“Our charism is multifaceted and can be lived in many different ways and ministries”
-Frater Jacob Smith, SCJ
Hello! I am Frater Jacob A. E. Smith, SCJ. Originally from Houston, I’m 25, in my third year of temporary vows, and my seventh year with the community. In 2023 I graduated from Marquette University with a BA in Philosophy and a double minor in Theology and History. I really enjoyed my time there, and Philosophy continues to be a passion, in particular the writings of Martin Heidegger and Saint Anselm. I am now studying theology at Sacred Heart Seminary and School of Theology.
My ministry experiences have included assisting with the ECS Program at SHSST, working at Sacred Heart Southern Missions in Mississippi in the midst of COVID, training altar servers at Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish in Houston, and last summer, serving our retired SCJs at Sacred Heart at Monastery Lake. I also was blessed with the opportunity to attend World Youth Day in Portugal and was able to assist with our communications from it.
I discovered the Dehonians through Vision Magazine’s Vocation Match Quiz when I began discerning the priesthood. The Dehonians were one of about 20 communities that were recommended to me, but they were the first to reach out! I think that initial enthusiasm and excitement was a big reason that I was eager to discern with the community. I decided to be a Dehonian as opposed to other congregations because the Dehonians offer a wide variety of ways to serve.
Since becoming a candidate, it has been the witness of so many priests and brothers in our congregation that has kept me here. The impact of wonderful men like Fr. Bob Tucker, Fr. Ed Killianski, Fr. Ed Griesemer, and Fr. John Czyzynski show me what religious life is. I want to create joy and peace as they have through my own acts of love and reparation. Our charism is multifaceted and can be lived in many different ways and ministries, but these men and many others demonstrate just what an impact it can have both on the individual and the people we serve. All of these Dehonians helped form the Dehonian I am now and am becoming.
