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Daniel Nevares

Hometown
Houston, Texas
Province
USA West

Biography

Biography:
Daniel A. Nevares, SJ, was born and raised in Houston, Texas. Dan is a graduate of St. Jerome Catholic School, Strake Jesuit College Preparatory and Texas A&M University. This generous gift of education propelled Dan to address systemic educational inequity by joining the Teach for America (TFA) corps after college. During the subsequent years in TFA and beyond, Dan taught upper elementary school within the Glendale, Arizona, Elementary School District. He entered the Society of Jesus in 2011 after discerning with the former California Province while living in Phoenix. As a novice, Dan served apostolically in Los Angeles, Seattle, Phoenix and Pine Ridge, South Dakota. While studying philosophy at Saint Louis University, Dan enjoyed being a teaching assistant and tutor at Marian Middle School, the all-girls Nativity model school, for nearly three years. Afterward he taught at Gonzaga Preparatory School in Spokane, Washington, for three years within the history and social studies department while assisting with liturgical planning, retreat ministry and the boys’ tennis team. During his theology studies at the Jesuit School of Theology of Santa Clara University in Berkeley, California, Dan renewed the young adult community at St. Agnes Parish in San Francisco as part of his field education and served as a deacon at St. Perpetua Parish and School in Lafayette, California. After his presbyteral ordination, he will return to Spokane to serve as the parochial vicar at St. Aloysius Gonzaga Parish and School.

Education:
Bachelor’s degree, psychology, Texas A&M University; Master of Education, elementary education, Arizona State University; Master of Divinity, Jesuit School of Theology of Santa Clara University

What is your favorite book you’ve encountered since entering the Society?
“Cafe Beaujolais” cookbook by Margaret Fox. This book was gifted to me by Fr. Peter Togni, S.J., at the end of my long experiment as a novice in Phoenix. This gesture served as a springboard of instilling a love of cooking within myself and, more importantly, the opportunity to bring people together to create spaces of encounter and genuine connection over meals.

What’s one interesting fact about yourself not everyone would know?
In 2010, I was selected to represent my school as the “Teacher of the Year” during my second year of teaching upper elementary in Glendale, Arizona.

What do you love about the Society of Jesus?
I greatly admire how God calls Jesuits to utilize their unique gifts, talents and desires to serve the people of God in a multitude of ways. I’ve been inspired by many of these men to serve as their companion in this least Society to advance the kingdom of God together.

Tell your vocation story. One catch: You must use only six words.
God consistently nudged. I finally responded.

Where has your Jesuit vocation taken you that you never thought you would go?
Honestly there are a myriad of places I probably would have never lived if I hadn’t joined the Society; I rarely had thoughts of even leaving Texas! However, I’ve felt a great gratitude for the opportunity and privilege to live in so many varied places over the past decade and to enter into the lives of so many good people in ministry.

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