Stories

“Whatever the circumstance, with charity, presence, dialogue, and love, something new becomes possible.” - Fr. Timothy Kesicki, S.J. M.Div. ’94

Santa Clara, Calif., May 23, 2026—The Jesuit School of Theology of Santa Clara University (JST-SCU) today celebrated its commencement, with the school’s new graduates encouraged to carry with them Pope Leo’s vision for a missionary Church.

At the afternoon ceremony held at Santa Clara University’s Mission Church, speaker Fr. Timothy Kesicki , S.J. M.Div. ’94, former president of the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States (JCCU), and chair of the Descendants Truth & Reconciliation Trust, spoke about being a Church that builds bridges and dialogue

In his address, Fr. Kesicki invited graduates to embody a "missionary Church" through the practice of prophetic dialogue and deep listening. Drawing from his own global ministry—including his early work in East African refugee camps and his later leadership in the historic reconciliation process between the Jesuits and the descendants of the 272 enslaved people sold in 1838—he emphasized that true ministry goes beyond legal or practical transactions. Instead, he urged the new graduates to confront historical and systemic oppression with open arms, transforming past wounds into lasting, Christ-centered relationships rooted in charity, presence, and love.

About the Speaker

Fr. Kesicki joined the Society of Jesus in 1984 and studied at Loyola University Chicago, the Jesuit School of Theology of Santa Clara University and Teachers College of Columbia University. He currently serves as the rector of the Bellarmine House of Studies at Saint Louis University, and previously served as Provincial Superior of Chicago-Detroit Province (2008-2024), and President of Saint Ignatius High School in Cleveland, OH (2000-2008), in addition to his leadership of JCCU.

His role with the Descendants Truth & Reconciliation Trust positions him as a leader in building a future for the Church that models ”how truth-telling and action can close the gap between our nation’s past and the future we want to share.” On April 18, 2017,  he offered a public apology to nearly 100 descendants of the enslaved gathered at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., on behalf of the Society of Jesus for the latter’s role in the enslavement of African Americans. At the time, he said: “Today the Society of Jesus, which helped to establish Georgetown University and whose leaders enslaved and mercilessly sold your ancestors, stands before you to say: We have greatly sinned, in our thoughts and in our words, in what we have done and in what we have failed to do…. [A]nd we are profoundly sorry.”

He is a frequent writer of opinion pieces in leading magazines and news media, providing a moral voice in denouncing injustice. Under his leadership, the JCCU issued a statement condemning the violence at the United States Capitol on January 6, 2021, while “praying for our federal legislators and their staffs, those responsible for protecting public safety, and for all who are working to make our divided, wounded country ‘a more perfect union’.” 

As a distinguished alumnus of JST-SCU, “Fr. Kesicki embodies SCU’s vision of educating ‘citizens and leaders of competence, conscience, and compassion and cultivating knowledge and faith to build a more humane, just, and sustainable world,’ as well as its vision to educate and form women and men from across the world to serve and minister in the Universal Church,” said Agbonkhianmeghe Orobator, S.J., dean of JST-SCU.

Honors Awarded to Graduates

Among the students who received membership awards from Alpha Sigma Nu, the honor society of Jesuit Colleges and universities, were Joanna Elvis, S.T.L., M.T.S.; Teresa Gasparin, V.D.M.F., M.Div., S.T.B.; Erin Kast, S.J., M.Div.; Mark Ngwenya, S.J., S.T.D. 

49 students received 75 degrees from JST-SCU, including 8 students receiving Master of Divinity (M.Div.); 9 Master of Theology Studies (M.T.S.);  27 Master of Theology (Th.M.); 2 Bachelor of Sacred Theology (S.T.B.); 24 Licentiate in Sacred Theology (S.T.L.) and 5 Doctor of Sacred Theology (S.T.D.) degrees.

At the commencement, the invocation was conducted by Teresa Gasparin, V.D.M.F., and the benediction was conducted by John Meyers, S.J. The student speaker was Mark Ngwenya, S.J.

About the Jesuit School of Theology of Santa Clara University
The Jesuit School of Theology of Santa Clara University, located in Berkeley, California, is a preeminent international center for the culturally contextualized study of theology. Its mission is to inspire and prepare men and women to become leaders in the Church, academy, and society, serving others through a faith that does justice. Rooted in the Catholic and Ignatian tradition, JST-SCU educates and trains Jesuits, religious, ordained, and lay students from across the United States and over 30 other countries for lives dedicated to ministry and scholarship.

About Santa Clara University
Founded in 1851, Santa Clara University sits in the heart of Silicon Valley—the world’s most innovative and entrepreneurial region. The University’s stunningly landscaped 106-acre campus is home to the historic Mission Santa Clara de Asís. Ranked among the top 15 percent of national universities by U.S. News & World Report, SCU has among the best four-year graduation rates in the nation and is rated by PayScale in the top 1 percent of universities with the highest-paid graduates. SCU has produced elite levels of Fulbright Scholars as well as four Rhodes Scholars. With undergraduate programs in arts and sciences, business, and engineering, and graduate programs in six disciplines, the curriculum blends high-tech innovation with social consciousness grounded in the tradition of Jesuit, Catholic education.  For more information see www.scu.edu. 

Media Contact
Preston Carmack | JST-SCU Marketing and Communications | pcarmack@scu.edu | 510-549-5041