By Patrick Saint-Jean, S.J. The author describes his painful journey learning about racism in the U.S. after he arrived here from Haiti to pursue graduate studies and to begin his training as a Jesuit. This experience became a kind of crucible for him which also included becoming more aware of the ambiguous history of his own religious order. But the basic principles of Jesuit formation―the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius, and the “discernment of spirits,” the examination of conscience, the imaginative identification with Jesus in his sufferings, death, and resurrection―became an entry to his own journey of hope and resurrection. He believes that these principles and practices, hold promise of conversion and healing for a church and a society still caught in the crucible of racism. Read more.