Welcome to the Jesuit First Studies program in the Bronx, New York

All formal courses, praxis placements, and integrating activities of CHJRC are shaped by the following learning goals articulated by the Society of Jesus.1

In addition, first studies will focus on the context of mission, forming Jesuits who are able to…

• understand and appreciate the complexities of the human condition;
• analyze structures and developments in society and culture, especially those that are relevant to faith, justice, religious pluralism, and ecological issues;
• understand, through an encounter with important texts, how thinkers and cultures have sought to respond to fundamental questions and dimensions of human and social existence;
• acquire a methodology for continually reflecting on the changing contexts of mission.

First studies should provide Jesuits with the opportunities to (a) acquire the ministerial competencies needed to communicate the Gospel and to help make real the reign of God in our world, and (b) appropriate the meaning and implications of the Jesuit charism for life and mission. Acquiring ministerial competency and appropriating the Jesuit charism will require Jesuits to:

• deepen their understanding of Jesuit history and culture as it relates to ministerial contexts;
• develop competencies in leadership and management;
• grow in their ability to collaborate effectively and to undertake communal discernment.