On June 13, 2026, four Jesuits will be ordained to the priesthood at Fordham University Church in the Bronx, NY. Their stories reflect the global and apostolic spirit of the Jesuits today, as well as connections to Boston through study and early ministry.

Deacon John J. Braithwaite, SJ, a native of Villanova, Pennsylvania, first encountered the Jesuits in the classroom at St. Joseph Prep in Philadelphia and at Fordham University. After beginning a career on Wall Street, he found himself drawn back to Fordham, where he worked in development while becoming involved at St. Ignatius Loyola Parish in Manhattan -- experiences that helped clarify his vocation. Entering the Society of Jesus in 2015, Braithwaite's formation included ministry in hospitals, schools, and with L'Arche. After earning a degree in social philosophy at Loyola University Chicago, he taught math and served as a campus minister at Brooklyn Jesuit Prep, a full-tuition scholarship middle school for families of limited means. While completing theological studies at the Jesuit School of Theology of Santa Clara University, he also served at San Quentin Rehabilitation Center. After ordination, he will serve as a parochial vicar in St. Ignatius Loyola Parish, Newton.

Deacon Bryan P. Galligan, SJ, grew up in Rhode Island, where his early love of music and science was matched by a growing faith nurtured at Fordham University. His discernment deepened through campus ministry, retreats, and spiritual direction. After working in marine fisheries research, Galligan entered the Jesuits in 2017. His formation has taken him from Syracuse to Loyola University Chicago, and from the Dominican Republic-Haiti border to Kenya during his regency, where he listened to and learned from small-scale farming and fishing communities in eastern and southern Africa. Most recently, while studying theology at the Clough School of Theology and Ministry at Boston College, he served at St. Katharine Drexel Parish, Boston, where he was inspired by the witness of Black Catholic spirituality. After ordination, he will pursue doctoral studies in coral reef fisheries and public health nutrition at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.

Deacon John P. Pignone, SJ, a graduate of Gonzaga College High School, Washington, D.C., entered the U.S. Marine Corps and served multiple deployments to Kosovo and Iraq. After earning a degree from the University of Maryland and working in government, a period of reflection led him to a vocation of education and, eventually, religious life. Since entering the Jesuits in 2015, he has ministered in schools, parishes, and retreat settings, including teaching history and coaching football at Xavier High School in New York. During his final year of theological studies at the Jesuit School of Theology of Santa Clara University, he served as a deacon at St. Agnes Parish in San Francisco. After ordination, he will serve at Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Washington, D.C., and assist in retreat ministry.

Deacon Gregoire Bienvenu Kabore, SJ, was born in Dori, Burkina Faso, where his vocation began at a young age within a vibrant Catholic family and parish. After seminary studies and initial formation, he entered the Jesuits in 2016 in the West Africa Province. His formation has included studies and ministry in Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Kenya. Now pursuing advanced theological studies at the Clough School of Theology and Ministry at Boston College, he is one of many Jesuits from around the world who represents the global dimension of the Society of Jesus here in Boston.

Together, these four men embody the Jesuit mission: to serve the Church wherever the need is greatest. Rooted in the "Formula of the Institute" (1540), composed by St. Ignatius Loyola and his companions and approved by Pope Paul III, their ordination reflects a shared commitment "to strive especially for the progress of souls" through the ministry of the Word, the Spiritual Exercises, works of charity, and the education of the young. With eyes fixed first on God, they now step forward to labor generously in the mission entrusted to them, each according to the grace given by the Holy Spirit and the particular call of his vocation, for the greater glory of God -- "Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam."



FATHER PATRICK NOLAN, SJ, SERVES AS THE PROVINCIAL ASSISTANT AND DIRECTOR OF VOCATIONS FOR THE USA EAST PROVINCE OF THE SOCIETY OF JESUS. HE PREVIOUSLY SERVED AT BOSTON COLLEGE HIGH SCHOOL AS A TEACHER, CHAPLAIN, AND ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF ENROLLMENT. ON THE WEEKENDS, HE WAS A VISITING PRIEST AT ST. BRIGID AND GATE OF HEAVEN PARISHES IN SOUTH BOSTON. HE CAN BE REACHED AT PNOLAN@JESUITS.ORG. VISIT WWW.BEAJESUIT.ORG TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE JESUIT LIFE OF PRAYER, COMMUNITY, AND MISSION.