Henry W. Perez, SJ

Br. Henry Perez, SJ, was born in Norwalk but was raised in Bellflower, California. His father owned a typesetting company in Los Angeles and his mother was a stay-at-home mom for him and his four sisters, all of whom attended Catholic school. During high school, he was very active at St. John Bosco High School (SJB) and participated in many activities. The priests and brothers at SJB became friends and helped him see that a religious life could be something to consider. Yet, after much discernment, Henry felt God was calling him to be a parent. After high school, he joined the Marine Corps Reserve and was accepted to the business program at California State University in Long Beach.

Henry had a 30-year career in advertising. He was married and had a son. Though he and his wife divorced after several years, they spent as much time as they could together raising their son. When his son turned 19, he and Henry both went to Le Cordon Blue and studied culinary arts. Now that his son is grown, he was able to focus on his true passion which is helping the homeless.

After some discernment with several religious orders, Henry decided to join the Society of Jesus as a brother. The opportunities he has had and ministries with which he has worked while being a Jesuit are numerous, and Henry truly feels that he is doing the work Jesus wants him to do. During first studies, he was able to finish his undergraduate degree at Loyola University Chicago in applied psychology. He is currently working on his master’s degree in marriage and family therapy with art at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles. He also started Genevieve’s Garden at Blessed Sacrament Parish in Hollywood, a ministry for the homeless.

Academic Degrees: Bachelor’s degree in applied psychology from Loyola University Chicago; Master’s degree in marital and family therapy from Loyola Marymount University (in process)