A native of the Superior diocese has professed first vows toward becoming a Jesuit priest.
Aaron Pierre, Rhinelander, was one of 11 Jesuit novices to profess vows to Fr. Brian G. Paulson, provincial of the Midwest Jesuits, Aug. 9 during a Vow Mass.
“Mostly I’m filled with excitement and joy,” Pierre said of the occasion. “ I feel a tremendous sense of gratitude to God and the Society of Jesus for inviting me to take this big step.”
By professing first vows, Pierre took the next step in the 10- to 12-year formation of a Jesuit, which includes ordination to the priesthood and final vows.
No longer a novice, Pierre will be a scholastic known as “Mister” or “Brother.”
Pierre graduated from the University of Notre Dame in 2010 with a Bachelor of Arts in theology and pre-medical studies. After graduation he spent a year volunteering at Rostro de Cristo in Guayaquil, Ecuador. It was during this time that Pierre started to strongly consider the priesthood.
“I got to know the priest I was working with really well,” he said. “And for the first time, I could really see myself in that role.”
Pierre returned to the States to spend a year as an ELL instructor for Spanish-speaking adult migrants and worked as an interpreter at OneWorld Community Health Center.
He entered the Novitiate of the St. Alberto Hurtado in St. Paul, Minnesota, in 2012.
Presently, the Chicago-Detroit and Wisconsin Provinces are merging to form the Midwest Jesuits.
