusis a religious order of the Roman Catholic Church founded by Saint Ignatius of Loyola in 1540. Today, Jesuits number almost 20,000 worldwide (2,900 U.S.) and comprise the largest religious order in the Catholic Church.
