It takes a village to raise a priest’

BELIZE

After nearly 23 years of being a Jesuit, and more than 11 years as a priest, Fr Jeremy Zipple SJ pronounced his final vows as a Jesuit at a school-wide Mass in the Landivar Gymnasium on the campus of St John’s College, January 17.

Fr Zipple was joined by his Jesuit brothers, both from Belize and the United States, his mother, sister and her family, other clergy from the Diocese, and “countless friends and loved ones” from around Belize, according to a Christian Herald report.

As Fr Thomas Greene SJ, the Provincial of the Central-Southern Province of the Jesuits, remarked at the Mass: “It takes a village to raise a priest!” Fr Zipple reflected, “Final vows was really just an experience of being grateful to Jesus for His faithfulness on this journey, and gratitude, too, for all the friends, brother Jesuits, parishioners, students, and family who have walked with me on this journey.”

In the Society of Jesus, final vows represent a man’s final incorporation into the Jesuits. Unlike many other religious Orders whose first vows are temporary, a Jesuit’s first vows are perpetual, meaning that they bind them forever, much like marriage vows. After first vows, the Jesuit spends around 11 or 12 years of formation, which consists of study and work.

Fr Zipple began his novitiate training in Grand Coteau, Louisiana, US in 2002, and after first vows in 2004, he went to study philosophy at Fordham University in New York. After that, Fr Zipple, who had an extensive background in video production, spent several years producing documentaries at National Geographic, and then one year teaching at Loyola University in New Orleans.

Throughout that whole time, Fr Zipple was learning what it means to be a Jesuit. “Like any life journey, my journey as a Jesuit has had its highs and lows, its graces and challenges,” he said, “but the Lord has stayed faithful the whole way.”

Fr Zipple completed his theology studies at Boston College in 2013, was ordained as a priest, and spent the next five years working at America Media, based in New York. In 2018, he was assigned to Belize, where he became the Associate Pastor at St Martin de Porres Parish.

“During that time, Fr Zipple learned how to be a priest, and how to walk with the People of God. This not only included becoming proficient in sacramental ministry, but also in preaching, teaching, and giving retreats,” the news source said.

It stated that for Fr Zipple, this was a time of “truly falling in love” with Belize and with her people. He undertook his final stage in the formal training as a Jesuit, when he went to Mexico for a year of “tertianship.” Tertianship refers to a ‘third’ (tertiary) year of novitiate. During this time, a Jesuit makes the Spiritual Exercises 30-day, silent retreat again, “but this time with years of his education and pastoral work as a Jesuit under his belt.”