19th Century Saint Speaks About His Entrance Into The Jesuit Novitiate

Saint Anthony Mary Claret's description on entering the Jesuit Novitiate. You have to read his autobiography it is absolutely amazing. Read it (here)

An excerpt.

As I had just finished making the Exercises, I was full of fervor. With all eagerness I was bent on aspiring to perfection.

And since I saw so many good things in the novitiate, everything attracted my attention. I liked everything and it was engraved on my heart.

I had something to learn from everyone, and in truth I learned it, with the help of God's grace. I was deeply embarrassed at seeing everyone else so advanced in virtue and myself so backward. I was most embarrassed and ashamed on the Vigil of the Immaculate Conception, during the reading of the list of good works performed in preparation for the feast, as a homage to the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Whenever a feast of our Lord, the Blessed Virgin, or a special saint was drawing near, the novitiate followed this custom: Each of the novices, with the permission of his spiritual director, proposed to practice a virtue which he was inclined toward or needed.

Each would perform acts of the virtue in question and note down carefully what he did and how he did it. This continued until the eve of the feast, when the list was closed and the virtues practiced were written in the form of a letter and posted in the box on the rector's door. Then one of the rector's assistants collected the lists and made a master list of them, like a litany, and this was read at night when all were gathered in chapel.

Link (here) to Saint Anthony Mary Claret's autobiography and his chapter (page 31) on on entering the Jesuit Novitiate