Meeting New Jesuits: Matthew Hendzel, SJ

Interview by John D. O’Brien, S.J. 

Matthew Nedzel is 29 and from Winnipeg, Manitoba. After two years of novitiate, the first stage of Jesuit formation, he recently professed perpetual vows of poverty, chastity and obedience at the church of the Gesù in Montreal. He is now living in an academic community for studies in Toronto.

Matthew, you obviously had a life before becoming a Jesuit novice. Tell us about about yourself and that life?

I am an only child and come from a very small family. Before joining the Jesuits, I was a full-time student. I received a BA in Religious Studies at the University of Manitoba, a MA in Systematic Theology from the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, California, and am now currently working on a doctorate in systematic theology at the University of St. Michael’s College in Toronto. I gradually got to know the Jesuits through school, and after a few years, eventually applied for admission.

Recently you took the step of vowing yourself to God for life. What were the main influences that first brought you to the doorstep of the Jesuit novitiate?

I first met the Jesuits during my first year of university, where a Jesuit (David Creamer) taught me an introductory course on the history of Catholicism. I was initially very attracted to his approach to faith, the Church, and his deep commitment to justice. I later took other courses with him (including travel study trips to Italy and India), and remain very good friends today. While doing my Masters, I met many other Jesuit scholastics who were studying theology in preparation for ordination. I was very surprised by how down-to-earth they seemed (in other words, normal), and it was by hanging around them that I gained a deeper appreciation for the Jesuit charism. I also saw how that charism was lived out in the regular day-to-day, for better or for worse. For that reason, I would say that my main influences were the people that I met along the journey, all of whom, in one way or another, guided me towards eventual entry into the novitiate.

Looking back to the two years you have spent in the novitiate, what did you learn that was most essential in confirming this decision for you?

The most important thing that I have learned as a Jesuit novice is the importance of experience… that is to say, that one can experience God instead of just knowing Him. As someone more academically-inclined, I would say that for a long time, my relationship with God tended more towards the intellectual. However, after the novitiate and its various “experiments” [formation experiences], I have become aware of the importance of being able to experience moments of God’s grace – in a variety of different ways – whether in past instances or in the present moment itself. In so doing, I can connect the dots of how God has been present all throughout my life, up to and including the novitiate.

Two years is a long time to be out of school and “regular life". What were some other highlights of your novitiate experience?

While incredibly challenging, I would say that my five months working in Jamaica were a definite highlight. I was given a variety of assignments, all to be done in a very tough local environment (downtown Kingston). It was a great lesson on trust and reliance upon God. Similarly, my pilgrimage also developed these virtues (I walked from Montreal to the Benedictine monastery of St. Benoit du Lac, near the Vermont border), and it was very nice to spend some time with the monks at the end.

What aspects of the Jesuit charism draw you in particular? Is there already anything you see yourself doing as a Jesuit later on?

I was initially attracted to the Society’s emphasis on teaching. However, I think that the values behind the Jesuit motto “Seeing God in all things” is one of the best aspects of our charism. For that reason, I have met Jesuits who are involved in research science, law, the arts, high school and post-secondary education, medicine, to name just a few. Simply put: God is everywhere; and so the possibilities of what one can do in order to realize this truth are just about endless. Personally, I could see myself eventually working in a high school, college, parish, or perhaps a retreat centre.

What is your greatest and recurring consolation in daily Jesuit life?

My greatest and recurring consolation would be the companionship and brotherhood that is forged with the the other Jesuits in our community. We all come from different parts of the world, all have very different personalities and interests, and yet share a common bond which makes everything else work. While we are all quite independent, we all to some degree rely upon each other and support each other in countless ways every day. It’s really quite amazing.

I’m going to ask what is your favourite novel and movie.

My favourite novel is “The Great Gatsby”. I originally read it in high school, and it’s stuck with me ever since. I think that I was intrigued by the character of Gatsby, who stopped at nothing to pursue a goal that was always out of reach. My favourite film is “There Will be Blood” [P.T. Anderson, 2007]. The film is beautiful and it makes a strong statement on the role of religion, capitalism and greed in American society.

What about your favourite song? Extra points for both a sacred and a secular.

My favourite sacred song is “O Mira Caritas”, a relatively obscure hymn, that was sung by the monks of St. Benoit du Lac during the last night of my pilgrimage. It was beautiful, and left a great impression on me. My favourite secular song is “Heroes”, by David Bowie. Bowie is my favourite artist. I love the lyrics of this song, which, as the title suggests, are about the heroism of a single act of courage. Also, it is amazing to hear how the music builds up to this great crescendo at the end.

And any favourite passages from scripture?

I have two. Romans 8:38-39: “For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

And 1 Peter 5:6-11: “Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, so that He may exalt you in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him, because he cares for you. Discipline yourselves, keep alert. Like a roaming lion your adversary the devil prowls around, looking for someone to devour. Resist him, steadfast in your faith, for you know that your brothers and sisters in all the world are undergoing the same kinds of suffering. And after you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, support, strengthen and establish you. To him be the power forever and ever. Amen.”

What’s your favourite quotation from anything else that points the question of the meaning of life or of living a good life?

There’s a quote from an address Robert F. Kennedy made at Cape Town University: “Let no one be discouraged by the belief there is nothing one person can do against the enormous array of the world's ills, misery, ignorance, and violence. Few will have the greatness to bend history, but each of us can work to change a small portion of events. And in the total of all those acts will be written the history of a generation.”

Just past the threshold of entering the vowed life, do you have any hard-won advice you would give a young person who might be discerning a religious vocation?

If you think that you may have a vocation, or are just simply curious, talk to someone – you have absolutely nothing to lose. There’s no need to rush, but if you feel moved, then you have to start somewhere…and I think that the best way of gaining a deeper understanding of religious life is through coming into contact with the individuals who are actually in it.

Thank you very much, Matthew.