Celebrating Ordinations 2013
“He
is a member of a Society founded chiefly for this purpose: to strive especially for the defense and the propagation of the faith and for the progress of souls in Christian life . . .”
The Jesuit Constitutions, St. Ignatius of Loyola
Against the extraordinary backdrop of the election of the first Jesuit pope, the Society of Jesus welcomed sixteen new priests in June of 2013. At ceremonies held at Fordham University in the Bronx, New York; Holy Name of Jesus Church in New Orleans; Church of the Blessed Sacrament in Los Angeles; and Madonna della Strada Chapel at Loyola University Chicago, these men were ordained to priestly ministry in the Society founded by St. Ignatius of Loyola in 1540 “to serve the Lord alone and the Church, His spouse, under the Roman pontiff . . . “ In the Jesuit Constitutions, St. Ignatius provides his vision of a life in service, one in companionship with Jesus, grounded in love of others, particularly those at the margins. This is the mantle now accepted by the sixteen Jesuit ordinands as they begin their work in the vineyard of the Lord. A diverse group, the ordinands hail from across the United States. Before entering the Society of Jesus, some worked in biomedical research, nonprofit community service, state government and the arts, and several taught in high schools and colleges. Their call to priestly ministry is as varied as their hometowns and former occupations, but they have one thing in common: a desire to dedicate themselves to the Jesuit mission of serving the Roman Catholic Church where the need is greatest.
Front Cover: 2012 ordination Mass, Fordham University, N.Y. Photo: Wendell J. Laurent Inside and rear covers: Georgetown University, Washington, D.C. Photo: Doris Yu
Fr. Glen Butterworth, S.J., 42, was born in Germany and grew up traveling the world. The son of intelligence officers, Fr. Butterworth moved many times before graduating high school in suburban Washington, D.C., in 1988. Fr. Butterworth studied art history at John Cabot University in Rome and then returned to the U.S. to attend Frostburg State University in Western Maryland, earning a bachelor’s degree in international economics in 1993. Recruited by the Clinton administration, he served as a governmental relations officer but later returned to art and moved to Santa Fe, New Mexico, where he worked in a Native American gallery and powwow supply shop while exploring graduate studies. After a stint at a glass blowing
studio in New Orleans, Fr. Butterworth relocated to Seattle and explored life as a bartender before accepting a position in the telecommunications industry. After recovering from a serious illness, he moved to rural China to teach English. Through it all, he was actively discerning God’s call to the fullness of life and how best to integrate desires for creativity and service into a life of meaningful love. In 2001, he entered the Jesuits after finding poetic resonance with the Northwest Jesuits. After the novitiate, Fr. Butterworth was missioned to Fordham University in New York, where he earned a master’s degree in philosophy while studying conflict resolution at Columbia University. For regency, he was assigned to manage student conduct and discipline at Seattle University and later served as vocation promoter. Fr. Butterworth earned a Master of Divinity degree at the Jesuit School of Theology of Santa Clara University in Berkeley, California, while serving as deacon at Most Holy Redeemer Church in San Francisco’s Castro neighborhood. Following ordination, he will return to Seattle and the people of St. Joseph Parish. (Oregon Province)
Fr. James T. Donovan, S.J., 48, was born in Brooklyn, New York, and grew up on Long Island. Fr. Donovan’s Catholic education dates back to grammar school at Our Lady of Lourdes School in his hometown of Malverne, New York, followed by Maria Regina Diocesan High School in Uniondale. A graduate of Le Moyne College in Syracuse, New York, Fr. Donovan earned a bachelor’s degree in biology in 1986. After graduation, Fr. Donovan began his teaching career at St. Francis Prep in Fresh Meadows, New York, where he taught biology and chemistry for three years. In 1991, he earned a master’s degree in education from Fordham University in New York and then joined the faculty at Christ the King Regional High
School in Middle Village, New York. From 1993 through 2004, Fr. Donovan taught chemistry, biology and earth science at Garden City High School in New York, serving for the last four years of his tenure as chair of the school’s science department while earning a certificate of advanced studies in school administration from Hofstra University. In 2004, Fr. Donovan entered the Society of Jesus. Following the novitiate, he was missioned for philosophy and theology studies at Fordham University, where he also worked part-time in hospital ministry at Calvary Hospital in the Bronx and tutored at Cristo Rey New York High School in Harlem. For regency, Fr. Donovan taught chemistry and theology at Regis High School in Manhattan. During his years of formation, Fr. Donovan also directed retreats at the Jesuit Retreat Center in Los Altos, California, and completed intensive training in spiritual direction. Ordained a deacon in 2012, he has served at St. Leo’s Church in Oakland, California, and San Quentin State Prison while earning his Master of Divinity degree at the Jesuit School of Theology of Santa Clara University in Berkeley, California. (New York Province)
Fr. Peter M. Folan, S.J., 34, is a native of Massapequa Park on Long Island, New York. A 1996 graduate of Chaminade High School in Mineola, New York, Fr. Folan attended the University of Notre Dame and earned a bachelor’s degree in the Program of Liberal Studies and German in 2000. Following graduation, Notre Dame nominated Fr. Folan for a job with the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops in Washington, D.C., where he served for one year as a research associate in education and public policy. Although Fr. Folan had considered a vocation to the priesthood earlier in his life, he began actively discerning again
during his time in Washington, where he came to know and work with Jesuit priests. His discernment led him next to a teaching position at Bishop McNamara High School in Forestville, Maryland, and in 2003 he entered the Society of Jesus. Following two years at the Jesuit novitiate, Fr. Folan was missioned to Fordham University in New York, where he earned a master’s degree in philosophy in 2008. For his regency assignment, Fr. Folan taught philosophy for two years at the University of Scranton in Pennsylvania. In 2010, he was missioned to the Boston College School of Theology and Ministry, where he earned a Master of Divinity degree as well as a Licentiate in Sacred Theology. During his years of formation, Fr. Folan spent a summer in India, helped run the “Six Weeks a Jesuit” program for men considering a vocation and served as a liaison to Jesuit Volunteer Corps communities in New York City and Boston. Starting this summer, Fr. Folan will serve as an associate pastor at Holy Trinity Church in Washington, D.C. (Maryland Province)
Fr. Phillip A. Ganir, S.J., 36, was born in Seattle and raised in Hawaii. The son of Filipino immigrants, Fr. Ganir attended Damien Memorial School in Honolulu, graduating in 1994. At the University of Hawaii, he earned a bachelor’s degree in political science and Asian studies in 1999. Shortly after graduation, Fr. Ganir entered the Society of Jesus. His vocation was in part inspired by the selfless actions of Jesuits who supported what came to be known as the Philippine “People Power” Revolution of 1986. Following the novitiate, Fr. Ganir completed philosophy studies at Fordham University in New York, earning a master’s degree in philosophy in 2004. An
accomplished vocalist, he also studied at the Manhattan School of Music, earning a bachelor’s degree in voice. For his regency assignment, Fr. Ganir taught music, English and theology at Jesuit High School in Sacramento, California. Asked to help in developing the choral program at the school, Fr. Ganir, who started singing in his home parish at the age of 7, helped his students discover God through all types of music—from the Beach Boys to Bach. In 2010, Fr. Ganir was missioned to the Jesuit School of Theology of Santa Clara University in Berkeley, California, where he earned a Master of Divinity degree while serving as a deacon at Most Holy Trinity Church in San Jose. Throughout his years of formation, Fr. Ganir has been engaged in a number of ministries, including hospital and prison chaplaincy and spiritual direction. In addition to conducting choirs at the high school, college and parish levels, he has performed and produced a variety of religious music, including a vocal recital of Jesuit-themed music. Following ordination, Fr. Ganir will serve as associate pastor at St. Ignatius Loyola Church in Sacramento. (California Province)
Fr. Patrick L. Gilger, S.J., 32, was raised in New Orleans until the age of 12, when his family moved to Salem, Oregon. After graduating from high school in 1998, Fr. Gilger attended Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska, earning a bachelor’s degree in philosophy in 2002. His time at Creighton played a meaningful role in Fr. Gilger’s discernment regarding his vocation. At Creighton, he met Jesuits who were interested in social justice and philosophy, and that combination of intellectual and spiritual pursuits lit a spark in Fr. Gilger. After entering the Society of Jesus in 2002 and spending two years at the novitiate, Fr. Gilger was missioned to Loyola University
Chicago, where he earned a master’s degree in philosophy. For his three-year regency assignment, Fr. Gilger worked at the Red Cloud Indian School, founded by the Jesuits in 1888 to serve the families on South Dakota’s Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. In addition to teaching English, Fr. Gilger ran Red Cloud’s volunteer program, which places recent college graduates in multi-year assignments at the school every year. Missioned in 2010 to the Jesuit School of Theology of Santa Clara University in Berkeley, California, Fr. Gilger earned a Master of Divinity degree while serving as a deacon at St. Patrick’s Church in Oakland. He also co-founded The Jesuit Post, a website launched in January of 2012 by a group of young Jesuits. Aimed at a generation known more for its devotion to pop culture than to religion, the goal of The Jesuit Post’s blogs, essays, photos and videos is to draw the connection between contemporary culture and spirituality using a language and tone that engages young adults. Since the site’s launch, it has experienced tremendous growth and received positive feedback. (Wisconsin Province)
From left to right: Frs. Matthew Kunkel, Raul Navarro, Glen Butterworth, Patrick Gilger, James Donovan, William Noe, Joseph O’Keefe and Phillip Ganir at the Jesuit School of Theology of Santa Clara University, Berkeley, California. Photo: Barbara Ries
Fr. Matthew J. Kunkel, S.J., 33, was born and raised in Bremerton, Washington. He attended Our Lady Star of the Sea Catholic grammar school and South Kitsap Public High School, graduating in 1998. For two years, Fr. Kunkel studied at a local community college in Bremerton, washing dishes and waiting tables to pay the bills before transferring to Gonzaga University in Spokane, Washington. At Gonzaga, he earned a bachelor’s degree in Latin American studies in 2002. Although Fr. Kunkel had begun considering a vocation as far back as high school, his time at Gonzaga helped him realize that he was being called to serve as a Jesuit priest. The summer after
he graduated from college, he entered the Society of Jesus and made first vows in Portland, Oregon, in 2004. Missioned to Saint Louis University, he studied philosophy, theology and studio art. For his regency assignment, Fr. Kunkel taught religion and church history at St. Andrew Nativity School in Portland. In 2009, he was missioned to the Jesuit School of Theology of Santa Clara University in Berkeley, California, where he earned a Master of Divinity degree. Fluent in Spanish, Fr. Kunkel studied in Colombia during the summer of 2008. Last summer he participated in a five-week journey along the migration corridor, the Central American route typically traveled by those fleeing poverty and seeking opportunity in the United States. During his years of formation, Fr. Kunkel also traveled to Indonesia for a three-week immersion program and taught Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA) classes to those interested in converting to Catholicism. This summer, he will serve at St. Francis Xavier Parish in Missoula, Montana, and return to Berkeley to complete a Licentiate in Sacred Theology in the fall. (Oregon Province)
Fr. Michael C. Magree, S.J., 35, was born and raised in Columbus, Ohio. A 1996 graduate of St. Charles Preparatory School, a Catholic high school in his hometown, Fr. Magree enjoyed singing with his church and school choirs from a very early age. At Ohio’s Franciscan University of Steubenville, Fr. Magree first encountered the Society of Jesus and began discerning a vocation. After earning a bachelor’s degree in philosophy from Franciscan in 2000, Fr. Magree continued his studies at The Ohio State University, where he earned a master’s degree in classics in 2001. In 2002, Fr. Magree entered the Society of Jesus, spending two years at the Jesuit novitiate in Syracuse, New York. Missioned next to
New York’s Fordham University, Fr. Magree earned a master’s degree in philosophy in 2007. Fr. Magree spent his regency assignment teaching high school religion and Latin at St. Joseph’s Preparatory School in Philadelphia, where his years of experience as a choral vocalist proved valuable when he also assumed responsibility for the school’s choir. In 2010, Fr. Magree was missioned to the Boston College School of Theology and Ministry, where he earned a Master of Divinity degree and served as a deacon at St. Raphael’s Church in West Medford, Massachusetts. During his years in formation, Fr. Magree has enjoyed working with prisoners at Boston’s Suffolk County House of Corrections and directing the 19th annotation of the Spiritual Exercises through The Jesuit Collaborative, a ministry of lay and religious men and women partnering to share the gift of Ignatian spirituality. After a trip this summer to Brazil for MAGIS, the Jesuit pastoral program that precedes World Youth Day, Fr. Magree will complete his Licentiate in Sacred Theology while serving part-time as a chaplain at St. Joseph’s Preparatory School. (Maryland Province)
Fr. Raul A. Navarro, S.J., 53, was born in Mexico City and moved to the United States at the age of 12. The family settled in New Orleans, where Fr. Navarro and his three siblings attended local schools. After graduating from Redemptorist High School, Fr. Navarro studied at Loyola University New Orleans, earning a bachelor’s degree in geology in 1983. At Loyola, Fr. Navarro first became acquainted with the Society of Jesus and also found a place that would become his academic and professional home for nearly two decades. After graduating from college, Fr. Navarro worked at Loyola in administrative and accounting
positions and earned two more degrees: a master’s degree in education and a Master of Business Administration degree. Along the way, he was active in campus ministry and volunteered for student retreats while discerning a Jesuit vocation. In 2002, Fr. Navarro entered the Society of Jesus; he spent two years at the novitiate in Grand Coteau, Louisiana, followed by philosophy and theology studies at Loyola University Chicago. As part of his regency assignment, Fr. Navarro taught at Houston’s Strake Jesuit College Preparatory and helped open Cristo Rey Jesuit College Preparatory School of Houston. Following regency, Fr. Navarro was missioned to the Jesuit School of Theology of Santa Clara University in Berkeley, California, where he earned a Master of Divinity degree. Among Fr. Navarro’s memorable formation experiences are his long experiment in Guadalajara, mission trips to Mexico City and last year’s trip to the Philippines, his first visit to his parents’ homeland. Following ordination, Fr. Navarro will serve at Immaculate Conception Church in his hometown of New Orleans. (New Orleans Province)
Fr. William A. Noe, S.J., 43, the youngest of eight brothers, is a native of Racine, Wisconsin. After graduating from Racine’s Washington Park High School in 1988, Fr. Noe studied electrical engineering at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana, earning a bachelor’s degree in 1993 and a master’s degree in 1996. Following graduate school, Fr. Noe moved to Washington, D.C., to conduct biomedical research in a laboratory of Georgetown University’s School of Medicine. Later, as an examiner for the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office in Arlington, Virginia, Fr. Noe reviewed applications of those hoping to protect state-of-the-art technology. When he moved to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 2000, Fr. Noe
was charged with assessing the safety and effectiveness of new medical equipment. While living in the nation’s capital, Fr. Noe began actively discerning a religious vocation. Fr. Noe’s association with St. Anselm’s Abbey, a Benedictine monastery in Washington, and his work with Bethlehem House, a community formed by people with developmental disability and those who share life with them, were foundational to his discernment. At Bethlehem House, Fr. Noe was inspired by how concrete faith can be, and he entered the Society of Jesus in 2003. After the novitiate, Fr. Noe was missioned to Loyola University Chicago, where he earned a master’s degree in applied philosophy while studying Spanish in Bolivia during the summer months. Because of his background in electrical engineering and his fluency in Spanish, Fr. Noe returned to Bolivia for his regency assignment to teach electronics at a local technical school. In 2010, Fr. Noe was missioned to the Jesuit School of Theology of Santa Clara University in Berkeley, California, where he earned a Licentiate in Sacred Theology while serving as a deacon at St. Patrick’s Church in Oakland. (Maryland Province)
“By their ordination, Jesuit priests share in the ministerial priesthood by which Christ, through the gifts of the Spirit, unceasingly builds up his Church, guides his people through the pastoral office and leads them into the kingdom of his Father.” General Congregation 34: Decree 6 Ministerial Priesthood and Jesuit Identity
Statue of St. Ignatius, Georgetown University, Washington, D.C.
Photo: Doris Yu
Fr. E. Joseph O’Keefe, S.J., 48, was born and raised in Boston. His family belonged to St. Theresa of Avila Parish in his home neighborhood of West Roxbury; he attended the parish grammar school and graduated from Catholic Memorial High School there in 1982. Fr. O’Keefe, who had considered a vocation to the priesthood from an early age, attended Saint John’s Seminary in Brighton, Massachusetts, earning a bachelor’s degree in philosophy in 1990. Even before his time in the seminary, Fr. O’Keefe began working in Massachusetts state government, the beginning of a public policy career he pursued with distinction for more than two decades. In addition to serving as a legislative aide, the chief of staff for a state senator and as a senior staff member for the president of the
Boston City Council, Fr. O’Keefe also worked for the Massachusetts Department of Economic Development. While rising through the ranks of state government, Fr. O’Keefe earned his Master of Business Administration degree from Suffolk University in Boston while continuing to discern a vocation. At the Jesuit Urban Center in Boston, he came to know and appreciate Ignatian spirituality and the Jesuits’ multifaceted ministry. In 2006, while serving as chief of staff to the Massachusetts Secretary of Environmental Affairs, Fr. O’Keefe entered the Society of Jesus. After his time in the novitiate, Fr. O’Keefe was missioned to Loyola High School of Los Angeles where he taught AP government and politics from 2008 to 2010. Missioned next to the Jesuit School of Theology of Santa Clara University in Berkeley, California, Fr. O’Keefe earned a Master of Divinity degree while also pursuing a master’s degree in education at the University of San Francisco and serving as a deacon at Santa Maria Parish in Orinda, California. Following ordination, he will serve for the summer at St. Ignatius of Loyola Church at Boston College and return to California in the fall for an administrative position at Loyola High School. (California Province)
Fr. Michael J. Rogers, S.J., 32, was born in Hartford, Connecticut. After graduating from Northwest Catholic High School in West Hartford, he attended the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Massachusetts, earning a bachelor’s degree in philosophy in 2002. At Holy Cross, Fr. Rogers first became acquainted with the Society of Jesus as a founding member of the college’s vocation discernment group and by making the five-day version of the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius. During his college years, Fr. Rogers also interned at the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops in Washington, D.C. In 2002, Fr. Rogers entered the Jesuit novitiate in Boston, where his experiments included time at St. Francis Mission on
the Rosebud Sioux Reservation in South Dakota and teaching at Fairfield College Preparatory School in Connecticut. Missioned next to Saint Louis University, Fr. Rogers earned a master’s degree in philosophy while working with campus ministry and the Pax Christi group. During these years, he was also privileged to travel to El Salvador to learn Spanish and to work as a chaplain at Georgetown University Hospital. For his regency assignment, Fr. Rogers taught religious education at Boston College High School, where he also directed orientation for incoming students and coached the junior varsity and varsity tennis teams. Following regency, Fr. Rogers was missioned to Rome to the International College of the Gesù to complete his studies at the Pontifical Gregorian University in preparation for ordination. Currently the national coordinator for MAGIS 2013, the Jesuit pastoral program that will be held this summer in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, preceding World Youth Day, Fr. Rogers will return to Rome this fall to continue his studies in fundamental theology. (New England Province)
Fr. Jayme C. Stayer, S.J., 44, is a native of Canton, Ohio. A lifelong musician and vocalist, Fr. Stayer has performed with the choruses of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, the Cleveland Orchestra, the Boston Pops and the Boston Symphony Orchestra. At the University of Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana, he sang with the Glee Club and Chorale. He earned a bachelor’s degree in English literature and music from Notre Dame in 1990. Following graduation, Fr. Stayer continued his studies in English literature at the University of Toledo in Ohio, earning a master’s degree in 1992 and a doctorate in 1995. In Toledo, Fr. Stayer first came to know the Jesuits as a member
of the Gesu Parish. For a number of years while discerning a vocation to the Society of Jesus, Fr. Stayer taught English literature at the college level, including a position at Texas A&M University-Commerce. In 2003, he entered the Society of Jesus, spending two years at the Jesuit novitiate and another two years at Loyola University Chicago for philosophy studies. Fr. Stayer’s first year of regency was spent at the Universidad Centroamericana, the Jesuit university in El Salvador. After months of intensive language training, he taught English to university students and to the poor in the mountains near the border of Honduras. The second part of Fr. Stayer’s regency assignment was spent at John Carroll University in Cleveland, where he taught literature. In 2010, Fr. Stayer moved to the Boston College School of Theology and Ministry, where he earned a Master of Divinity degree while serving as a deacon at St. Ignatius Church in Boston. Following ordination, Fr. Stayer has been missioned to John Carroll University where he will resume a tenure-track position in the English Department and work in university ministry. (Chicago-Detroit Province)
Fr. Robert W. Stephan, S.J., 40, is a native of Cincinnati. The oldest of five, Fr. Stephan attended Covington Latin in Kentucky, a small Catholic high school across the river from his hometown. At Cincinnati’s Xavier University, Fr. Stephan earned a bachelor’s degree in history in 1995. Although he was baptized at Xavier’s Bellarmine Chapel, Fr. Stephan’s time as a college student at Xavier was his first real exposure to Jesuits in the classroom, and seeing that combination of vocation and avocation opened his eyes to a new way of looking at the priesthood. Following his graduation from Xavier, Fr. Stephan studied in Austria and earned a master’s degree in history from UCLA in 1998. While earning a law degree at
the University of California, Berkeley, Fr. Stephan became active with the Newman Center on campus. Following his 2002 law school graduation, Fr. Stephan entered the Society of Jesus and was missioned to Loyola University Chicago, earning a master’s degree in pastoral studies in 2007. For his regency assignment, Fr. Stephan taught theology and history for one year at Verbum Dei High School, a Cristo Rey school serving boys in the Watts section of Los Angeles. For the next two years, he taught history to undergraduates at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles while also teaching a course at the university’s law school. In 2010, Fr. Stephan was missioned to the Boston College School of Theology and Ministry where he earned a Master of Divinity degree while serving as a deacon at St. Mary of the Assumption Parish in Brookline, Massachusetts. During his time in formation, Fr. Stephan has worked with the Ignatian Spirituality Project, which provides retreats for homeless men and women, and Contemplative Leaders in Action, an Ignatian leadership program for young professionals. (California Province)
Fr. Bret J. Stockdale, S.J., 37, was born and raised in Worcester, Massachusetts. A 1993 graduate of St. John’s High School in Shrewsbury, Massachusetts, Fr. Stockdale attended the University of New Hampshire, earning a bachelor’s degree in political science in 1997. Although Fr. Stockdale had begun discerning a vocation to the priesthood while still in college, he decided to embark on a business career directly after graduation. He worked for a year in the mutual fund industry and, realizing he was called elsewhere, accepted a position in the Office of Youth Ministry for the Diocese of Worcester in his hometown. For the next year, Fr. Stockdale organized retreats and special events for the diocese before next accepting a job as a youth minister at St. Luke the
Evangelist in Westborough, Massachusetts. While working at St. Luke’s Parish, Fr. Stockdale enrolled in the Master of Divinity program at the Boston College School of Theology and Ministry, where his classmates included students preparing to become Jesuit priests. His conversations with the Jesuits, combined with his work during the summer of 2002 at World Youth Day in Toronto, convinced Fr. Stockdale that his discernment was leading him to a vocation with the Society of Jesus. After two years at the Jesuit novitiate, Fr. Stockdale was missioned to Loyola University Chicago, where he earned a master’s degree in philosophy as well as a master’s degree in social work. For his regency assignment, Fr. Stockdale taught history and theology for two years at Fairfield College Preparatory School in Connecticut and worked with the school’s campus ministry office. Missioned next to the Boston College School of Theology and Ministry, where he had earned his Master of Divinity degree in 2003, Fr. Stockdale earned a Licentiate in Sacred Theology while serving as a deacon at St. Luke’s Parish, the same church where he worked as a youth minister more than a decade earlier. (New England Province)
Standing left to right: Frs. Jayme Stayer, Peter Folan, Michael Magree and Jeremy Zipple. Seated left to right: Frs. Stephen Surovick and Robert Stephan. Absent from photo: Fr. Bret Stockdale. Photo: John Gillooly
Fr. Stephen L. Surovick, S.J., 39, grew up in Voorhees, New Jersey. The oldest of three boys, Fr. Surovick graduated from Eastern Regional High School in 1992 and attended the University of Scranton in Pennsylvania, earning a bachelor’s degree in political science in 1996. Realizing that his true passion was public service, he held a variety of positions with nonprofit organizations. Eventually, Fr. Surovick served as an aide to the mayor of Cherry Hill, New Jersey, and later at the state level for New Jersey’s Department of Community
Affairs. Fr. Surovick actively discerned a vocation to the priesthood through the last two positions held, and in 2003 he entered the Society of Jesus. After the novitiate, he earned a master’s degree in applied philosophy in 2008 from Loyola University Chicago and was assigned to Washington, D.C.’s Gonzaga College High School for regency. A former high school baseball and soccer player, Fr. Surovick coached both sports at Gonzaga and also taught European and American history. Missioned to the Boston College School of Theology and Ministry in 2010, Fr. Surovick earned a Master of Divinity degree and, following ordination, will return to Boston to complete a Licentiate in Sacred Theology and continue his work as a deacon at Our Lady Help of Christians Parish in Newton, Massachusetts. Trained in spiritual direction, particularly the techniques for leading 8-day silent retreats, Fr. Surovick looks forward to continuing this work and pursuing his interest in public service and academics. (Maryland Province)
Fr. Jeremy K. Zipple, S.J., 35, is a native of Hattiesburg, Mississippi. A 1996 graduate of Hattiesburg High School, Fr. Zipple attended Boston College, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in economics with a minor in film and music. During his time at Boston College, Fr. Zipple worked in campus ministry, played piano for student liturgies and volunteered at a homeless shelter. He also came to know the Jesuits and to appreciate how the Society of Jesus offered a unique model of the priesthood, one that combined secular pursuits with a life of faith. Immediately following graduation, Fr. Zipple taught math and music to middle school students at St. Francis Cathedral School in Metuchen, New Jersey, before
entering the Society of Jesus in 2002. During his time in the novitiate, Fr. Zipple, who had an early and passionate interest in film production, worked on a PBS-aired documentary on the great Jesuit missionary, St. Francis Xavier. In 2004, he was missioned to New York’s Fordham University, earning a master’s degree in philosophy before beginning a three-year regency assignment with National Geographic Television in Washington, D.C. While traveling the world as a writer, producer and director for National Geographic, Fr. Zipple contributed to documentaries exploring a wide range of topics—from a lost Mayan civilization to the elusive quest for King Solomon’s mines. Since 2010, Fr. Zipple has been missioned to the Boston College School of Theology and Ministry where he earned a Master of Divinity degree while serving as a deacon at St. Joseph’s Parish in Belmont, Massachusetts. Following ordination, he will return to Boston to continue work on his Licentiate in Sacred Theology. His camera always at the ready, Fr. Zipple hopes to continue making documentaries on Jesuit, religious and cultural themes. (New Orleans Province)
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