St. Louis U. High welcomes Manuel Luna Vega, a Jesuit Novice who will be at SLUH through early December to help with theology, Spanish, campus ministry, cross country, and Chess Club. 

Luna Vega, who is from Puerto Rico and whose first language is Spanish and who learned English in school, will be helping in Spanish classes by sharing his experience as a bilingual American. 

“In Puerto Rico, in the first grade of school, you start learning English,” said Luna Vega. “That got a little bit intense when I got into intermediate school.” 

Luna Vega entered the Diocesan seminary after graduating from high school, and quickly realized his calling to join the Society of Jesus. 

“The thing that drew me to the Jesuit order was the universal aspect and the missionary aspect, that you can be anyone,” said Luna Vega. 

He is now in his second year of the Novitiate, which is the first stage of Jesuit Formation. His Novitiate was at a Jesuit Spirituality Center in Grand Coteau, La. 

Luna Vega spent his first six months, which is called the postulancy, working in a nursing home. He then went through the 30-day Spiritual Exercises, a time of complete silence and presence with the Lord.  

“That experience gave me the graces of belonging to this order,” reflected Luna Vega.

After the Spiritual Exercises, he embarked on a pilgrimage across America. He was given five dollars and a one-way bus ticket from Louisiana to California. Along the way, he made stops in Los Angeles, Denver, and Houston. During his pilgrimage, Luna Vega lived in poverty and grew in the virtues of generosity and humility. 

“During my way to Denver, I met this guy who was from Mexico that was going to Denver to find a new job, and we had a very powerful conversation,” said Luna Vega. “The sacrifices he made to just cross (into) the states was amazing. He gave me money, and I didn’t ask for money at all, but he knew that I was in need.” 

While Luna Vega could not receive money from Jesuits he encountered on his trip, he encountered many generous people who fed him and gave him money for travel. 

After his pilgrimage, Luna Vega entered another stage of his Novitiate called the experiment. During this stage, novices experiment with different ministries to see what God is calling them to do. However, COVID-19 put Luna Vega and his fellow novices on lockdown, temporarily preventing them from beginning their experiments. Eventually, they were able to look into some options, and Luna Vega was called to complete an experiment at SLUH. 

“We started this process of prayer and discernment, and one of the things that jumped out was that I love chess, and St. Louis is the chess capital, so of course I would like to be in a place that I can put my talents to service,” said Luna Vega. 

He will be able to express his love for chess at SLUH in the Chess Club, and is also playing chess with students at lunch. However, Luna Vega’s greater plans at SLUH are to share his experience in the Society of Jesus and show students the love of the Lord.