St. Louis – Fr. Andrew R. Kirschman, SJ, will be the next provincial superior of the Jesuits USA Central and Southern Province. He was appointed by Father Arturo Sosa, SJ, the Superior General of the worldwide Society of Jesus, on February 17, 2026. Father Kirschman will assume his new responsibilities on July 31, 2026.
Father Kirschman, 52, has served the province as novice director since 2018. Father Sosa recently had an opportunity to spend time with Fr. Kirschman when he visited the Novitiate of St. Stanislaus Kostka in Denver as part of his visit to the USA Central and Southern Province.
“What an exciting time to be a religious in our Church and in the world today! I am humbled and honored to be missioned to serve in this way,” Fr. Kirschman said. “Together we continue the important work of listening to the ways God’s Spirit invites us to give our lives in generous service, especially to those most in need and on the margins.”
A native of St. Louis, Fr. Kirschman previously served as the socius (executive assistant) to the previous novice director and as the coordinator of vocation promotion. He taught and coordinated community outreach at Arrupe Jesuit High School in Denver for five years. He also provided spiritual formation for the volunteers of the province’s Alum Service Corps. He taught for three years at the Universidad Centroamericana in San Salvador, El Salvador. He has served as a province consultor and as local superior in both Grand Coteau, Louisiana, and Denver.
Father Kirschman succeeds V. Rev. Thomas P. Greene, SJ, who has served as provincial of the Jesuits USA Central and Southern Province since July 31, 2020. Father Greene will work closely with Fr. Kirschman during the coming months.
Following Fr. Kirschman’s installation this summer, Fr. Greene will begin a sabbatical.
A Jesuit provincial is the leader of a province, a geographic area of governance within the Society of Jesus. There are five provinces within the United States and Canada. Sometimes referred to as the provincial superior, the provincial is responsible for overseeing the mission of the province and caring for the Jesuits who belong to the province. Provincials generally serve a six-year term.
The process of naming the next provincial began last spring, when members of the province and colleagues were asked to discern what specific needs the province has today and will have in the future, and what characteristics are needed in a provincial. Following this prayer and discernment, each vowed member was invited to send up to three nominations, along with the reasons he thought that man would make a good provincial. After further rounds of consultation, a final list of three names was delivered to Fr. Sosa in Rome for his consideration.
The Jesuits are a Roman Catholic order of priests and brothers founded nearly 500 years ago by St. Ignatius of Loyola. With more than 14,000 priests, scholastics and brothers worldwide, they are the largest male religious order in the Catholic Church. Jesuits are widely known for their colleges, universities and high schools, but Jesuits also minister in retreat houses, parishes, hospitals and refugee services.
The USA Central and Southern Province covers 12 states, Puerto Rico and Belize and has just over 300 men who serve as pastors, educators, administrators, spiritual and retreat directors and in other roles. Jesuits have served in this area of the United States and the Caribbean since as early as the 16th century and continually since the restoration of the Society in 1814.
Read about Fr. Kirschman’s work as novice director here.
For more information, visit JesuitsCentralSouthern.org. For information on becoming a Jesuit, visit BeAJesuit.org.
