Newcomers 2009
Forty-two men made the decision to join the
Society of Jesus this year in the United States. They
arrived, bags in hand, at the Jesuit novitiates in Culver
City, California; Grand Coteau, Louisiana; Berkeley,
Michigan; Syracuse, New York; and Portland, Oregon. They
hailed from Tampa, Tacoma, Albuquerque, Cleveland, and
many points in between, and arrived on different weekends
in August. They come with a variety of experiences,
education, and interests, as these short biographies will testify.
All in all, they’re united in one aspect: a desire to do God’s work
as Jesuits.
About half of the men are in this issue; the other half will appear in our Winter issue. Please wish them all the best in their collective endeavor.
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William Biegler
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W. Penn Dawson
Tampa Penn, 48, graduated with a law degree from the University of Florida and worked for 23 years with a law firm in Florida. He was active in the Knights of Columbus, the Tampa Bay Catholic Lawyers Guild, and at the Jesuits’ Sacred Heart Parish in Tampa. He traveled to Spain this summer to make the walking pilgrimage to Compostela. (New Orleans Province) |
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Arthur Bryce Deline Tacoma Bryce, 24, graduated from Bellarmine Preparatory School in Tacoma and studied for a year at Washington State University in Pullman. He has worked as a personal trainer and as a partner in a fitness business. He works out with weights and cardio exercises, and he relaxes with reading, music, and movies. (Oregon Province) |
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Kevin Embach Grosse Pointe Shores, Michigan Kevin, 50, has a BS from Notre Dame and an MD from the University of Virginia. He’s served as an assistant professor of medicine at Wayne State in Detroit, and he’s practiced and taught internal medicine at Beaumont Hospital in Grosse Pointe. He recently participated in a medical mission trip to Honduras. His interests include golf and photography. (Detroit Province) |
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James Ferus New Bedford, Massachusetts James, 23, earned a degree in government from Harvard. As a volunteer with the Jesuit Volunteer Corps, he worked at Cristo Rey High in Harlem. He managed Operation Nightwatch, an evening hospitality center for the homeless in Portland, Oregon. His interests include violin, math, sociology, and chess. (New England Province) |
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Luciano Garofalo
Newton, Kansas Luciano, 22, received a bachelor’s degree from Kansas City’s Rockhurst University, where he studied theology and history. French and anthropology are among his other academic pursuits. He studied in France during one of his college summers, and he worked as an assistant at a L’Arche community in Tacoma. He enjoys music and biking. (Missouri Province) |
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Christopher Grodecki
Winnetka, Illinois Chris, 26, has a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in German from Georgetown University. He worked for a public-interest law firm and has done web editing and design. He served Mass and was active in young adult ministry at St. Matthew’s Cathedral in Washington, D.C., and was a member of his university’s concert choir and the Capitol Hill Chorale. (Maryland Province) |
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Louis Hotop
Florissant, Missouri Louie, 19, graduated from St. Louis University High, where he was in charge of pastoral activities — planning Masses and prayer services and organizing fund-raisers. He went on mission trips to Mexico to build houses all four years of high school. He worked in a coffee shop as a cook, waiter, host, and busser. He enjoys playing soccer and piano. (Missouri Province) |
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Mathew Kappadakunnel Eunice, Louisiana Matt, 28, has a BS in business and a minor in philosophy from Creighton University in Omaha, where he was active in campus ministry. He worked as an investment analyst for Wells Fargo and Creighton University’s endowment fund. He’s traveled to India and Malaysia, and he has an interest in Chinese, Japanese, and Korean. (New Orleans Province) |
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Gavin Keisling Page, Arizona Gavin, 23, has a BA in philosophy from Macalester College in St. Paul and studied for a semester in Berlin and Vienna. He has worked as a lifeguard, a waiter, and an athletic trainer. He did volunteer work at a soup kitchen, homeless shelters, and with Habitat for Humanity. He enjoys playing guitar and singing out of tune, as he puts it. (Wisconsin Province) |
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Matthew Lieser Lakewood, Ohio Matt, 28, has a BA in international affairs from Xavier University. He spent two years with the Peace Corps in Guatemala, teaching business and English. He worked for Chiquita International as an analyst, and he was a volunteer coordinator for Habitat for Humanity. His interests include soccer, running marathons, camping, and rafting. (Chicago Province) |
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Gregory Montoya-Mora Albuquerque Gregory, 18, graduated from St. Pius X High School in Albuquerque, where he was active in campus ministry. He worked as a file clerk in a law office and also as a page at the United States Senate. He volunteered with a number of political campaigns, traveled through Europe, and attended World Youth Day in Sydney in 2008. (New Orleans Province) |
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Martin Ngo
Westminster, California Martin, 27, has a BS in information and computer science from the University of California, Irvine. He worked as a systems analyst for the city clerk’s office in Los Angeles. Since 1999, he assisted Jesuits on nationwide retreats for young adults. He enjoys singing, acting, dancing, and script writing. A thrill for him was bungee jumping with his sister in Japan. (California Province) |
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Kevin O’Brien
Roseville, California Kevin, 22, graduated from Jesuit High in Sacramento and has a bachelor’s degree in business from Gonzaga University in Spokane. At Gonzaga, he was a kitchen worker at the Jesuit residence, a resident assistant, and a staff writer and copy editor for the Gonzaga Bulletin. He enjoys playing and watching sports, movies, writing, exercising, and cooking. (California Province) |
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Marc Ortiz San Jose Marc, 31, has a BA in sociology from the University of Illinois at Chicago and an MA in education from Santa Clara University. He was an elementary and middle school teacher at Catholic schools in the Diocese of San Jose. His interests include surfing in Hawaii, cycling, swimming, ice hockey, Olympic sparring taekwondo, and triathlons. (California Province) |
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Peter Range
Cleveland Peter, 27, earned a BA from John Carroll University and an MA from Notre Dame in theology. He taught theology at St. Martin de Porres High, a Cristo Rey school in Cleveland. He has been involved in volunteer projects serving both mentally challenged and disadvantaged children. He enjoys basketball, football, tennis, and golf. (Detroit Province) |
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Marco Rodriguez Cambridge, Massachusetts Marco, 46, has a BA in Spanish from Texas Tech and studied plant biology at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. He worked as an academic and immigration advisor to international students at Berklee College of Music in Boston. He served in the Peace Corps in Jamaica for two years and has volunteered as a tutor in Boston. (New England Province) |
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David Romero
Northridge, California David, 22, graduated from Loyola Marymount University with a BA in theology. He worked in campus ministry and coordinated service trips to Mexico for students. He studied in El Salvador and has also traveled to the Dominican Republic, Belize, Guatemala, Ecuador, and Australia. His interests include basketball, reading, and hiking. (California Province) |
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John Roselle
Broken Arrow, Oklahoma John, 24, has a bachelor’s degree in theology and history from Creighton and also a master’s in secondary ed from there. He spent a service-learning semester in the Dominican Republic, and he taught and served in campus ministry at Red Cloud High in Pine Ridge, South Dakota. He was involved in youth ministry and has taught confirmation classes. (Wisconsin Province) |
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Matthew Stewart
St. Louis Matt, 29, graduated from St. Louis University High and earned a BA in music from Saint Louis University. He taught at Rockhurst High in Kansas City as a member of the Alum Service Corps, and he worked at St. Louis University High teaching, leading mission trips, and directing campus ministry. He’s traveled through Italy, Ireland, and Scotland. (Missouri Province) |