Taking the ‘next best step’ Davenport native professes first vows with the Jesuits

By Lindsay Steele
The Catholic Messenger

Jonathan Herrington first expressed interest in becoming a priest at the age of three, according to his parents. That desire waxed and waned as he considered life’s myriad possibilities, but his trust in God remained steadfast with support from family, laypersons and clergy at his home parish, St. Paul the Apostle in Davenport. “In the process of my own maturation, they encouraged me to freely follow the Lord,” he said.

Herrington, 24, recently completed two years as a novice and professed first vows with the Society of Jesuits at Nativity of Our Lord Catholic Church in St. Paul, Minnesota. After about 10 years of formation — God willing — he will be ordained a priest.

The Society of Jesus (Jesuits) is a Roman Catholic order of priests and brothers founded by soldier-turned-mystic Ignatius Loyola about 500 years ago. Jesuits aim to “find God in all things” and dedicate themselves to the “greater glory of God,” according to the order’s website. With 16,000-plus priests, brothers, scholastics and novices worldwide, it is the largest male religious order in the Catholic Church.

Herrington’s home parish fostered his faith early on by inviting him to participate in the liturgy, Bible studies, men’s groups and parish commissions. A group of women prayed for him at daily Mass. The parish community invited and encouraged him to know the Lord in a more profound way, and offered real-world examples of what that could look like, he said. He graduated from St. Paul the Apostle Catholic School and Assumption High School, both in Davenport.

He became familiar with the Society of Jesus while studying theology, philosophy and classics at Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska — a Jesuit-run institution. “Regular contact with these men really moved me. They had this real friendship with Jesus and one another, and from that deep friendship came their life of ministry.”

Herrington felt pulled in multiple directions as he tried to discern his future. He wondered if he should pursue family life or priesthood. The idea of having a well-paying job appealed to him, but he also felt drawn to the Jesuits, whose members take a vow of poverty.

To avoid becoming paralyzed by fear of making the wrong decision, he followed the advice of a mentor who encouraged him to stay in the moment and focus on taking “the next best step.” This meant “paying attention to what the Lord is inviting me to now, and how I am going to respond to that now.” Small steps throughout his life — like choosing whether to attend college or seminary, or which classes to take in a particular semester — led him toward life as a Jesuit, he believes.

Herrington entered the Midwest Jesuits’ two-year novitiate program in St. Paul the fall after graduation. Studies, cultural immersion experiences and teaching opportunities enriched his mind. Experiences, such as a 30-day silent retreat and living without a cell phone during the novitiate period, took him out of his comfort zone.

He admits feeling overwhelmed in the leadup to a “poverty pilgrimage,” in which novices are given a one way bus ticket, $30, and one month “to rely on God’s providential care and the generosity of others.” He found solace in the fact that a long line of men before him had gone through the pilgrimage. He felt peace the night before the pilgrimage began, knowing that Jesus would be with him through it all.

Herrington is continuing his formation in New York as a scholastic (a Jesuit studying for the priesthood). He will spend the next 10 years studying and working in various ministries. Jesuits endeavor to build up the body of Christ through work in education, research and cultural pursuits; at present, Herrington feels drawn to teaching, but he is open to God’s direction. Wherever life as a Jesuit leads, he is grateful to God for “inviting me into a deeper relationship with him, where I have found the greatest satisfaction, more than I could have done for myself.”