Deacon Daniel J. Finucane, SJ, will be ordained a priest on Saturday, June 13, 2026, at St. Francis Xavier (College) Church in his hometown of St. Louis. Read the story here. Deacon Finucane responds to questions below. As you get to know him, please keep him in prayer as he begins his priestly ministry.
What do you love about the Society of Jesus?
There is a quote from Fr. Jerome Nadal, SJ, a close collaborator of St. Ignatius of Loyola, that captures for me what I love about the Society of Jesus: “The Society has the care of those souls for whom either there is nobody to care, or, if somebody ought to care, the care is negligent. This is the reason for the founding of the Society of Jesus. This is its strength. This is its dignity in the church.”
I love that we are men who dedicate our lives to serving alongside Christ, particularly by laboring with him in places that are forgotten, with people who have often been forgotten or neglected. Working in a prison, with men who had committed terrible crimes, I heard Christ call me to be with him, to witness to the light he is and brings, even in places where there is great darkness.
I think about friends in the Society who embody the strength Nadal identifies by teaching middle school kids in a Nativity school; by researching fisheries in collaboration with local people in sub-Saharan Africa; by coaching high school kids on a Native American reservation.
I think about the network of prison education programs at Jesuit universities; I admire my brother Jesuits who brave rough roads to celebrate Mass with Mopan and Q’eqchi’ Maya in nearly three dozen villages in the southern part of Belize.
I think about all the people I have been missioned to serve: asylum seekers at the border; adults with disabilities living in a L’Arche community; men and women living on the streets; incarcerated men whom I’ve accompanied in conversation and prayer; fellow choir members and the parish community I’ve served as a deacon.
I marvel at how my calling as a Jesuit has led me to encounter Christ in all these places – that the good news shines forth in places otherwise hidden.
That is what I love about the Society of Jesus.
Who is your favorite saint, and why?
St. Oscar Romero. Ever since I first learned his story in college, I have sought to learn as much as I can about his life and his witness. When I was a senior in college, I had the opportunity to go to El Salvador for a week, where I visited his grave at the cathedral in San Salvador, as well as where he lived the last couple years of his life and the chapel where he was assassinated. As many Salvadorans will attest, Romero rose again in the people, and I saw how, for many, he was a saint. Being in those sacred sites, seeing the various murals of Romero, and reading multiple books on Romero’s life and writings have inspired me deeply. His witness to the crucified and risen Christ in and among the poor of El Salvador has challenged me to seek Christ in the people of this world who are cast aside, forgotten and marginalized.
What was one particularly meaningful experience you had during your formation, and why was it meaningful to you?
When I was in the novitiate, I was sent to a grade school for four months to teach kindergarten through third grade religion. I have never felt more nervous to walk into a classroom either before or since! It was a challenging experience, and I sometimes struggled to teach well, to manage the classroom.
There was a particular student, a first grader, who always seemed to be in trouble. She would fall out of her seat, blurt out answers and distract other students. Even still, I developed a soft spot in my heart for her, especially after finding out that her home life was very difficult. She lived with multiple cousins, and there were few adult figures in the house. I realized that her behavior was likely her attempt to get any attention, anyone to look at her and give her some of their time and affection.
One day, I was helping with recess duty when this first grader ran over, turned around so that she was facing away from me, and grabbed my hands. She leaned forward suddenly, laughing. The only thing keeping her from faceplanting into the ground was my grip on her hands – me, not letting go. I remember praying with this moment later and realizing how God was calling me, in that moment, to simply be with her, to hold on, to remain faithful – not just to this first grader, but to Christ, to his people. And that Christ was and would be faithful to me. For me, this little first grader taught me much and invited me into deeper fidelity and generosity.
What brings you joy?
There are many things that bring me joy, but one that shines through is having spiritual conversation with all kinds of people. This is a key element of Jesuit life, grounded in the life of St. Ignatius of Loyola, and an element that continues to fill me with joy. I have had conversations on trains, buses and airplanes with total strangers that began with the humdrum stuff of life and moved into a depth that touched on ultimate things: vulnerability, faith, desire.
During a weeklong pilgrimage to Rome in October 2024, during the Synod on Synodality, I had the profound experience of walking with college-aged students and talking about their questions and desires for their futures. In those conversations, God’s presence was palpable and I found myself fully alive, truly present.
I also love getting to accompany men and women through spiritual direction, and the Exercises. I have discovered great joy in seeing God at work in others’ lives, and sometimes I just have to marvel at it all. I am really grateful for the humble opportunity to accompany people.
Who is one important mentor who has accompanied you on your journey? What made them a good mentor?
I have had the gift of many people I look up to as mentors along the way. I’ll name one I have encountered more recently, in theology studies: Fr. Eddie Fernandez, SJ. I have learned so much from Fr. Fernandez by watching him preside at liturgy at my parish, St. Patrick’s in West Oakland, California. He does so with warmth and a heart for the people that is palpable, obvious and beautiful.
What is one hobby you’ve cultivated as a Jesuit, and why is it important to you?
I always wanted to learn how to make ceramics and so, during first studies, I was able to take ceramics classes in wheel throwing. I learned the techniques involved, which included a lot of joy and a lot of frustration along the way. But I discovered over time that there is a lot of spiritual wisdom to be gained from creating pottery on a wheel: the importance of centering the clay, of being gentle, yet firm, and the strength and agility required of one’s hands all lend themselves to considering God as potter.
For me, Jeremiah 18:1-6, where Jeremiah goes down to the potter’s house, had long been an important passage in my growing trust of God who can mold and shape us. By learning how to throw bowls, I felt like I learned a little bit about our God who creates, shapes and molds us – with hands gentle, yet firm. During my eight-day retreat a couple of years ago, I was at a retreat house that had a pottery wheel and loved the opportunity to pray and practice wheel throwing. It is an activity that I don’t necessarily get to do as often as I’d like, but it always centers me.
Tell your vocation story. One catch: You must use only six words.
Christ centers. Deeper fidelity. Burning heart.
