August 23, 2024 — Here’s the latest news from the Jesuits in Canada and the United States.
Jesuit’s Work on the Border Profiled in The New Yorker
Fr. Brian Strassburger, SJ, and his ministry to migrants on the U.S.-Mexico border through the Del Camino Jesuit Border Ministries in Brownsville, Texas, were recently profiled a New Yorker article by Jack Herrera.
“There’s something about my experience, my makeup, that I can do it,” Fr. Strassburger said of the work. “I feel on fire with my mission here.” Read the article.
Jesuit Nominated for Opus Prize
Fr. Zach Presutti, SJ, founder of Thrive for Life prison ministry, has been selected as a finalist for the 2024 Opus Prize. Each finalist receives a minimum of $100,000, and the laureate, who will be chosen in November at Santa Clara University, will receive $1 million to further their work. Founded in 2017, Thrive for Life’s mission is to transform lives both behind and beyond prison walls. Learn more.
Jesuits Compete on Game Show
Fr. Eric Immel, SJ, and Matthew Zurcher, SJ, competed on “Beat Shazam,” a Jamie Foxx-hosted game show about identifying songs as fast as you can for a shot at $1 million. The show aired on Fox on July 9, 2024.
“It’s this high-stakes thing where everything I do and say is emblazoned for the public record … and at the same time, it’s a game show, and it’s silly and fun. I really enjoyed it,” said Zurcher, who spoke with Foxx and shared a bit about the Jesuits and their mission, as well as how he and Fr. Immel became close friends. Read more.
Two Jesuits Ordained in Haiti
Fr. Ketler Lysius, SJ, and Fr. Maréus Tousséliat, SJ, of the Jesuits of Canada, were ordained to the priesthood August 10, 2024, in Port-au-Prince, Haiti.
Fr. Lysius will serve at Sainte Thérèse de Carrefour-Charles Parish in Jérémie, Haiti, and as a professor at the University Notre-Dame of Haiti. Fr. Tousséliat will continue his graduate studies in fundamental and systematic theology at Facultés Loyola Paris. Learn more about them at jesuits.org/ordination.
Jesuit Reflects on National Eucharistic Congress
Fr. Joe Kraemer, SJ, one of a dozen Jesuits representing the Society of Jesus at the National Eucharistic Congress in Indianapolis in July 2024, offered a reflection on the event that brought together 55,000 Catholics.
“It was a gift to meet so many people who expressed to us the ways in which Jesuits and lay partners have accompanied them through the years, opening up the light of Jesus to them, educating and uplifting, restoring and reviving, and always reminding them that God is here with us — in all things.” Read the reflection.
Novices Profess First Vows in the Society
Fourteen Jesuit novices from the United States, Canada and Haiti professed first vows of poverty, chastity and obedience in August 2024. A novice spends two years at the novitiate for the first stage of Jesuit formation, culminating in the profession of first vows in the Society of Jesus.
Following the profession of first vows, Jesuits preparing to be priests usually begin three years of studies. Those men who take vows as a Jesuit brother will usually take several theology courses.
Final Vows
Fr. Patrick Nolan, SJ, vocations director of Jesuits USA East, professed final vows in the Society of Jesus on June 7, 2024. In his homily, Fr. Nolan paid tribute to his parents for the seeds of prayer and example they planted in him. Read his homily.
Fr. Jose (Pepe) Ruiz Andujo, SJ, of Jesuits USA Central and Southern, pronounced his final vows in the Society on August 5, 2024, during a Mass celebrated in Spanish at Sacred Heart Church in El Paso, Texas. The Mass was attended by many of Fr. Pepe’s family and friends, who traveled from Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, for the event.
“My dad used to come visit Fr. Richard Thomas, SJ, from the Sacred Heart community. I remember seeing the impact that Ignatian spirituality had on my parents growing up. So, pronouncing my final vows in Sacred Heart felt like a full circle,” said Fr. Ruiz. “I was particularly aware of how much my vocation is a shared vocation and an experience of communion. My parents, my catechists, mentors in Jesuit life, lay leaders, all sojourners with Christ.”
Higher Ed News
Appointments
Fr. Joseph P. Riordan, SJ, has been named the next president of Campion College at the University of Regina, effective July 1, 2025. Fr. Riordan’s 25-year career as an educator has taken him to Xavier High School in New York City, the University of Notre Dame, the Hebrew University in Jerusalem and Pontifical Biblical Institute in Rome. Fr. Riordan will join Campion College after two years at Regis College in Toronto.
Fr. Thomas Merkel, SJ, has been named the new president of the Gregorian University Foundation, succeeding Fr. Michael McFarland, SJ. Fr. Merkel has been serving as assistant vice president of university relations at his Creighton University and has also served as president of Creighton Prep and as superintendent of schools at the Red Cloud Indian School.
Fr. Matthew Carnes, SJ, is the new vice president of mission and ministry at the University of Santa Clara. Fr. Carnes previously served at Georgetown University as a professor and administrator in the field of political science and international affairs.
Honors
In recognition of Fr. Gerald Blaszczak, SJ’s vision and advocacy for Fairfield Bellarmine, an associate degree program serving lower income students, Fairfield University Trustee Bob Murphy established the Gerald Blaszczak, S.J., Cura Personalis Fund to support Bellarmine students’ non-tuition needs.
Long before the first Fairfield Bellarmine students began classes this past fall, Fr. Blaszczak envisioned a program instilled with “a spirit of familiaritas — where students would feel accepted and cared for, like part of a family.”
Fr. Robert Grimes, SJ, the dean emeritus of Fordham College at Lincoln Center, will have a a suite of new rooms in the music department at Fordham named in his honor this fall — the Father Grimes S.J. Music Center. “It enriches the life of the community so much,” Fr. Grimes, a former professor of ethnomusicology, said about the increased footprint of music on the campus. The project was funded in part by private donors and alumni who wanted to honor Fr. Grimes’ contributions to music at Fordham.
Fr. Michael McFarland, SJ, who most recently served as president of the Gregorian University Foundation and now serves as superior of the Campion Center Jesuit Community, will have a new endowed scholarship at the Pontifical Gregorian University named in his honor.
Comings and Goings
Fr. Stephen Sundborg, SJ, has returned to Seattle University as chancellor, where he previously served as president from 1997 to 2021. In the three years he was away from campus, he took a sabbatical and for the last two years assisted the president of Georgetown University to build capacity for communal discernment with senior leadership, a goal he has set for his chancellorship.
Fr. William Leahy, SJ, announced that he will step down as president of Boston College in the summer of 2026. The search for his successor will begin this fall. Fr. Leahy is the longest-serving president in Boston College’s history; when he departs in 2026, he will have served as president for 30 years.
Fr. George E. Griener, SJ, retired from the Jesuit School of Theology of Santa Clara University after 35 years of service, including as dean and professor. He will become the senior priest in residence at St. Theresa’s Church in Phoenix.
Fr. Benjamin Fiore, SJ, Marks 50th Anniversary of His Ordination
Fr. Benjamin Fiore, SJ, celebrated the 50th anniversary of his priestly ordination with a Mass that reflected the deep Jesuit heritage of nearly half a millennium in Western New York. On July 14, 2024, Fr. Fiore and his companions convened at the historic Fort Niagara to commemorate his golden jubilee as a priest.
The fort, situated at the crucial juncture where the Niagara River flows into Lake Ontario, is steeped in the history of the birth of the United States. The French military first established the fort in 1678 during their westward expansion from Quebec. In 1725, a stone “castle” was erected as their main base, which included a chapel for the French Jesuit missionaries who traveled with the soldiers and explorers. This chapel was dedicated to St. Francis Xavier by the Jesuits.
However, following the British invasion and subsequent control of the fort, the chapel was taken apart. It was only during a significant renovation of the fort complex in the 1930s that the chapel was rebuilt and re-consecrated by the bishop of Buffalo as “The Jesuit Chapel.” Fr. Fiore had led numerous tours of the fort during his time at Canisius University, making it a fitting location to honor his commitment as a Jesuit and a priest.
Fr. Phillip Ganir, SJ, Celebrates 25 Years as a Jesuit at Hometown Parish
Fr. Phillip Ganir, SJ, celebrated 25 years in the Society of Jesus with a Mass July 14 at St. Elizabeth Church in Aiea, Hawaii, his parish growing up. Fr. Ganir said he has “nothing but gratitude for this life.”
Fr. Ganir completed his tertianship in May, which included time in Bolivia to produce a Jesuit opera. “The formation is very long and demanding, but also grace-filled,” he said. “It has trained me to see the ways in which God is active in my life and in the world.” Read more.
Fr. Rick Malloy, SJ, on His Life as a Jesuit
Profiles in Catholicism recently published an interview with Fr. Rick Malloy, SJ, on his life as a Jesuit, covering everything from his discernment (which included somewhat of a “cannonball moment” itself) to his formation, prayer life, and the joys and challenges of being a Jesuit priest. He speaks especially about his joy working with the poor and being a spiritual director. Read more.
A Jesuit’s Autobiography
Fr. Francis X. Clooney, SJ, Parkman professor at the Harvard Divinity School, has published his autobiography, “Hindu and Christian, Priest and Scholar: A Love Story,” which traces his intellectual and spiritual journey from middle-class American Catholicism to a lifelong study of Hinduism.
It explores Fr. Clooney’s 50+ years of Hindu studies within his 56 years as a Jesuit.
