Roderick and Betty Wells: United Throughout a Lifetime of Service
Tireless parishioners of Immaculate Conception Parish in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Rod and Betty Wells have spent their retirement serving their community.
Christine Dragonette Promotes Love in Action at St. Francis Xavier College Church
By Ignatius Plato Social justice is central to the Society of Jesus’ way of proceeding. Christine Dragonette, the director of social ministry at St. Francis Xavier College Church in St. Louis, shares fully in this mission, basing all she does in love of her neighbors. Dragonette has served in social ministry at the parish for […]
Sacred Heart Church in El Paso Shelters Migrants Seeking Safety
Sacred Heart Church in El Paso, Texas, continues to act as a refuge for migrants as thousands are expected to arrive in the city as Title 42 comes to an end. In response to the unprecedented surge of migrants across the U.S.-Mexico border which began in December 2022, Sacred Heart opened its gym with no […]
Two New Priests: The Province’s Commitment to the Church in Belize
By Therese Fink Meyerhoff Last summer, the Jesuits USA Central and Southern Province joyfully celebrated the priestly ordinations of four men. A little over a month later, two of those men arrived in the Central American country of Belize for their yearlong pastoral ministry assignment. Young priests are in high demand, so assigning two to […]
Jesuits Magazine – Winter 2023
The Winter 2023 issue of Jesuits magazine features members of the province in atypical ministries, including Fr. David Romero, SJ, who promotes the protection of the Amazon; Fr. Jonathan Harmon, SJ, who is training for a ministry in the Arts, and Fathers Thomas Croteau, SJ, and David Kiblinger, SJ, who are serving the underserved Church […]
Help and Hope at the Southern Border
Update Dec. 29, 2022: See Fr. Rafael Garcia, SJ, interview on CNN By Ignatius Plato Dec. 21, 2022 – Sacred Heart Church, the Jesuit parish in El Paso, Texas, has for years served as a beacon of hope for immigrants at the U.S.-Mexico border. Recently, the parish has opened its doors to the flood of […]
Living Synodality in Belize
By William Manaker, SJ I arrived in Belize for a month-long immersion experience in the Mayan villages of the Toledo District with only minimal background information. I would be working with several brother Jesuits to facilitate retreats for village catechists. We’d be collaborating with a committee of indigenous Mayan leaders. Mayans in Belize speak two […]
A Jesuit’s Palm Sunday with the ‘crucified church’ of Belize
By Jeremy Zipple, SJ The 33 mission churches of Toledo District, in southern Belize, and the roughly 10,000 Catholics they serve, share a single priest, Jesuit Father Sam Wilson. This year, on Palm Sunday, he was on his way to celebrate Mass in “the last village on the map,” as he calls it, a hamlet […]
Sue Robb: Alleviating Suffering in the Kansas City Community
By Jerry Duggan As pastoral associate for justice and life at St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church in Kansas City, Mo., Sue Robb oversees an amalgamation of outreach efforts that, together, alleviate the suffering of many in need in the local community. She is able to juggle so many different initiatives at once thanks to a […]
Pastoral Work without the Collar: Women in Parish Ministry
By Jerry Duggan There is so much more to running a parish than presiding over Mass. Managing parish finances, maintaining the physical plant, overseeing committees and instilling a sense of community are just a few of the many other tasks that have traditionally been the responsibility of pastors. But priestly ordination is not required to […]
Jesuit’s Skills a Godsend during Pandemic
By Jerry Duggan God has a way of putting the right people in the right place at the right time. A great example is Fr. Jeremy Zipple, SJ, associate pastor at St. Martin de Porres in Belize City, Belize. When the pandemic hit in March, the parish, long an anchor in its economically impoverished neighborhood, […]
Fr. Mark Thibodeaux Creates Retreat for Parishioners During Pandemic, Ends Up with Much More
By Jerry Duggan Father Mark Thibodeaux, SJ, never imagined a single text from a parishioner would set so much in motion. New Orleans was caught in the throes of COVID-19 in early April, with stay-at-home orders in place and the churches closed for in-person Masses. The Holy Name of Jesus Parish community needed a spiritual […]
