Tristan Abbott

Birkenhead, England

Tristan, 26, has degrees in theology and French from Franciscan University in Steubenville, Ohio. He has worked as a swimming coach and wind-surfing instructor in the Cayman Islands, a cheese maker in Costa Rica, and a missionary in China. He has traveled in Central and South America, Europe, China, Tibet, Nepal, and Southeast Asia. Surfing, horticulture, and helping out with youth retreats are among his interests. (New Orleans Province)

Marlon Anandappa

Colombo, Sri Lanka

Marlon, 38, has a BA in English from York University in Toronto and a BA in philosophy from the Milltown Institute in Dublin, Ireland. He has also studied computer programming and networking. He taught computers and ESL and was a social worker. He has been to the Middle East, the Far East, Europe, and Canada. Scuba diving, martial arts, and classical guitar are his pastimes. (Upper Canada Province)

Jason Beyer

Sidney, Nebraska

Jason, 27, has a BA in communication from Regis University and is close to an MA in theology from the Jesuit School of Theology at Berkeley. He directed campus ministry at San Domenico School and worked in campus ministry at the University of San Francisco. He has led high school students on "urban immersion" experiences and has biked through Europe; yoga and sailing are among his favorite activities. (California Province)

Max Buehler

St. Louis

Max, 19, graduated from De Smet Jesuit High School in St. Louis. During his years there he ran cross-country and track, played the saxophone, and was a member of the speech and debate club. He spent a week as a teacher's assistant at St. Martin de Porres Grade School in Belize City, Belize, at the end of his junior year. Other areas of enjoyment for him are reading and studying Latin and Greek. (Missouri Province)

Jeremy Cramer

Lowville, New York

Jeremy, 24, received Microsoft certification from Advanced Network Technologies in Lincoln, Nebraska, and worked in a training and support program for credit card processing. His volunteer activities have ranged from working with Habitat for Humanity to teaching English as a Second Language. He enjoys mountain biking, camping, and fishing. (Wisconsin Province)

James Dunn

Ellicott, Maryland

Jim, 23, has a bachelor's degree in theology from Loyola College and has interests in Catholic Church history and American literature. At Loyola, he was a cofounder of the theology club and a member of the college prayer group. He spent a summer touring Ireland and volunteered with Catholic Charities in Baltimore. He enjoys reading, fishing, and baseball. (Maryland Province)

Quentin Dupont

Lille, France

Quentin, 23, has a BA in economics from the Catholic University of Lille. He studied at Concordia University in Canada and at Santa Clara University, where he was a research assistant in economics. He also tutored students at Sacred Heart Parish in San Jose and interned at a bank, an audit firm, and a law office. He plays the saxophone and drums and enjoys golf, traveling, and sports. (California Province)

Peter Folan

Amityville, New York

Peter, 25, has BAs in liberal studies and German from Notre Dame. He taught philosophy and organized a food program for the homeless at Bishop McNamara High in Forestville, Maryland, and was a research associate at the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. He studied in England and Austria and volunteered at a homeless shelter in Washington, D.C. He enjoys baseball and relaxes by playing guitar. (Maryland Province)

Kyle Gautreau

Baton Rouge

Kyle, 22, has a bachelor's degree in political science (with a concentration on Middle Eastern politics) from Louisiana State. A social and political activist, he has olunteered at a homeless shelter, worked on a living wage campaign, and protested at the School of the Americas at Fort Benning. He enjoys reading, watching movies, going to coffee shops, and haunting used book stores. (New Orleans Province)

Kurt Gerwitz

St. Louis

Kurt, 24, attended St. Louis University High and has BAs in history and Spanish from Loyola University New Orleans. He taught Spanish and religion and was assistant soccer coach at Holy Cross High in New Orleans. He studied in Mexico and participated in a program at the U.S.-Mexican border that gave him first-hand knowledge of immigrant problems. Racquetball is his sport; juggling is his hobby. (New Orleans Province)

Jeffrey Glaser

Kettering, Ohio

Jeff, 27, has a BS in exercise science with a focus on physical therapy from Saint Louis University. He worked as a youth minister in Indiana for three years and was a campus minister at Wabash College. As a Jesuit volunteer, he served at a mission in southeastern Montana. He has also volunteered with the Knights of Columbus and has traveled to Ireland, Scotland, and Australia. (Chicago Province)

Peter Gyves

Brooklyn

Peter, 52, attended Xavier High in New York and earned a BS in biology and an MA in theology from Boston College, an MD from Georgetown, and an MA in public health from Johns Hopkins. He was director of the pediatric emergency room at a Baltimore hospital and a researcher at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Md. He also spent three years as a medical relief worker in El Salvador. (New York Province)

Nathan Halloran

El Paso

Nathan, 21, has degrees in philosophy and theology from Franciscan University in Steubenville, Ohio, where he started a student newspaper. He has worked as a soccer referee, youth leader, and mission director. He traveled on mission trips to Mexico, Jamaica, and Austria, where he also studied for a semester. He enjoys horseback riding, rugby, writing, poetry, camping, and soccer. (New Orleans Province)

Daniel Justin

Saint Cloud, Minnesota

Dan, 23, has bachelor's degrees in theology and psychology from Creighton University, where he also worked toward a master's degree in theology. He interned in the campus ministry office and was coordinator of the service and justice center there. He has studied Spanish in Guatemala. Peace and justice activism is his chief interest; he also plays harmonica and enjoys cooking. (Wisconsin Province)

John Le

Garland, Texas

John, 34, born in Long Xuyen, Vietnam, arrived in the United States in 1984 and settled in Houston, where he graduated from Alief Hasting High School. He graduated from Texas A&M with a BS in electrical engineering. Most recently he worked for LSI Logic in Dallas, and he was active in the CLC and the Cursillo movement in his parish. He enjoys tennis, hiking, and movies. (Missouri Province)

West Livaudais

Portland, Oregon

West, 25, has a BS in biology from Gonzaga University, where he was also on the rowing team, and has done work toward an MBA at Portland State. This past year he lived and studied at Mt. Angel Seminary in St. Benedict, Oregon. He enjoys competitive sports such as bicycle racing and likes to lift weights. He is interested in teaching at either the high school or college level. (Oregon Province)

Gilbert Marquez

La Mirada, California

Gilbert, 23, has a BA in politics from University of San Francisco. He has worked as a gas station clerk, wedding coordinator, sacristan, and mediator in the San Francisco DA's office. He studied in Budapest, tutored ESL in El Salvador, and traveled from Scotland to Beijing and many places in between. Photography and calligraphy are a few of his hobbies. (California Province)

James McLenaghan

Plymouth, Michigan

Jim, 23, graduated from the University of Michigan with degrees in Latin and classical history and has just completed a year of teaching for certification in both Latin and history. He has been active in the Newman Fellowship at St. Mary's Student Parish in Ann Arbor, which included serving as an RCIA sponsor. He is an avid reader of fantasy stories. (Detroit Province)

Robert Murphy

Metairie, Louisiana

Robert, 26, attended Jesuit High in New Orleans. He has a BS in physical therapy from the University of South Alabama and worked as a physical therapist in Mississippi. He cofounded a ministry in which he gives talks at parishes, and he worked in a leprosy hospital in Ecuador. His favorite sport is soccer; he has been to the World Cup twice. (New Orleans Province)

Lucio Noyola-Martinez

Portland, Oregon

Lucio, 30, has lived in both Mexico and the United States and studied at a seminary in Mexico. He has worked as a bookkeeper and taught drama and counseled students at a high school in Mexico. He also was a caseworker for youth and their families at a juvenile corrections center. For relaxation, he enjoys reading and playing the guitar, and he loves to be out in nature. (Oregon Province)

Hugh O'Hara

Bancroft, Ontario

Hugh, 18, graduated from Sacred Heart Catholic High in Stittsville, Ontario, and has interests in computer programming, science, languages, religion, and drama. He was an internet assistant and library clerk at Ottawa Public Library, an assistant at a summer computer camp for kids, and a museum assistant for genealogy research. Writing, drafting, and playing video games are among his interests. (Upper Canada Province)

Russ Plywaczynski

Elmhurst, Illinois

Russ, 22, with a bachelor's degree in political science from Loyola University Chicago, was president of Loyola Students Against Sweatshops. He also assisted the coordinator of the alternative break immersion program at Loyola; he took immersion trips to Mexico, El Salvador, and Appalachia. He is interested in peace studies and reads heavily in the areas of theology, social justice, and globalization. (Chicago Province)

Mario Powell

Little Rock, Arkansas

Mario, 22, attended Loyola High in Los Angeles and Boston College, where he received a BA in history. He researched the relationship between African-American Catholics and the St. Louis Archdiocese while on a fellowship. He was student director of the Emerging Leaders Program at Boston College, and he taught at St. Louis Academy. He loves baseball; the Seattle Mariners are his team. (New England Province)

Mike Rozier

Ste. Genevieve, Missouri

Mike, 22, earned a bachelor's degree in chemistry from Saint Louis University, where he was also president of the student government association during his senior year. He has been a participant in an immersion trip to El Salvador. The past few summers he has been a leader at the Scholars' Academy for the state of Missouri. He has backpacked through Ireland and France. (Missouri Province)

John Shea

Willowick, Ohio

John, 28, received a BS in biology from John Carroll University and a PhD in evolutionary biology from Ohio State, where he was a teaching and research assistant. He was active at Ohio State's Newman Center, serving as an RCIA sponsor, assisting with children's catechism, and helping lead the young adult group. He enjoys swimming, traveling, and reading. (Detroit Province)

Paul John Shelton

Columbus, Ohio

P.J., 22, has a BA in history and classical languages from Marquette University, where he was a resident assistant and student transportation coordinator. He worked at the Nativity Jesuit Middle School youth camp and was a volunteer at Milwaukee's Catholic Worker. He has done missionary work in Haiti and is an avid environmentalist. Basketball is a passion with him. (Wisconsin Province)

Thomas Simisky

Worcester, Massachusetts

Tom, 33, has a BA in politics from Assumption College in Worcester, Mass., and an MA in economics from Boston College. As an artillery officer in the Marine Corps, he spent six months in the Persian Gulf. He taught math and Spanish at Catholic Memorial High in Boston for the past two years. Playing the violin, backpacking, running, and playing tennis are some of his favorite activities. (New England Province)

Jayme Stayer

Canton, Ohio

Jayme, 35, graduated from Notre Dame with a bachelor's in music and then from the University of Toledo with a doctorate in English literature. Since 2000 he has been on the faculty of Texas A&M University, and he is a board member of the T.S. Eliot Society. In addition, he has sung with the South Bend, Ann Arbor, Detroit, Toledo, and Dallas symphonies. (Detroit Province)

Stephen Surovick

Camden, New Jersey

Stephen, 29, has a BS in political science from the University of Scranton and an MA in public administration from Rutgers. Active in New Jersey politics, he served as an aide to a mayor and then as an aide to a member of the governor's cabinet. He's traveled to Europe and the Caribbean. Reading on Jesuit spirituality and colonial American history and playing the piano are a few of his interests. (Maryland Province)

Michael Willing

Helena, Montana