1L orientation sometimes feels like trying to drink from a firehose. There’s so much crucial information being delivered, but it’s overwhelming to process it all while trying to navigate the maze of campus buildings—Stuart Hall to the East Wing, East Wing to the Yellow Room— and meeting professors and students who will surround and support your legal journey.

Amidst the flood of presentations on clinics, externships, career services, and the basics of legal education, one question lingers: When do we actually start “thinking like a lawyer”? Right now, I’m more concerned with absorbing all this information and keeping track of acronyms (CSO handles OCI… right?).

Then, on day two, a man in clerics appears in East Wing 115A/B. Enter Fr. Jack Butler.

Fr. Jack began by addressing that he was not there to “convert” anyone. Yes, Boston College Law is a Catholic school, but all are welcome, encouraged, and accepted here. There can be a healthy sense of skepticism in any non-Catholic (and Catholic, for that matter) who sees a man in a collar speaking about God. Fr. Jack acknowledged that this was not evangelization or conversion, but rather celebration and calling.

I knew I would resonate with Fr. Jack’s message because I had met him during my undergraduate years at Boston College, where he was deeply involved in cultivating the spiritual development of students in his role as the Vice President of Mission and Ministry. His presence during our 1L orientation was a breath of fresh air amidst the deluge of academic details.

While all of the information at orientation is undeniably important, if there’s one thing I’d encourage fellow 1Ls to remember from our orientation, it’s Fr. Jack’s ferverino.

A ferverino is an Italian term that translates to “quick exhortation.” In essence, it’s a spiritual pep talk or pseudo-sermon often used in the Catholic Church. The practice of the ferverino traces back to St. Ignatius of Loyola, the founder of the Jesuits. St. Ignatius would deliver these brief, inspiring messages to invigorate and focus the Jesuits before sending them on their missions around the world. The essence of a ferverino is captured in the phrase attributed to St. Ignatius: “Go forth and set the world aflame.”

Fr. Jack Butler, who is also the football chaplain, uses his ferverino skills in various contexts— from locker rooms in Alumni Stadium to classrooms of wide-eyed 1Ls. One line that resonated with me centered on BC Law’s mission: to create students “proficient in law and grounded in love.” He reminded us that while our legal education is central to our identity as students, it is meaningless if our work and mission are not rooted in a love that actively seeks the good of others. Fr. Jack asserted, “If our work does not inspire us to ‘go forth and set the world aflame,’ then Boston College Law has failed us.”

What other law school tells first-year students this? While many schools perpetuate the trope of “Look to your left and look to your right; only one of you will be here next year,” BC Law promotes a different mentality: “Look to your right and look to your left; these are your colleagues and friends.” Here, we are encouraged to view each other as partners in a shared mission to be proficient in law and grounded in love.

Fr. Jack also discussed employing a hermeneutics of suspicion—reading texts critically and skeptically to uncover deeper meanings and contexts. In our 1L classes, we engage in this practice, but it also prompts us to consider how we approach our legal careers. What lies beneath the surface of our experiences on Newton Campus? How can we apply the Jesuit principle of Magis—seeking more and striving for excellence—in our doctrinal classes, softball games, and negotiation competitions? 

What can we do to build a community that is not only proficient in law but also grounded in love?

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Christine Lenahan is a first-year student and brand-new Impact blogger. Contact her at lenahanc@bc.edu.