Jesuit Conference Staff

Father Paul Holland S.J., is the Delegate for Formation and Jesuit Life for the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States. Responsible for coordinating policies and matters related to the personal and communal life of Jesuits, Fr. Holland oversees efforts in areas such as formation, health care, ethics in ministry and vocation promotion.

Prior to joining the Jesuit Conference, Fr. Holland served for six years in Connecticut as rector of the Fairfield University Jesuit Community. From 2005 through 2010, he was the rector of the Jesuit community at Campion Renewal Center in Weston, Massachusetts. Earlier assignments include serving as pastor at St. Thomas Aquinas Parish in Storrs, Connecticut, and as an associate chaplain and instructor in religious studies at Fairfield University.

He earned a master’s in ecclesiology from the University of Notre Dame, a master’s in philosophy from Boston College, a Master of Divinity degree from the Jesuit School of Theology in Berkeley, California, and a bachelor’s degree from Harvard University. As a young Jesuit, Fr. Holland taught English, African history and Zambian civics at Canisius College in Zambia. He served as a consultant to the U.S. Bishops’ Committee on Vocations and has published articles on theology, spirituality, vocations and prayer.

Father Timothy P. Kesicki, S.J., is the President of the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the Jesuit Conference promotes common goals and oversees international projects for the Society of Jesus. As Conference President, Fr. Kesicki works with the Jesuit Provincials of the United States and Canada in implementing programs, represents the Conference internationally and serves as the religious superior of the Boston College School of Theology and Ministry and the Jesuit School of Theology of Santa Clara University in Berkeley, California. He serves on the boards of Jesuit Refugee Service/USA and America Magazine.

Prior to leading the Jesuit Conference, Fr. Kesicki served from 2008 through 2014 as the Provincial of the Chicago-Detroit Province of the Society of Jesus.

A frequent contributor to CNN and MSNBC, Fr. Kesicki hails from Erie, Pennsylvania, where he attended local Catholic schools before earning a bachelor’s degree in political science from John Carroll University in Ohio.

Fr. Kesicki entered the Society of Jesus at Loyola House Jesuit Novitiate in Berkley, Michigan, in 1984. His formation as a Jesuit included philosophy studies at Loyola University Chicago, theology studies at the Jesuit School of Theology and studies in educational administration at Teachers College, Columbia University, New York.

From 1988 to 1991, Fr. Kesicki worked at the University of Detroit Jesuit High School and Academy, where he taught theology, directed the service program and served on the pastoral team. Following his 1994 ordination, Fr. Kesicki worked for a year at the Jesuit Refugee Service in Adjumani, Uganda, and then taught theology at Loyola High School in Detroit. From 2000 to 2008, he served as president of Saint Ignatius High School in Cleveland.

Father Sean Michaelson, S.J., is the Executive Secretary/Socius for the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States.

Fr. Michaelson first met the Jesuits as a high school student at Brophy College Preparatory in Phoenix. At Georgetown University, he earned a bachelor’s degree in English and continued his studies at Boston College, where he earned a master’s degree.

Fr. Michaelson entered the Society of Jesus as a novice in 1996, later earning a master’s in philosophy from Fordham University in New York and a Ph.D. in 18th-century British and Irish satire from Arizona State University. His theology studies include a Master of Divinity degree, a Licentiate in Sacred Theology and a master’s in theology, all from Regis College at the University of Toronto.

Ordained in 2006, Fr. Michaelson taught at the Colegio del Sagrado Corazon in Montevideo, Uruguay, before joining the English department at the University of San Francisco as an assistant professor. In addition to serving as chair of the English department, Fr. Michaelson was also the director of the St. Ignatius Institute, the university’s great books residential learning program.

Before his current role at the Jesuit Conference, Fr. Michaelson served for three years as formation director for the California and Oregon Province Jesuits, responsible for the training of the provinces’ men preparing to be Jesuit brothers and priests.

Ted Penton, S.J., is the Secretary of the Office of Justice and Ecology at the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States.

Born and raised in Ottawa, Canada, Penton earned a bachelor’s degree at the University of Ottawa and a master’s degree at Penn State in philosophy. Eager to step out of the classroom and work more directly with people on the margins of society, he first met the Jesuits via the Jesuit Volunteer Corps (JVC).

Through JVC, Penton volunteered for the Farmworker Unit of Legal Aid of North Carolina in 2000-01, leading outreach to migrant workers across the state to educate them about their rights. Inspired by this work to study law, he went on to complete a J.D. at Harvard Law School.

Following a brief career with the Human Rights Law Section of the Department of Justice in Ottawa, Penton entered the Society of Jesus in Canada in 2009. After completing his first two years of theology studies, he worked for three years for the Ignatian Spirituality Project, a network of volunteers who offer retreats across the United States and Canada for men and women experiencing homelessness and in recovery from addiction. Penton recently finished his theology studies (M.Div., S.T.B., S.T.M.) at Regis College in Toronto and was ordained a priest in 2019.

As the Senior Advisor on Migration with the Office of Justice and Ecology, Caitlin-Marie develops and coordinates advocacy efforts to protect immigrants’ rights, promote comprehensive humane immigration reform, and address human rights concerns, particularly in Latin America.

Born at Georgetown Hospital in Washington, D.C., Caitlin-Marie has been immersed in the Jesuit tradition since birth. She earned both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Georgetown University in English and Latin American Studies, respectively. After completing her undergraduate studies, Caitlin-Marie worked at Georgia Legal Services through the Jesuit Volunteer Corps. It was there she was first introduced to migration issues, serving as a paralegal on cases involving agricultural workers in the United States on temporary work visas. While pursuing her master’s degree, Caitlin-Marie also interned for the Office of Justice and Ecology, where she supported advocacy efforts on key issues related to human rights in Central America and U.S. immigration policy. Caitlin-Marie is pleased to be back with the Jesuit Conference and looks forward to continuing to work toward a more just world for all.