By: Elizabeth Vander Neut ’26, student correspondent
Two men of faith at different stages in their Jesuit formation journeys recall distinct experiences from their undergraduate years at The University of Scranton that influence who they are today.
Rev. Mr. Douglas Jones, S.J. ’10 credits Scranton with his “vocational awakening.” Mr. Andrew Milewski, S.J. ’13 describes his role as a resident assistant as “formative.”
Still, both highly value one aspect: a strong sense of community on campus.
“It’s the people. My favorite part of being at Scranton has always been the community,” said Milewski, who, during the regency stage of formation, is teaching at St. Joseph's Preparatory School in Philadelphia. “I met so many friends there, some of whom I am reconnecting with in Philly. Scranton is a place where you are always going to see someone you know and connect with, but that you can also always meet someone new.
“I loved the Cura Personalis community I was a part of for a number of years, the retreats and service opportunities I was able to do like Search and First. The people I met through The Aquinas and Esprit. Even though when I go back now and it feels different, I can still connect with old professors and have sushi with them downtown.”
Jones, who was recently one of eight Jesuits ordained to the diaconate by Bishop Robert P. Reed, Auxiliary Bishop of Boston at the Church of St. Ignatius of Loyola, Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, said his favorite things about Scranton and the Jesuits are interchangeable.
“My favorite thing about Scranton was the strong sense of community on campus,” he said. “Performance Music ensembles and SJLA were two great communities within the broader University community. They helped me see how I could thrive when I had strong support, and sometimes saw more in me than I saw in myself! Interestingly, I find much the same thing in Jesuit life. I love that life as a Jesuit is lived in community.”
The University of Scranton alumni discuss how their experiences with community, mentorship and Ignatian spirituality influenced their vocational and Jesuit journeys. Responses have been edited for length and clarity.
On Jesuit Identity:
Jones: “It took a while for me to realize my call to be a Jesuit and a priest, or at least it took a while for me to admit it to myself.
“The first time I recall thinking about life as a Jesuit was fairly early on in my time at Scranton, I think. I saw Fr. Cadigan coming out of the science building (RIP, old Loyola) wearing a clerical shirt and a lab coat, and I thought to myself ‘How great it is that a Jesuit can be a priest and engage in a totally different kind of profession at the same time?’
“I took a Special Jesuit Liberal Arts (SJLA) class called ‘Magis’ with Fr. Ron McKinney in which we learned more about Ignatian spirituality and the history of the Jesuits. I started to feel some attraction at that point, but I was a bit stubborn and wanted to follow the path I thought I wanted my life to take. It was only a few years later that I started to seriously discern a vocation as a Jesuit, and it quickly became clear that it was where God was calling me.”
Milewski: “Being a resident assistant was really formative during my time as an undergrad at Scranton. Before that, I was a commuter, so being on campus allowed me to get more involved in campus activities. I was involved with the Cura Personalis living-learning community at that time, as well. And with my residents, I would have weekly prayer services, justice education programs and service projects. We had a ton of fun in McCourt and were really a close community. It was great to be a part of that, and I knew that I wanted to give my life to something like that.
“But before I was ever a resident assistant or a work study, I worked in the cafeteria in the DeNaples center. I did this for my first year, and it really transformed my college experience. Although I did it because I needed money, it also allowed me to see a lot of my classmates, and I was in a position serving them. I think, at our best, Jesuits are about service, and I learned this from my time with the Fresh Food Company, too.”
Rev. Mr. Douglas Jones, S.J. ’10, shown at center, as an undergraduate at Scranton.
On Mentorship:
Jones: “Scranton played a really important role in my vocational awakening. As I mentioned, SJLA got me asking big questions while helping me come to a clearer understanding of what I think and believe, and it taught me more about the Jesuits and Ignatian spirituality.
“Most of my non-academic time was spent in Performance Music. In Cheryl Boga I found a mentor, friend and a passionate supporter of the Jesuit mission on campus. Boga knows and loves Jesuits, not in a romanticized or ideal way, but in a real way. And that includes holding Jesuits, and our University, to a high standard, especially when it comes to care for students, which she knows is indispensable to the Jesuit mission.
“Of course, I would be remiss not to mention the influence of Fr. Pilarz. I didn’t know him well, but I couldn’t help but admire the beautiful way he articulated Jesuit and Ignatian values. They weren’t some distant ideals, but things I saw being lived out at the University.”
Milewski: “It is hard to name some faculty without leaving others out. My first-year philosophy teacher was Dr. Ileana Szymanski, Ph.D., who passed away in 2019. I was able to leave the novitiate for a day and travel for her memorial Mass, and that was very special. I would like to think she would have appreciated my graduate thesis paper on Aristotle, but she probably would have preferred if I did it on Plato.
“My time as a work-study in the English department connected me to the life of the University. It instilled in me the courage to be an English Lit minor, and in my literature classes, I read many novels and works that expanded my mind. Working with Dr. Joe Kraus in creative nonfiction and John Hill, professor emeritus in poetry, I was able to really craft my language and introspection skills. Dr. Linda Ledford-Miller's Literature of American Minorities class also opened my eyes and made me think about justice issues from the perspective of those on the margins.
“I also worked with Dr. Jessica Nolan and Dr. Jill Warker in psychology labs looking at issues of intrinsic racism and language acquisition. This has no doubt spurred my interest in the cross-cultural social justice work that I have done.”
Rev. Mr. Douglas Jones, S.J. ’10, above, left, with participants in an Arab Christian youth gathering in 2019.
On Inspiration and Ministry:
Jones: “In the eight years I’ve been a Jesuit, I’ve done some things I might have imagined myself doing, but many I would not have imagined. I have a Ph.D., so if you told me in 2016 that I would teach college students as a Jesuit, that wouldn't have been a shock. But if you told me I’d be accompanying student retreats, which I do at Boston College, I would have been surprised. I would have been even more surprised at the idea of preaching a weekend retreat at a Jesuit retreat house, which I got to do this past March in Oshkosh, Wisconsin.
“My Ph.D. is in Middle Eastern politics, so it probably would not have surprised me if you’d told me I’d spend time in that part of the world as a Jesuit. But I would not have seen myself working with Syrian refugees on the far eastern border of Lebanon, or with Filipino and Sri Lankan migrant workers in Beirut, and I definitely would not have seen myself spending a summer at a Jesuit cultural center in Alexandria, Egypt. I also would never have dreamed of teaching sixth graders about prayer, teaching high school seniors about medieval Islamic philosophers, or serving as a hospital chaplain.
“I’m glad I’ve allowed God, and the Society, to show me where and how I can best serve, rather than relying only on my own plans. God’s imagination is way better than my own!”
Milewski: “I think the most important thing is being able to name where God is present at any moment. Teaching in Brooklyn, for example, I was able to find God in both the positive as well as the challenging interactions I have had with students. I have been confirmed in my vocation as a teacher throughout my experiences, first teaching in Asia, and now working in the Ignatian School Network. I have been teaching my students about images of God, the notions or stereotypes that they bring into their thoughts about faith and religion. I would say that my image as God as a teacher is very much present to me these days.”
On Fellowship:
Jones: “I’ve gotten to know Jesuits from all over the United States, and from dozens of countries. As a Jesuit friend of mine likes to say, ‘We’re a diverse group of guys, but we all have the same best friend (Jesus, that is).’ I suppose that’s another way of saying we’re ‘friends in the Lord,’ which is a phrase Jesuits often use to describe ourselves.
“Much as my communities at Scranton supported me, pushed me and accompanied me in the good and bad moments, life with my brother Jesuits is full of faith, fellowship and laughter. There are certainly sacrifices in religious life, but it’s also a really joyful life. As I mentioned, it’s a life that’s also been full of surprises, but that has kept it from being boring!”
On The Journey Ahead:
Jones: “Currently, I’m in the last year of my theology studies, the final stage of preparation for priesthood. I was ordained a deacon on September 14, and I’ll be ordained a priest in June of next year, God willing.
“Much of my week is spent in theology classes. I find studying theology helps me deepen my personal faith, but also helps me be a better pastoral minister. I often find class material will help me better accompany people by delving deeper into questions and issues that we all face in our complicated lives, or in some cases, getting practical experience, such as in administering the sacraments or engaging in spiritual counseling, also helps.
“Since my recent ordination, I serve as deacon at a nearby parish, and I’m already really enjoying that ministry. The most visible part of a deacon’s role is serving at Mass, so I’ve had to get used to wearing new vestments and getting to do things like proclaim the Gospel and preach. But equally rewarding are the less visible elements: the conversations with parishioners, the requests for prayer or blessings, the various parish groups I get work alongside. This week, I will preside at a committal (burial) ceremony in a cemetery, and then on Sunday, I’ll baptize three babies. It’s really a ministry of the whole spectrum of life! I’ve always thought of diaconate as a step on the way to priesthood, but getting involved in a parish, and now serving as a deacon, helps me see that it’s not only that: it’s a unique ministry of its own, and one that is already teaching me a great deal of things that complement what I’m learning in the classroom.”
Milewski: “I am currently teaching freshman religion, junior history and a senior English elective (at St. Joseph’s Prep). In these classes, I am happy to bring the skills and experiences I have learned from my time studying at Scranton and Loyola University Chicago, as well as my experiences living abroad and working in other Jesuit institutions. I am trying to be present at the school, but after I finish this stage of formation, called regency, I will move on to my theology studies for eventual ordination. I will most likely be ordained in about five years.”
Mr. Andrew Milewski, S.J. ’13, shown above right, teaching at St. Joseph's Preparatory School in Philadelphia during the regency stage of formation.
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