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Brendan Coffey, SJ

Hometown
Cherry Hill, New Jersey
Province
USA East

“I love that Jesus is the center of our life and identity. I love that our founder was a deeply human saint. I love that the Society began as a group of friends. I love that our chief virtue is magnanimity. I love that our hearts live at the center of the church while our hands and feet work at its margins.”

Highlights of Jesuit Formation

  1. Worked alongside the tremendously dedicated team of faculty and staff of Fairfield Prep in Fairfield, Connecticut, amid the trials of the COVID-19 pandemic.
  2. Accompanied middle school and high school students in understanding and living out their Catholic faith at St. Joan of Arc Parish in San Ramon, California.
  3. Honed spiritual direction skills during a summer practicum at the Jesuit School of Theology in Berkeley, California, which included directing inmates at a local women’s prison.

Post-Ordination

Will spend a pastoral summer at St. Peter Catholic Church in Charlotte, North Carolina, followed by full-time teaching at Fairfield College Preparatory School in Fairfield, Connecticut.

Brendan delivers the 2023 commencement address to his former students at Fairfield Prep.

Biography

Brendan Coffey, SJ, grew up in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, raised by his parents, Gerry and Janice, alongside his brother, Justin, and sister, Katelyn. He credits his great uncle, Msgr. Tom Coffey, a Catholic priest, pastor and high school educator, as an early vocational inspiration. Brendan first met the Society of Jesus at St. Joseph’s Preparatory School in Philadelphia and continued his Jesuit education at Fordham University in the Bronx, New York, where he studied English and philosophy. After graduation, he participated in the Alumni Service Corps at St. Joseph’s Prep followed by graduate studies in Anglo-Irish literature at Trinity College Dublin, where he earned a Master of Philosophy. After returning stateside, Brendan was a high school English teacher for several years at St. Augustine High in San Diego and at Regis High School in New York City. Brendan entered St. Andrew Hall novitiate in Syracuse, New York, in 2015.

As a novice, he worked as a hospital chaplain and technician, accompanied adults at a spiritual renewal center, and taught English at Cristo Rey Jesuit High School in Baltimore. After professing vows, he pursued a master’s in Catholic theology at Fordham University, volunteering at Cardinal Hayes High School in the Bronx on his days off. During his regency, Brendan taught theology and English at Fairfield College Preparatory School in Fairfield, Connecticut; he also served as an assistant cross-country coach. Following regency, Brendan continued his theology studies at the Jesuit School of Theology of Santa Clara University in Berkeley, California, earning a Licentiate in Sacred Theology/Master of Theology. While in the East Bay, Brendan worked with youth groups at St. Joan of Arc Parish in San Ramon, California, where he also served as a deacon. After ordination, Brendan will spend the summer at St. Peter Catholic Church in Charlotte, North Carolina, before returning to Fairfield Prep as a full-time teacher.

Academic Degrees

Bachelor’s degree, English and philosophy, Fordham University; Master’s degree, Irish writing, Trinity College Dublin; Master’s degree, Catholic theology, Fordham University; Master’s degree and Licentiate in Sacred Theology, Christian spirituality, Jesuit School of Theology of Santa Clara University

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