Ordination 2007


Fr. Robert Ballecer, 33, from Fremont, California, studied computer engineering at Santa Clara University, a subject he taught at Loyola High School in Los Angeles. He also taught web design at a junior college in Chicago; taught math at the Ateneo de Manila, a Jesuit university in the Philippines; and worked in youth ministry at Most Holy Trinity Church in San Jose, California. After ordination he will pursue a master’s in business administration. (California Province)	Fr. Kent Beausoleil, 43, from Waukegan, Illinois, has a BA in political science and a master’s in public administration from Northern Illinois University in DeKalb. He taught and served in campus ministry at Loyola Academy in Wilmette, Illinois. He was an RCIA coordinator at St. Agnes Parish in San Francisco, studied French in Paris, and served as a hospital chaplain. He looks forward to serving in campus ministry at Xavier University. (Chicago Province)	Fr. Michael Conley, 39, from Munster, Indiana, earned a bachelor’s degree in sociology from the University of Pittsburgh. He taught Scripture and moderated an after-school study program at Cristo Rey Jesuit High School in Chicago, served as chaplain at Cook County Jail in Chicago, worked on young adult retreats, and taught English as a Second Language. He will be serving at St. Procopius Church in Chicago after ordination. (Chicago Province)	Fr. Kurt Denk, 33, from Springfield, Pennsylvania, has a BA in history from Georgetown University. He taught at Fordham Prep, directed he Jesuit Family Retreat Program for immigrant and urban families, and taught philosophy at Loyola College in Maryland, where he also coordinated a service-learning trip to Mexico. He also served as a religious studies instructor at San Quentin State Prison in California. After ordination, he will study law. (Maryland Province)


Fr. Andrew Downing, 34, from Durban, South Africa, graduated from Yale with a bachelor’s degree in religious studies. He taught religion at Fairfield College Prep in Connecticut, tutored high school students in the Bronx, and taught philosophy at Fairfield University. He studied theology in Innsbruck, Austria, and will pursue a doctorate in the subject at the University of Notre Dame after ordination. (New England Province)	Fr. Thomas Greene, 43, from New Orleans, has a bachelor’s in finance and a law degree from Loyola University New Orleans. He worked as an attorney for Catholic Charities in Houston, representing unaccompanied minors and those seeking asylum. He also worked with the Jesuit Refugee Service in Malawi, the Dominican Republic, and Haiti. His particular interests are human rights and Catholic social teaching. (New Orleans Province)	Fr. Jerome Hayes, 42, from Temecula, California, has a bachelor’s degree in communications marketing from California State in Sacramento. He taught religion at Loyola High School in Los Angeles and was an RCIA instructor in San Francisco and a hospital chaplain in Phoenix and Spokane. He worked at an orphanage in Tijuana and taught English in China. After ordination he will direct campus ministry at Loyola High. (California Province)	Fr. Timothy Manatt, 42, from Los Angeles, graduated from Grinnell College in Iowa with a BA in history. He was dean of students and coach at Red Cloud High School on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota and participated in Creighton University’s rural health program in the Dominican Republic. He hopes to continue his involvement in both Latino and Native American ministries. (Wisconsin Province)


Fr. TJ Martinez, 37, from Brownsville, Texas, has a bachelor’s degree in political science from Boston College and a law degree from the University of Texas in Austin. He taught religion and directed the community service program at Jesuit College Prep in Dallas and worked at a Jesuit orphanage in Guadalajara, Mexico. After ordination he will be working toward a master’s degree in school leadership at Harvard. (New Orleans Province)	Fr. Matthew Monnig, 31, from Gervais, Oregon, has a BA in physics from Boston College. He worked at a Missionaries of Charity home for the elderly in Jamaica; taught math and religion at Fairfield College Prep in Fairfield, Connecticut, and Boston College High; taught English to Jesuit novices in Russia; and took student groups to World Youth Days in Toronto and Cologne. (New England Province)	Fr. Chu Ngo, 49, from Qui Nhon, Vietnam, studied at Red Rocks Community College in Denver. He directed the RCIA program for English, Spanish, and Vietnamese speakers at Most Holy Trinity Parish in San Jose, California; worked at a Jesuit orphanage in Tijuana, Mexico; and directed the Spiritual Exercises in Vietnam. His future goal is doing missionary work in Vietnam and Laos. (California Province)	Fr. Joseph Nguyen, 39, from Bien Hoa, Vietnam, immigrated with his family to Nashville, Tennessee, in 1990. He graduated from Saint Louis University with a BA in philosophy, a subject he taught at Gonzaga University in Spokane. He tutored high school math and English and helped adults prepare for the GED exam. After ordination he will continue studies at Weston Jesuit School of Theology in Cambridge, Mass. (Oregon Province)

"My Sons, you must carry out your mission of sanctifying in the power of Christ. Your ministry will perfect the spiritual sacrifice of the faithful by uniting it to Christ’s sacrifice, the sacrifice which is offered sacramentally through your hands. Know what you are doing and imitate the mystery you celebrate. In the memorial of the Lord’s death and resurrection, make every effort to die to sin and to walk in the new life of Christ."
—from the bishop’s address to the candidates in the Ordination Rite


Fr. Ralph Rivera, 54, from New York, graduated from Columbia University in New York with a degree in history. His ministry experiences include serving as a prison chaplain in Chicago, teaching philosophy at Saint Peter’s College in Jersey City, and working on staff at St. Mary of the Assumption Parish in Staten Island, N.Y. His first assignment as a priest will be working at the Jesuits’ La Inmaculada Concepción parish in Oaxaca, Mexico. (New York Province)	Fr. Ignatius Sasmita, 38, from Jakarta, Indonesia, has a bachelor’s degree in mathematics from Carnegie Mellon in Pittsburgh and a master’s in engineering statistics from George Washington University in Washington, D.C. He taught algebra at Gonzaga College High School in Washington, D.C., and ministered to Indonesian Catholics in D.C. and California. He hopes to be working in interreligious dialogue after ordination. (Maryland Province)	Fr. John Siberski, 58, from Plymouth, Pennsylvania, has a BA from Penn State and an MD from Temple University. He worked at Massachusetts General and Georgetown University hospitals. After ordination he returns to Georgetown, where he is assistant dean for student life and associate professor of psychiatry. Among his research interests are terminal care and the spiritual life of patients suffering from dementia. (New England Province)	Fr. Michael Simone, 34, from Cleveland, has a bachelor’s degree in history from John Carroll University in Cleveland. He taught has religion at St. John’s Jesuit High School in Toledo and served on the campus ministry team at the University of Detroit Mercy. He led high school and college students on immersion trips to Central America. His future plans include on working toward a doctorate in Scripture after ordination. (Detroit Province)