The Maryland, New England & New York Provinces of t h e S o c i e t y o f J e s u s
50 Years a Jesuit CE L E B R A TIO N
2 0 1 3
Jubilarians
2013
The Maryland, New England & New York Provinces of t h e S o c i e t y o f J e s u s
Theodore C. Bender Pierce A. Brennan Thomas A. Colgan Charles B. Connolly James T. Dennehy Patrick F. Earl William B. Foley Donald C. Gannon Francis R. Herrmann John R. Hyatt James F. Joyce Joseph J. Kamiensky
John J. LaRocca Arthur R. Madigan Frederic A. Maples Dennis L. McNamara John A. Mullin Damian A. O’Connell James L. Pierce Thomas F. Sable Paul A. Schweitzer Francis E. Skechus Raymond M. Sweitzer Juan C. Villegas
The Maryland, New England & New York Provinces of t h e S ociety o f J es u s
50 Years a Jesuit C E L E B R A T I O N
2 0 1 3
4:30 p.m. Concelebrated Mass of Thanksgiving 5:30 p.m. Reception 6:30 p.m. Dinner
Welcome
Presentation of Gifts by Provincials
Theodore C. Bender, S.J. (NYK) ✝ Entrance February 1, 1963 ❦ Final Vows February 2, 1973
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riginally from Union City, N.J., Br. Theodore Bender graduated from Saint Joseph’s Grammar and High School. His service with the U.S. Air Force took him overseas to Korea and Japan. His contact with the Jesuits grew at Saint Peter’s College (now University), and he graduated in 1960. After working for two years with the New York City Department of Social Services, he entered the Society of Jesus at St. Andrew-on-Hudson. Br. Bender has served in many capacities on two continents. He assisted at the Catholic Medical Mission Board from 1966 to 1971 and as minister and secretary at the province office in New York City from 1972 to 1975. After pronouncing Final Vows on Feb. 2, 1973, he began missionary work first in Zambia, 1975 to 1979, and then in Nigeria, 1980 to 1984. On two assignments from 1994 to 2009, he worked diligently at the Jesuit Community and Shrine in Auriesville, N.Y., assuming such varied responsibilities as home health aide, cemetery assistant, and house consultor, as well as assistant to the superior of the Shrine. Br. Bender earned his license as a practical nurse and has used these skills in the service of others. In every assignment, he carried out the various community and apostolic duties with zeal, dedication and attention to all, even the smallest details. One aspect of his varied ministry stood out as exemplary, namely his care for the elderly. That led to his present ministry as assistant for the infirm at the Campion Health Center in Weston, Mass. Together with dedication to the sick and elderly, Br. Bender maintains an interest in what he calls his favorite distractions, classic western movies from the 40’s to the 60’s.
Pierce A. Brennan, S.J. (NYK) ✝ Entrance July 30, 1963 ✹ Ordination June 12, 1976 ❦ Final Vows June 29, 1986
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r. Pierce Brennan was born in Brooklyn, N.Y. on Sept. 28, 1944. He traveled to Manhattan and attended Regis High School. Upon graduation in 1963, he entered the Society of Jesus at Saint Andrew-onHudson. The usual course of studies included Juniorate there, followed by the study of philosophy and humanities at Loyola Seminary, Shrub Oak, N.Y. During Regency, he taught English at Xavier High School and then at Regis while earning his master’s degree in film from New York University in 1973.
In preparation for the priesthood, he studied theology at Woodstock College, N.Y. from 1972 to 1975 and earned the Master of Divinity With Distinction in June 1975. He was ordained by Cardinal Cooke on June 12, 1976 at the Fordham University Church. He was assigned as associate pastor of Saint Ignatius Parish, Brooklyn, from 1976 to 1978. He later returned to the classroom and taught English and cinema/film at Fordham Prep from 1978 to 1999. Fr. Brennan continued in the same apostolate at Xavier High School from 2000 to 2004. He taught English and was acting superior and then superior of the Xavier Jesuit community from 2004 to 2009. Since 2009, he has been in the Bronx, first at Loyola Hall, and, since 2012, at Murray-Weigel Hall where he is engaged in Pastoral Ministry and assists regularly at Saint Anthony’s Parish, Oceanside, N.Y. Fr. Brennan's love of the arts has been noted and appreciated by close friends, especially his fellow Jesuits in the Society.
Thomas A. Colgan, S.J. (ORE) ✝ Entrance September 7, 1963 ✹ Ordination June 14, 1975 ❦ Final Vows December 8, 1985
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ix days before Christmas in the year 1943, Fr. Tom Colgan entered this world in Yakima, Wash. After completing secondary education at Marquette High School in Yakima, he entered the Society of Jesus at the Novitiate of St. Francis Xavier at Sheridan, Oregon. He studied Philosophy at Mount Saint Michael at Gonzaga University, Spokane, Wash., and earned his master’s degree in history from Seattle University in 1971. For his Regency, Fr. Colgan taught from 1970 to 1972 at Loyola High School, Missoula, Montana. In preparation for the priesthood, he studied theology at Regis College, Toronto, receiving his Master of Divinity degree in 1975. He was ordained to the priesthood on June 14, 1975, at Saint Aloysius Church in Spokane, Wash. As a priest he has served in a variety of ministries including teaching, the healing ministry, community organizing and parish work. Sharpening his skills for ministry, he earned a master’s degree in counseling psychology from Gonzaga University and a certificate for training in counseling those with chemical dependency. This led to several years of ministry with Native Americans in Washington. From 1991 to 2005, he was the co-director of the Kateri NW Ministry Institute in Spokane, training Native Americans in Catholicism and spirituality, and making educational opportunities available for them. In 2006, Fr. Colgan headed east to Canisius College, in Buffalo, N.Y. where he is an associate campus minister and promoter of vocations. Here he shares his gifts as a spiritual guide. His instruction on Ignatian discernment and his promotion and direction of Nineteenth Annotation retreats have created much interest in Ignatian spirituality among his lay colleagues at Canisius.
Charles B. Connolly, S.J. (NEN) ✝ Entrance July 30, 1963 ✹ Ordination June 8, 1974 ❦ Final Vows June 12, 1986
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native of Arlington, Massachusetts, Fr. Charles Connolly is a 1963 graduate of Boston College High School. He entered the Society of Jesus on July 30, 1963 at Shadowbrook, in Lenox, Mass., the Novitiate and Juniorate of the New England Province. While living at Weston College, he completed philosophy studies and a bachelor’s degree at Boston College and was then assigned to Regency at Boston College High School as a teacher of French. While continuing his studies over the summer months, he obtained a master’s degree from Creighton University in institutional administration.
Theology studies were completed at the Pontifical Gregorian University, Rome, while living at the Collegio Internazionale del Gesù, and he was ordained a priest at Saint Ignatius Church, Chestnut Hill, Mass., on June 8, 1974, by Cardinal Humberto Medeiros, Archbishop of Boston. During his ministry, Fr. Connolly has served as Minister of the Jesuit Community for almost 20 years in four different communities: College of the Holy Cross, Worcester, Mass.; Jesuit School of Theology, Berkeley, Calif.; the Jesuit Urban Center, Boston; and Loyola House, also in Boston. He has been missioned also as Director of Housing at the College of the Holy Cross, as Director of Alumni at Boston College High School, and served for five years as president of Cheverus High School, Portland, Maine. Currently Fr. Connolly resides at Loyola House, Boston, and is working at the province offices as the associate director of advancement. He is an active minister at parishes of the Archdiocese of Boston and spends his summer weekends at a parish on Cape Cod.
James T. Dennehy, S.J. (NYK) ✝ Entrance February 1, 1963 ❦ Final Vows February 2, 1980
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r. James Dennehy was born on Feb. 11, 1940 in Buffalo, N.Y. of Daniel and Dorothy (Baker) Dennehy. Remaining in the northeast, he entered the Society of Jesus on Feb. 1, 1963 at Ignatius College, Guelph, Ontario. Two years later, he pronounced First Vows there on Feb. 2, 1965. He then undertook two years of collegiate studies while residing at Saint Andrew Hall, Syracuse, N.Y. From 1967 to 2000, with the exception of one year at Auriesville, Jim has been assigned to the Jesuit communities at Canisius High School and Canisius College in Buffalo, N.Y. During this period, he completed his Tertianship and pronounced his Final Vows on Feb. 2, 1980 at Canisius High School. His work often takes places behind the scenes. Over these many years, Jim, in addition to caring for buildings as a machinist, electrician and custodian, has taken on many other responsibilities in finances and computer services. He is well known for assisting Jesuits who are not expert at using computers. Since 2000, he has shared his wisdom and skills as treasurer at Saint Michael’s Parish in Buffalo, N.Y. Following in the long tradition of Jesuit brothers, Jim’s skills, expertise and dedication have enabled Jesuits to carry out their missions and apostolic activities for the Church and the Society.
Patrick F. Earl, S.J. (MAR) ✝ Entrance September 7, 1963 ✹ Ordination June 1, 1974 ❦ Final Vows April 11, 1987
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atrick Earl was born and raised in Philadelphia, attending St. Joseph’s Prep & College (now University). After graduation, he entered the Society at Wernersville in 1963 and proceeded with the formation program of philosophy studies at Shrub Oak while pursuing a master’s degree in history at Fordham. Regency brought him back to Philadelphia and the Prep where he taught world history through 1969. For a third year of Regency he did a special year of philosophy studies at Boston College. The year also introduced him to the new experience of small community living with three other Jesuits in Newton Center. Theology studies were done in Germany at the Theologische Hochschule Sankt Georgen in Frankfurt-am-Main from 1970 to 1974. These four years became foundational for Pat – a time when he learned there were ways of thinking, feeling, living and speaking beyond the inherited categories of North America. He returned to be ordained in Baltimore in 1974. Fr. Earl returned to Philadelphia for his first years as a priest, to the Prep and to the College where he was an assistant academic dean. The next two years were spent as minister to the Jesuit community at Weston School of Theology in Cambridge. Pursuing some of the insights gained at Sankt Georgen, he did doctoral studies in theology and spirituality at the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, California from 1978 to 1983. His dissertation topic was a comparative study of Ignatius’ and Luther’s understanding of the freedom of the Christian. He returned to St. Joseph’s University to teach in the theology department though 1988. He was asked by the provincial to be formation director for the Maryland Province from 1988 to 1994. After completing six years in that position he remained in Baltimore at Loyola College as rector, while also teaching in the theology department and eventually becoming director of campus ministry through 2000. He then returned to Berkeley for a sabbatical year during which he also enjoyed revisiting Germany. Pat began a new ministry of pastoral work at Holy Trinity Parish in Georgetown in 2001 and remained there until 2009 when the provincial asked him to serve as pastor of St. Peter Parish in Charlotte, NC. He continues to be happily there in a parish known for its social consciousness and proud of its Jesuit heritage since 1986. The people of the parish inspire him with their love and zeal.
William B. Foley, S.J. (NEN) ✝ Entrance July 30, 1963 ✝ Ordination May 29, 1977 ❦ Final Vows June 12, 1986
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illiam Foley was born in Boston, Massachusetts on February 2, 1946 and graduated from Boston College High School in 1963. He entered the Society of Jesus on July 30, 1963 at Shadowbrook in Lenox, Mass., where he completed the Novitiate and Juniorate of the New England Province. He received bachelor’s degrees in philosophy and pre-med from Boston College in 1969 and a master’s degree in biological science in 1970. In 1974, he earned his Doctor of Medicine at Georgetown Medical School and was assigned to St. Christopher Hospital for Children in Philadelphia as a pediatric intern for one year. From 1975 to 1977, Fr. Foley completed Theology at Weston Jesuit School of Theology in Cambridge, Mass. and worked as an emergency room pediatrician at Kennedy Memorial Hospital. He was ordained a priest May 29, 1977. During his first two years as a priest he completed his pediatric residency and neonatal-perinatal fellowship at Boston Medical Center. On two assignments from 1979 to 1984, he served as neo-perinatal fellow and staff neonatologist at Tufts Medical Center and then in Belize, Central America, as Deputy Minister of Pediatric Health. In 1984 Fr. Foley returned to the U.S. and was assigned to St. Luke Catholic Medical Center and Temple Medical Center in Camden, N.J. as a pediatrician, neonatologist and Camden diocese pastoral minister. Over the next nine years, he was assigned to Boys Hope Girls Hope International as director, pastoral minister and pediatrician, neonatologist at St. Louis University and Washington University. During this time he also served the parish ministry at All Souls Church in St. Louis. His next assignment, in 2006, brought Fr. Foley back to Boston Medical Center and Tufts Medical Center where he served as pediatrician, neonatologist. On February 2, 2013 he retired from medical practice but continues neonatal consultation. He also serves as chaplain at Campion Health Center in Weston, Mass., and in parish ministry at St. Thomas Aquinas and St. Charles Borromeo.
Donald C. Gannon, S.J. (NYK) ✝ Entrance July 30, 1963 ✹ Ordination June 12, 1976 ❦ Final Vows February 2, 1984
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r. Gannon was born in Brooklyn, N.Y. on Sept. 13, 1943 and moved to Baldwin, Long Island at age 8. He attended Regis High School from 1959 to 1963 and entered the Society of Jesus on July 30, 1963 in Poughkeepsie, N.Y. From 1966 to 1969, he studied philosophy and math at Loyola Seminary, Shrub Oak, N.Y. After one year of math studies at the University of Washington in Seattle, he shared this wisdom by teaching math for two years at St. Peter’s Prep in Jersey City, N.J. He later earned his master’s degree in math from Fordham University while living at the house of studies, Murray-Weigel Hall.
On the path to priesthood, he studied theology at the Weston Jesuit School of Theology in Cambridge, Mass., earning a master’s degree in divinity in 1976. After ordination on June 12, 1976, he was assigned to Saint Ignatius Retreat House, Manhasset and served there from 1976 to 1984. Don preached and directed retreats, gave spiritual direction and was a support person for Single Parent Family community. From 1981 to 1984, he served as superior and director of the retreat house. In 1984, Fr. Gannon returned to the novitiate, Saint Andrew Hall in Syracuse, N.Y. He served as assistant novice director for one year and as novice director for six years. He made several journeys to the Dominican Republic with the novices, and was active in ministry in San Lorenzo Parish in Cutupu, Dominican Republic. He returned to New York City in 1992 and was assigned to the Church of the Nativity in lower Manhattan. He served as assistant pastor and then as pastor. He lived with the Xavier Jesuit community, and was rector from 1993 to 1999. From 2006 to 2011, he was superior of the 14th Street Jesuit Community where his apostolic work focused on Spiritual Exercises programs with Latinos. In 2011, Fr. Gannon moved to Long Island. He is currently associate pastor at Saint Anthony’s Parish in Oceanside, N.Y. with special responsibility for the Hispanic community. He has shown great versatility in his life and ministry as a Jesuit. Sharing the treasure of the Spiritual Exercises and working with Hispanics have always been at the heart of his Jesuit ministry.
Francis R. Herrmann, S.J. (NYK) ✝ Entrance July 30, 1963 ✹ Ordination June 8, 1974 ❦ Final Vows May 2, 1984
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r. Frank Herrmann was born in the Bronx on August 25, 1945. He attended Xavier High School from 1959 to 1963 and entered the Society at Saint Andrew-on-Hudson upon graduation. Following First Vows and Juniorate studies, he proceeded to Loyola Seminary, Shrub Oak, N.Y. to study philosophy and humanities from 1966 to 1969. For his Regency, he returned to his alma mater, Xavier, and taught English and German from 1969 to 1971. He remained in New York City and prepared for priestly ordination by studying theology at Woodstock College from 1971 to 1974, receiving the Master of Divinity With Distinction. He was ordained to the priesthood on June 8, 1974 at Fordham University Church.
Soon after ordination, Frank’s career took a new turn as he studied civil law at Boston College, receiving his Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree in 1977. He remained in Boston and worked in the public defender’s office from 1977 to 1988. While he had more than enough to keep him occupied in Boston, sharing his varied talents and gifts, he interrupted his time there and responded generously to the call of the Society to serve as rector at Le Moyne College in Syracuse, N.Y. from 1988 to 1991. He returned to Boston in 1991 as professor of Civil Law and was rector of the large Jesuit community at Saint Mary’s Hall from 1997 to 2003. Frank has been generous with his time and legal expertise, always ready to help a student, a person in need, or a Jesuit seeking advice. And he does this quietly, with expertise, and with a smile.
John R. Hyatt, S.J. (NYK) ✝ Entrance July 30, 1963 ✹ Ordination May 29, 1977 ❦ Final Vows August 15, 1992
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ohn played the piano, the clarinet and the saxophone. After graduating from high school in Syracuse, N.Y. in 1963, which career path would he choose, music or literature, given his love of classical and modern languages? God had other plans for John. Responding to the Holy Spirit, but without knowing any Jesuits, John entered the Buffalo Province and began his Novitiate at Plattsburgh, N.Y. After receiving a bachelor’s degree from Boston College in 1969, John earned a master’s degree in French at UCLA and then bicycled across Canada. Following three intensely satisfying years of theology at Weston College in Cambridge, Mass., John received his M.Div. He was ordained to the priesthood on May 29, 1977 in Worcester, Mass. During a pastoral year in a parish near Boston, the Spirit spoke and called John to parish ministry, leading him to work in poor parishes with immigrant populations. He studied Spanish in Mexico and Puerto Rico, and then worked with people from Puerto Rico and the Philippines in Saint Peter’s Parish, Jersey City, N.J. After Tertianship in Australia, he was sent to Brooklyn and served as pastor for 12 years at Saint Ignatius Parish -- a lively parish with people from all the islands of the West Indies. Continuing the work which he had begun in Brooklyn, Fr. Hyatt spent two years in the Dominican Republic, working in the mountains near the country’s remote border with Haiti. After life in the Caribbean, John walked across Spain making the pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela. Then he moved to Staten Island, where he serves the borough’s growing Latino population. He serves there today as associate pastor of Saint Mary of the Assumption Parish. His tireless service to these immigrant faith communities of the New York City area is a testimony to his faith in the Lord and of his commitment to the Society of Jesus and its commitment to serving the neediest.
James F. Joyce, S.J. (NYK) ✝ Entrance July 30, 1963 ✹ Ordination June 14, 1975 ❦ Final Vows November 5, 1979
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ames Francis Joyce was born and grew up in Brooklyn, N.Y. After graduating from Saint Saviour’s Parish School, he attended Regis and picked up the nickname “B.” He entered the Society of Jesus in 1963 at Saint Andrew-on-Hudson; and studied philosophy at Loyola Seminary, Shrub Oak, N.Y. and at Saint Louis University. During Regency, he taught and coached several sports teams at Saint Peter’s Prep in Jersey City, N.J. He earned a master’s degree in history from Seton Hall University and studied theology at Woodstock College, N.Y. and in Toronto.
He was ordained to the priesthood on June 14, 1975 at Fordham University Church. Jim directed the Spiritual Exercises at Mount Manresa Jesuit Retreat House on Staten Island. Tertianship was in Ireland, where he also worked for the Glencree Reconciliation Centre, spending a good deal of time in Belfast, during the Troubles. Returning to the United States, Jim worked in Times Square with Under-21, a Covenant House Program. He served as part-time chaplain at Riker’s Island, the Manhattan House of Detention for Men, the Tombs and at the Jesuit Office on Wall Street. Jim’s work for the province included social justice advocacy, and at times, personnel responsibilities. He served on many committees for the Society of Jesus at national and provincial levels. Jim later served at St. Peter’s Prep as president from 1990 to 1994. A sabbatical took him to the Holy Land and to West Africa with the Jesuit Refugee Service. Assigned to Buffalo, he was Pastor at Saint Ann’s Parish, an inner-city parish with many African refugees. There he started a Nativity/Miguel model middle school. From 2009 to 2012, he served as superior of Murray-Weigel Hall Jesuit community. Currently “B” serves as chaplain in Baltimore, Md. at Mercy Medical Center. His outgoing personality, wit, energy, size and prayerfulness are key components for his varied ministries in service to God's people, especially the needy and underserved. He noted in a definite understatement: “My assignments, trying to serve the Lord, have seldom been dull.”
Joseph J. Kamiensky, S.J. (NYK) ✝ Entrance August 14, 1963 ✹ Ordination June 11, 1977 ❦ Final Vows April 22, 1986
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r. Joseph J. Kamiensky (known as Len to his Jesuit brothers) was born in Jersey City, N.J. on September 5, 1945. The Jesuits at St. Peter’s Prep must have influenced him positively, as he entered the Society at St. Andrewon-Hudson, Poughkeepsie, N.Y. following graduation in 1963. He pronounced his First Vows on August 15, 1965 and later traveled south to Colombia for language and college studies from 1965 to 1967 in Bogota at the Pontificia Universidad Javeriana.
Upon returning to the United States, he completed his philosophy studies and a master’s degree in math education at New York University in 1971. For Regency, he taught math at Xavier High School from 1971 to 1974. He studied theology at Weston Jesuit School of Theology in Cambridge, Mass. from 1974 to 1977 earning his Master of Divinity degree. He was ordained to the priesthood on June 11, 1977 at Fordham University Church. As a newly ordained priest, he served at Saint James Church in Arlington, Mass. From the pulpit, Fr. Kamiensky returned to the podium, teaching primarily math first at Regis High School, and then at Canisius High School in Buffalo, N.Y. He taught many other subjects as well, including religious studies and Spanish while also serving as chaplain in those institutions. In 2006, he moved downstate to Fordham Prep in the Bronx, where he continues his deep commitment to the work of secondary education while teaching Math. Len’s efforts to incorporate new technology and new methods of teaching into the classroom have been much appreciated. He has also shared his Jesuit life and spirituality with the lay men and women with whom he has worked as a teacher and as a chaplain. His commitment to his Jesuit brothers has been greatly appreciated.
John J. LaRocca, S.J. (NYK) ✝ Entrance July 30, 1963 ✹ Ordination September 6, 1975 ❦ Final Vows April 13, 1982
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ohn LaRocca was born in Queens and studied at Our Lady of Sorrows Grade School in Corona. He attended Xavier High School where he met the Society of Jesus, although he and his father were baptized by Jesuits. He entered the Society at Saint Andrew-on-Hudson on July 30, 1963. In 1966, he moved to Loyola Seminary, Shrub Oak, N.Y. He was a member of its last graduating class. During Regency, he lived at Xavier High School while attending Rutgers University where he received an M.A. in History in 1971. He studied theology at Weston and was ordained in 1975 at Saint Francis Xavier Church, in New York City. He received a Ph.D. in history from Rutgers University in 1977 while working part-time at Xavier High School. Since 1977, Fr. LaRocca has been at Xavier University in Cincinnati, Ohio. He has taught countless sections of western civilization and upper division courses in Tudor-Stuart England, church history and the history of the Jesuits. He has also worked in campus ministry and lived in residence halls for all but one of his 36 years there. He was rector of the Jesuit community from 2004 to 2010. While teaching at Xavier University, he has served as chairman of the history department and has led a support group for gay and lesbian students and helped found the gay–straight alliance. He is well known for his Friday pasta nights. To the surprise of most of his contemporaries, he has been the chaplain of athletics since 1985. For 40 of his 50 years in the Society, he has lived in institutions under the patronage of Saint Francis Xavier. While on sabbatical in 1984, Fr. LaRocca lived in a diocesan parish in North London populated by immigrants and has regularly returned there. While in Milan one year for Holy Week, he began reading a book by Carlo Maria Martini, S.J. which set him in a new direction. When he retires, he plans to translate into English as many of Cardinal Martini’s works as possible.
Arthur R. Madigan, S.J. (NYK) ✝ Entrance July 30, 1963 ✹ Ordination June 11, 1977 ❦ Final Vows April 15, 1984
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rthur Madigan was born on Jan., 4, 1946 in Ann Arbor, Mich. He graduated from Regis High School in New York City in 1963 and has lived and worked most of his life in the eastern United States. After graduating from high school, he entered the Society of Jesus at Saint Andrew-onHudson on the eve of the feast of Saint Ignatius, July 30, 1963. He pronounced his First Vows and completed the Juniorate program there in 1966. He studied philosophy at Loyola Seminary, Shrub Oak from 1966 to 1969. In place of the usual Regency experience of teaching, Arthur continued his study of philosophy at the University of Toronto, receiving his master’s degree in 1971. He remained in Toronto to study theology for the priesthood at Regis College, earning his Bachelor of Sacred Theology and Master of Divinity degrees in 1979. He was ordained to the priesthood at the Fordham University Church on June 11, 1977. The following year he returned to Toronto and received his Ph.D. in 1979. In 1979, in addition to preaching from the pulpit, Fr. Madigan moved to the classroom. He taught philosophy at Boston College in a long and distinguished career from 1979 to 2002 and beyond. On several occasions, his teaching at Boston College was complemented by fellowships and teaching positions at Marquette University, John Carroll University and other institutions. In 2002, responding to the need and call, he received a leave of absence from Boston College. He moved to Le Moyne College in Syracuse, N.Y. and served as rector of the Jesuit community there from 2002 to 2005. He returned to Boston in 2005. Fr. Madigan has served on many committees at Boston College and as a consultant for several philosophical societies (American, Catholic and Jesuit). He has contributed to many scholarly publications focused on the works of Aristotle and his commentators. Wherever he is living, whatever work he is engaged in, Arthur does everything graciously and with a smile.
Frederic A. Maples, S.J. (NEN) ✝ Entrance August 14, 1963 ✹ Ordination May 27, 1972 ❦ Final Vows December 3, 1978
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rederic Maples was born in Sturgeon Bay,Wis. on December 28, 1940. During his father’s career as a military officer, Fred lived in many places including Nanjing, China; Arlington, Va; Fort Knox, Ky. and Honolulu, Hawaii. He attended six different elementary schools and two high schools, including Saint Louis High School in Honolulu and Harriton Senior High School in Lower Marion, Pa. Fred graduated from Amherst College in Massachusetts in 1963 and entered the Society at Shadowbrook later in the year. After Novitiate he studied philosophy at Weston College, obtaining a Master of Arts from Boston College. He taught philosophy at Fairfield University during Regency, and studied Theology at Weston College in Cambridge. He was ordained in 1972. Fred spent a year training in community organizing at Saul Alinsky’s Industrial Areas Foundation in Chicago and worked as an organizer in the Boston area. Following Tertianship (1976-77), and a year as chaplain at Loyola University of Chicago’s Rome Center, he went on for training in analytical psychology at the C.G. Jung Institute of Chicago, receiving his diploma in 1984. Since that time he has practiced as a Jungian analyst and spiritual director. Through this practice he ministered to the ministers of the Lakota people in Rapid City, S.D. (1990-97). He continued both practices at the Loyola Spirituality Center in St. Paul, Minn. for ten years (19972007) and since then has been chaplain to the Daughters of the Charity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in Littleton, N.H. while maintaining a small private practice. In his fifty years as a Jesuit, two experiences in particular have deepened Fr. Maples contemplation and enabled him to encounter the Gospels and the Christ in new ways. Living alone in Rapid City, ministering to the Lakota people and giving daily homilies to the Sisters in Littleton have been times of special joy.
Dennis L. McNamara, S.J. (WIS) ✝ Entrance August 14, 1963 ✹ Ordination May 27, 1972 ❦ Final Vows December 3, 1978
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ennis McNamara grew up in a suburb of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and attended Marquette University High School. Upon graduation, he joined the Society of Jesus on September 1, 1963. He received a classical Bachelor of Arts degree from St. Louis University in 1969, and then departed for three years of Regency to teach at Sogang University in Seoul, South Korea. He returned to the United States for theology at the Jesuit School of Theology at Berkeley in 1974. He completed the Master of Divinity and Master of Sacred Theology before receiving a Ph.D. in sociology from Harvard in 1983. Dennis joined the faculty of sociology at Georgetown University in 1984, and later was appointed to the Park Chair of Korean Studies in Georgetown’s School of Foreign Service. In 2007, the university president asked him to take his present position as Special Assistant for China Affairs. He is a resident in Beijing annually for the spring semester. Across more than two decades, he has chaired the Korea Advanced Area Studies at the U.S. Department of State. He has also been active as a member of the Council on Foreign Relations in New York City. Fr. McNamara's record of scholarship includes six books, numerous scholarly articles, and lectures and courses in Washington, Beijing, Seoul, and Bangkok.
John A. Mullin, S.J. (NYK) ✝ Entrance July 30, 1963 ✹ Ordination June 14, 1976 ❦ Final Vows April 26, 1981
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ohn Mullin was born in Brooklyn, N.Y. on Nov. 6, 1945. He completed secondary school at the now closed Brooklyn Prep which was the root of his Jesuit vocation. He entered the Novitiate, Saint Andrew-on-Hudson on July 30, 1963. Following First Vows, he continued his studies at Loyola Seminary, Shrub Oak, N.Y., and then at Weston College, Weston, Mass. In 1969, he lived and taught at Boston College. He also earned a master’s degree in biology from Boston College in 1971. He studied theology at Weston College from 1972 to 1975, receiving the Master in Divinity with High Distinction in 1975.
Fr. Mullin was ordained to the priesthood on June 14, 1975 at Fordham University Church. As a young priest, he taught theology and served as chaplain at Saint Peter’s Prep in Jersey City, N.J. where he also assisted at the parish. After a sabbatical year at Loyola College (now University), Baltimore, Md., where he studied counseling, he served as director of campus ministries at Saint Peter’s College (now University) in Jersey City, N.J. from 1987 to 1990. He later served in the same role at Fordham University for ten years from 1990 to 2000. Following Fordham University, he was an associate pastor at St. Francis Xavier Church in New York City from 2001 to 2003. He then returned to St. Peter’s Prep in 2003 as student guidance counselor and continues in that role. He was the superior of the Jesuit community from 2005 to 2011. In retreats, and as guidance counselor, Fr. Mullin has helped generations of students, like the two disciples on the road to Emmaus, to experience Christ’s presence in the Eucharist and in their lives. In Jesuit communities, in addition to his abilities to effectively organize and manage the physical plant, he has provided continual encouragement, support and example as a friend and companion to his Jesuit brothers.
Damian A. O’Connell, S.J. (NYK) ✝ Entrance August 14, 1963 ✹ Ordination June 14, 1975 ❦ Final Vows July 31, 1988
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he basic facts of Fr. Damian O'Connell’s life follow the typical path of formation; Fordham Prep (1958 to 1962), Novitiate at Saint Andrew-on-Hudson (1963 to 1966), Philosophy at Shrub Oak (1966 to 1969), Regency at Canisius High (1970 to 1972), a small diversion for theology at Regis College, Toronto, with priestly ordination on June 14, 1975 at Fordham University Church. He then entered ministry in two lands – South Dakota and Majuro in the Marshall Islands – followed by assignments in New York City, Syracuse, and Rochester. He now serves at Saint Patrick’s Cathedral as associate priest and in ministry to priests. But what has gone on between the lines? Damian recalls faces long gone and places far away. He explains: “There is Jimmy Good Shield, stabbed to death on the Rosebud Indian Reservation. Deacon Victor Bull Bear, who gave me my native name; Napthali, who lost an arm to a shark and a son to sickness; Sister Dorothy, my indispensable Marshallese voice. There are those people I worked with to prepare for baptism and welcomed into the Church at St. Ignatius. There is the time spent in campus ministry when the university was the parish, and now the work of the great cathedral, ministry to the priests of the New York Archdiocese. There is deep gratitude for the dedication of the Jesuits who introduced me to Ignatius and who were my teachers, my classmates, and friends. There is the love of my brother and sisters.” Damian continues to ask the question Ignatius asks: “What have I done for Christ? Not much. What am I doing for Christ? Trying to be faithful and failing often. What will I do for Christ? With His help, anything He asks.” He continues as a companion of Jesus, loving those He loves, and doing what He loves to do. Gratitude is his deepest feeling, well expressed by the poet, George Herbert: “Thou that hast given so much to me, Give one thing more, a grateful heart….Not thankful, when it pleaseth me; As if thy blessings had spare days: But such a heart, whose pulse may be Thy praise.”
James L. Pierce, S.J. (NYK) ✝ Entrance July 30, 1963 ✹ Ordination June 11, 1977 ❦ Final Vows April 22, 1987
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ames Pierce, a Brooklyn native, was born on Dec. 2, 1944, the vigil of the feast of Saint Francis Xavier. He attended Brooklyn Technical High School (Brooklyn Tech) from 1958 to 1962. Desiring to enter the Society, he attended St. Philip Neri School in Boston, Mass. from 1962 to 1963 to study Latin. With his newfound wisdom, he entered the Jesuit Novitiate of St. Andrew-on-Hudson in 1963. Following First Vows and Juniorate studies, he continued at Loyola Seminary, Shrub Oak, and then completed his philosophy studies at Weston College, Weston, Mass. For Regency, he taught physics and math at Canisius High, Buffalo, from 1970 to 1972. He then moved to the midwest, first to study physics at DePaul University from 1972 to 1974 followed by theology. He was a student at the Jesuit School of Theology in Chicago from 1974 to 1978, receiving the Bachelor of Sacred Theology and Master of Divinity degrees. He was ordained to the priesthood by Cardinal Cooke at the Fordham University Church on June 11, 1977. Always close to his parishioners in many African-American communities, Fr. Pierce has served as an assistant parish priest in Chicago, Buffalo and at Saint Aloysius Church in New York from 1985 to 1994. While there, he also served as the Archdiocesan Vicar for Harlem in the Archdiocese of New York. In 1994, he moved to the Jesuit Community at Xavier High School and assisted in campus ministry at Fordham University, Lincoln Center campus. Beginning in 1997, Fr. Pierce served as superior and pastor at St. Ann Parish in Buffalo, N.Y. In 2003, he was assigned to Xavier Jesuit Community in New York. This was the base for pastoral ministry at Christ the King Parish in Jersey City, N.J. and in improving and sharing his expertise with computers. Through his creative homilies, through individual counseling and working with teams, his leadership and empowerment of the African-American community has touched many.
Thomas F. Sable, S.J. (NYK) ✝ Entrance July 30, 1963 ✹ Ordination June 29, 1975 ❦ Final Vows February 2, 1987
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orn and raised in Rochester N.Y., Thomas Sable attended Saint Stanislaus Parish and School. He graduated from McQuaid Jesuit High School in 1959 and entered the Society of Jesus at Bellarmine College, Plattsburgh N.Y. on July 30, 1963. He completed collegiate studies at Shadowbrook, Lenox, Mass. in 1965, and philosophy at Weston College, Weston, Mass. He commuted daily to Boston College for classes.
Caught up briefly in the anti-war movement of the late 1960s, he moved from his first year Regency at McQuaid to his second year at Canisius High School in Buffalo, N.Y. He enjoyed coaching the debate team at both schools. He earned a master’s degree in Russian languages and linguistics from Georgetown University in 1972 and then went overseas to study theology in Rome. There he learned to drink espresso and keep his professors more than busy while at the Gregorian University. Fr. Sable finished his theological studies at the Jesuit School of Theology in Chicago, Ill. earning his Master of Divinity degree. He was ordained in the Byzantine Ruthenian Rite in 1975 by Bishop Michael J. Dudick. He has enjoyed working in various Byzantine parishes ever since. After obtaining his doctorate in American Catholic History from the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, Calif., he taught briefly at Fordham University, residing at the John XXIII Ecumenical Center. He began teaching theology at the University of Scranton in 1985. Fr. Sable continues there at the Center for Eastern Christian Studies, in Ciszek Hall, dedicated to the memory of Fr. Walter Ciszek, S.J. On weekends, he celebrates the Eucharist in local parishes according to the Latin Rite and the Byzantine Rite.
Paul A. Schweitzer, S.J. (NEN) ✝ Entrance September 1, 1963 ✹ Ordination May 30, 1970 ❦ Final Vows August 11, 1977
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aul Schweitzer was born in Brooklyn, N.Y. on July 21, 1937. He graduated from the College of the Holy Cross with a Bachelor of Science degree in 1958 and earned a Ph.D. in mathematics from Princeton University in 1962. He entered the Society of Jesus on September 1, 1963 and completed his Novitiate at Shadowbrook in Lenox, Mass. in 1964. From 1964 to 1966, he studied philosophy at Weston College, received his Licentiate in Philosophy from Boston College and taught math at Fairfield University. He completed his Bachelor of Divinity degree from Weston School of Theology in 1970 and was ordained a priest on May 30, 1970 at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church in Pelham, N.Y. Over the next 11 years, Fr. Schweitzer taught math at the Pontifical Catholic University in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, at Harvard University in Cambridge, Mass. and at the University of Strasbourg in France. He returned to the U. S. from 1981 to 1982 on sabbatical at the Institute for Advanced Studies in Mathematics at Princeton University. In 1983 he received a Doctor of Science degree, (Honoris Causa) from the College of the Holy Cross. From 1982 through 1989 he was assigned to the Pontifical Catholic University in Rio de Janeiro where he served as a math professor and engaged in research on topology. Fr. Schweitzer returned to the U.S. for the 1989 - 1990 academic year to hold the Gasson Chair as Professor of Mathematics, and also continued his research on topology. From 1990 to present, he has lived and served in Rio de Janeiro as math professor, math department chair, topology researcher, Spiritual Advisor for Loyola Project for Faith and Culture and Vocation Promoter. He is currently emeritus professor of mathematics at Pontifical Catholic University and the regional ecclesiastical assistant for the Christian Life Community in Rio de Janeiro.
Francis E. Skechus, S.J. (MAR) ✝ Entrance July 30, 1963 ✹ Ordination June 7, 1975 ❦ Final Vows August 15, 1998
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r. Francis Skechus was one of nine siblings born to the late Ursula and Frank Skechus from Pittston, Pa. After graduating from Pittston High School, Frank earned a bachelor’s degree in science and a master’s degree in chemistry from the University of Scranton. He entered the Novitiate of Saint Isaac Jogues in July, 1965. Afterward, he studied philosophy at Shrub Oak, N.Y. and Weston, Mass. For two years Frank served Regency in Osorno, Chile where he taught mostly scientific subjects and then spent approximately a year and a half in Mexico involved in a number of projects in the social apostolate. For the next three years Frank studied theology at Woodstock in New York City and in 1975 was ordained a priest in Baltimore, Md. For the following three years he worked with the primarily Hispanic population in north Philadelphia developing areas of education, recreation and employment. In 1978, Frank was able to complete an accelerated nursing program at St. Louis University and received a Bachelor of Science in Nursing in 1979. He then returned to Philadelphia and for the next seventeen years was engaged in psychiatric nursing at Temple University Hospital. Fr. Skechus finished his active apostolate of teaching science and Spanish at St. Joseph Prep for some twenty-eight years. At present he is engaged in pastoral ministry while residing in the Jesuit community at the University of Scranton.
Raymond M. Sweitzer, S.J. (NYK) ✝ Entrance July 30, 1963 ✹ Ordination June 14, 1975 ❦ Final Vows May 1, 1984
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aymond Sweitzer was born in Queens, N.Y. on May 5, 1947. He attended Regis High School and upon graduation entered the Society at Saint Andrew-onHudson on July 30, 1963. Following his profession of First Vows in 1965 and one year of Juniorate, he studied at Loyola Seminary, Shrub Oak from 1966 to 1968 followed by one year at Weston College, in Weston, Mass. During Regency, he studied history at Columbia University and taught history and German at Regis High School from 1970 to 1972. The time for theology came, and Raymond moved to Woodstock College, N.Y., earning the Master of Divinity degree with High Distinction in 1975. He was ordained to the priesthood on June 14, 1975 at Fordham University Church. After a year of studies in Mainz, Germany, Fr. Sweitzer returned to New York and taught German and French at Regis from 1976 to 1984. He later taught modern languages at Canisius High School in Buffalo, N.Y. and then at St. Peter’s Prep in Jersey City, N.J. From 1991 to 2000, he lived at the house of studies for Jesuits, Ciszek Hall, in the Bronx, and served in several administrative positions in the Jesuit community while continuing his teaching at Fordham Prep. In 2000, he moved to Kohlmann Hall on the Fordham campus where he now resides. In addition to classroom teaching, through his work with the Christian Life Communities at Fordham Prep and the Greater Metropolitan CLC, through faith sharing groups and through individual retreats, Fr. Sweitzer has made a significant contribution to the formation of lay leaders in the local Church.
Juan Clímaco Villegas, S.J. (NYK) ✝ Entrance January 20, 1963 ✹ Ordination July 31, 1975 ❦ Final Vows September 2, 1996
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r. Villegas was born the day before Saint Patrick’s Day in 1941 in Medellin, Colombia, the ninth of 12 siblings. He entered the Society after graduating from Colegio San Ignacio in Medellín in 1958. Amid difficult days in Colombia, he came north to the New York Province. He studied theology at Woodstock College, N.Y., receiving the Master of Divinity degree in 1973, and a master’s in education from Columbia University with an emphasis on rehabilitation counseling. Fr. Villegas was ordained on the Feast of St. Ignatius, in 1975 in Rio Piedras, Puerto Rico and was assigned as chaplain to the Catholic University Center. Beginning in 1979, he undertook a variety of assignments in Manhattan, Baltimore, Brooklyn, and Syracuse – often sharing the Spiritual Exercises and ministering to Hispanics. His assignments included working with those addicted to drugs. He served as Chaplain at Daytop Village with the legendary John Magan, S.J. Taking a different direction, he served for two years in Rome from 1992 to 1994 in the offices of finance at the Gregorian University and then at the Pontifical Biblical Institute. He then returned to Colegio San Ignacio as a teacher and campus minister. From 2001-2011, he was the director of the retreat house in Santa Maria de los Farallones, in Cali, Colombia. In 2011, he joined the Ignatian Center for Spirituality and Reflection in Bogotá, Colombia. Among his many writings, his book, El Dios No Conocido (The Unknown God) develops a notion of God beyond religion. Fr. Villegas has made the month-long Spiritual Exercises retreat five times and is committed to sharing the treasure and vision. He directed his 26th month-long retreat this year.
In Memoriam Remembering our Jesuit brothers who entered the Society in 1963
Dudley R. C. Adams, S.J. Joseph A. Garneau, S.J. Edgar J. LeBlanc, S.J. Ola R. Nelson, S.J. Philip A. Pusateri, S.J.
AD MAIOREM DEI GLORIAM The proclamation made by Peter and the Apostles does not merely consist of words: fidelity to Christ affects their whole lives, which are changed, given a new direction, and it is through their lives that they bear witness to the faith and to the proclamation of Christ… we cannot feed God’s flock unless we let ourselves be carried by God’s will even where we would rather not go, unless we are prepared to bear witness to Christ with the gift of ourselves, unreservedly, not in a calculating way, sometimes even at the cost of our lives…this is possible only if we recognize Jesus Christ, because it is He who has called us, He who has invited us to travel his path, He who has chosen us. Proclamation and witness are only possible if we are close to Him…living an intense relationship with Jesus, an intimacy of dialogue and of life, in such a way as to recognize Him as “the Lord.”
Pope Francis
Interior views of Chiesa del Ges첫 in Rome, Italy.
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