After joining the Prep community last winter to fulfill the long experiment stage of his Jesuit formation, Jesuit-in-training Mr. Cyrus Habib thoroughly enjoyed his experience with Prep. As he prepares to leave for Loyola University Chicago on the next step of his formation, he shares some thoughts on his journey so far.  

Entering the next stage of Jesuit formation following the novitiate and long experiment, Habib will be taking vows in August and go from a novice to a scholastic. He is headed to study philosophy at Loyola Chicago, one of three universities in the US where Jesuits-in-Training will go to study. 

Habib is most excited about “being surprised by joy” on his Jesuit Formation Journey, a quote borrowed from C.S. Lewis, and “discovering graces in unexpected places.” He went into the experience of being a high school teacher not knowing what to expect but having an interest in doing so. He maintained his trust in God’s plan, and as a result he said, “I’ve had incredible experiences over the past few months that I would have never expected. If you have an adventurous spirit and you’re open to the unknown, you can have experiences that are far beyond what you would have planned just for yourself.” 

Habib preached about open-mindedness, saying that, “Anything that we like, somebody introduced us to for the first time. So, if we always play it safe, and we never let someone else introduce us to some new possibility, we’re closing ourselves off to so many things we may not otherwise discover.” 

On the flip side, Habib shares that, while he loves moving around and experiencing new things, there’s a downside. “I would love to stick around and be around school next year,” he said, “It’s sad to leave people behind. You just hope that you stay in touch.” Habib has grown so close to the Prep community through its various sporting and spirit events, the Kairos retreat, masses, classes he’s taught, Mock Trial, and talking to and working with students around campus.  

“I really want to just express my gratitude for all the people who’ve made this an amazing experience. I’m somebody who loves whatever I do, I want to go all-in. And I feel like that’s what I’ve been able to do (at Prep). I’ve found a million ways to be engaged and really to feel the sense of community at the school, like being able to preach at Mass on Ash Wednesday in front of everybody.” He also shares that it’s never too late to discover new things and change the path you’re on, saying, “I was 38 when I decided I wanted to go a totally different direction in life, and I’m happier now than I was five years ago.”  

When asked what his main hopes were for the rest of his Jesuit formation, Habib replied, “I want to keep growing. I want to become holier. I want to become a better version of myself. And a more authentic version of myself less inhibited by fear and obstacles to God’s love. I want to become more motivated by love and a desire for serving others.” 

Before leaving Prep, Habib wanted everyone to know that he loved it when students said “hello” to him as he’d walk around campus. He said it was “so life giving.” He also added, “I hope that kids know that they can always reach out to me. I’m somebody who loves to help out and talk through things even if they don’t know me, but they want to talk about politics or religion, applying to college, or law school, or anything else that I’m wrapped up with.” 

Habib has taken a break from social media during his two years as a novice, but he will be back on in August, and hopes that he can stay connected with the Prep community through that or his email address, [email protected].