Sept. 24, 2024 – Father Jorge José Ferrer Negrón, SJ, died Sept. 21, 2024, in Ponce, Puerto Rico. He was 73 years old, a Jesuit for 41 years and a priest for 47 years.
A professor of moral theology and director of the School of Theology at the Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico in Ponce, he will be remembered at a Funeral Mass at 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 25, at Parroquia San Ignacio in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Jorge Ferrer was born Sept. 14, 1951, in San Juan, Puerto, Rico. After graduating in 1972 from the University of St. Thomas in Houston, Texas, he enrolled at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome, where he earned both a bachelor’s degree and a licentiate in sacred theology.
He was ordained a priest for the Diocese of Arecibo, Puerto Rico, on Aug. 12, 1977. He would spend the rest of his life dividing his time between scholarly and pastoral service, frequently serving in multiple roles simultaneously.
Following his ordination, he served at St. John Bosco Parish in Arecibo, 1977-79. During those same years, he was also a lecturer in philosophy and theology at the Catholic University of Puerto Rico, Arecibo Campus. From 1979 to 1983, he was episcopal vicar of pastoral affairs and director of the Cursillos Movement for the diocese.
In 1983, he entered the Society of Jesus at the novitiate in San Juan. While still a novice, he was a visiting professor in pastoral theology at St. Vincent de Paul Seminary in Boynton Beach, Florida. Following novitiate and his first vows, he taught for a year at Colegio San Ignacio de Loyola, the Jesuit high school in San Juan.
Father Ferrer earned his master’s degree in pastoral counseling at Loyola University of Maryland in 1988. Then he earned his doctorate at Universidad Pontificia Comillas in Madrid, while serving at Santa Maria de la Fe Parish and San Francisco de Borja Parish in Madrid.
He returned to San Juan, and Parroquia San Ignacio, the Jesuit parish there, in 1991, to serve as assistant pastor for four years. He also began lecturing in theology at the Dominican House of Studies (CEDOC), in Bayamón, Puerto Rico, on a part-time basis.
From 1995 to 2001, he was a consultant and lecturer for the Center for Biomedical Humanities, School of Medicine at the Caribbean Central University, in Bayamón. In 2001-02, he was assistant collaborating professor of moral theology and director of the Bioethics Institute at the Comillas Pontifical University in Madrid.
Throughout these years, he had several short-term, part-time appointments as lecturer or visiting professor in moral theology, philosophy or ethics at a variety of universities, including the Pontifical Gregorian in Rome. He also continued to assist at parishes wherever he was. For instance, during 2002-03, he was assistant professor at the Interamerican University of Puerto Rico in Bayamón, while assisting at Immaculate Conception Parish in Vega Alta, Puerto Rico.
From 2004 to 2012, he was assistant pastor at Good Shepherd Parish in Mayagüez, Puerto Rico, while he taught at the University of Puerto Rico in Mayagüez. When he became the director of the Hostos Institute for Bioethics at the University of Puerto Rico in San Juan in 2012, he returned to San Ignacio Parish.
He began teaching at the Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico in Ponce in 2019. He was the founding director of the School of Theology, a work of the Puerto Rico Episcopal Conference to prepare seminarians and others for church ministry. He was also a member of the International Theological Commission and a corresponding academic of the Pontifical Academy for Life. He previously served as president of the Latin American Federation of Bioethical Institutions and on several bioethics advisory commissions.
Father Ferrer was a sought-after speaker and lecturer. He published numerous articles during his academic career, three books as sole author and several others as editor or co-author.
His graduate studies also included a year at the University of Notre Dame.
We remember with gratitude all that God has done through his life of service to God and God’s people.
Memorial gifts may be made to the USA Central and Southern Province of the Society of Jesus at 4511 West Pine Blvd., St. Louis, MO 63108 or through this website.
