New Beginnings by Elizabeth Bryan The Chicago Province Jesuits Offer Three New Priests for Service It was a beautiful afternoon, remembers loyal Jesuit friend Sue Moore, pictured here after the ordination ceremony with Cincinnati Development Director Mark McLaughlin and the newly ordained Fr. Sean O Sullivan, SJ. ON THE SURFACE, a particle physicist from Kentucky, an Irish family counselor, and a Wisconsin-born former retail manager may not seem to have much in common. But Paul Nienaber, SJ (the physicist), Sean O Sullivan, SJ (the counselor), and Ross Pribyl, SJ (the former retail manager), all share the common bond of Jesuit brotherhood. The three young Jesuits were ordained on Saturday, June 12, in Cincinnati, Ohio by the Most Reverend J. Kendrick Williams, Bishop of Lexington, KY. Despite their varied backgrounds and interests, all three came to their vocation in the same gradual and quiet way, and they all describe the process as natural, fitting, and right. I was overwhelmed, says Sue Moore, a long time friend of the Jesuits who attended the ordination, It was very jubilant, magnificent, joyous. It was a wonderful afternoon that will go in my memory box forever. The singing was spectacular, and Bishop Williams said just what I, and a lot of other people, needed to hear. A beautiful afternoon. CONTACT 4
Paul Nienaber, SJ, age 44, was born in Covington, KY, where he attended high school at the Covington Latin School and earned bachelors degrees in physics and mathematics from Thomas More College. He went on to graduate school at the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana, where he earned a master s of physics in 1976 and a doctorate in 1988. He applied to enter the novitiate at Berkley, MI in 1987, but did not begin his studies until 1988. My dissertation wasn t quite finished, he laughs, so I had to defer my entrance for a year. But that is just one example of the wonderful support I have received from the Jesuits since day one. Paul s father, Robert Nienaber, believes this support is exactly what led Paul to the Jesuits. He has a real sense of being part of a group, Robert observes, He likes the feeling of community he has with the Jesuits. There was a real camaraderie between the Jesuits themselves and everyone else who was at the ordination. As part of his Jesuit training, Paul studied philosophy at Loyola University Chicago from 1990 to 1992, earned a master s of divinity from the Weston School of Theology in Cambridge, MA, in 1998, and in 1999 received a certificate in pastoral studies from the Catholic Theological Union. During his regency, Paul taught physics at Xavier University in Cincinnati while spending summers and weekends working on a research project at the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory in Barrington, IL. Once again, he cites the support and encouragement of his Jesuit brothers during this time. The people at Xavier were all very supportive of my research as a physicist. They encouraged me to work on the project, generously sharing with me not only their resources, but their fraternal support as well. Paul came to the Society of Jesus indirectly. Though his parents, Robert and Mary, had both briefly attended Jesuit universities, Paul only knew one Jesuit for the first 20 years of his life, an assistant pastor at his childhood parish in Covington. He became better acquainted with the Jesuits and his vocation while at the University of Illinois. He volunteered at the Newman Center there and was initially interested in liturgical music. He trained first as a cantor, and Paul Nienaber, SJ then, as he began to study the liturgy, became increasingly attracted to the ministry. He speaks of the gradual process as an awakening, calling it his own adult conversion. At some point it stopped being the faith and became my faith. Paul s mother Mary does recall that her second born mentioned the priesthood once in high school. As a mother, I knew he was smart enough, but I just didn t think he would ever do it. I m pleased to say he proved me wrong. We re just ordinary people, she continues, and having our son become a Jesuit priest is a thrill and an honor. Robert agrees. He went into science, and I thought that was that. His decision was a bit of a surprise, but a happy surprise. I am very proud of Paul, and hopeful for his future. While attracted to the ministry, Paul still wasn t sure how to become a priest and remain a physicist until he started teaching at Eastern Illinois University in the mid nineteen-eighties. I discovered a love and a tal- (Below) The ordinands prostrate themselves as a sign of their submission to God s will, while the congregation sings the litany of the saints and prays over them. Paul, Sean, and Ross were all greatly moved by this part of the ordination. As Ross says, It felt like the prayers were washing over us. We all felt a real sense of connectedness to the Church. The People of God Pray over the Ordinands CONTACT 5
ent for teaching, and the path to the ministry became clearer. While at Eastern Illinois, he met Jesuits who were working on doctoral degrees in non-theological topics, and began to see that the two interests in his life, sci- ence and religion, could work together. The methods, of course, are different. What unites them is a sense of wonder. We talk about God as fascinating, another way God draws us into deeper understanding. There is a sense of wonder with science as well, with the physical Paul Nienaber, SJ, receives congratulations from world that God has long time supporters Pat and Fred Cloppert. The created. Clopperts were impressed by the enthusiasm of People are created in God s image, the ordinands and the Jesuits in general. There is a lot of hope for the future of the Jesuits, says and the most human Fred. part of us reflects God. To me, a part of our Creator is curiosity, a drive to find out why. That sounds a little unorthodox how can God be curious when God knows everything but I believe that God is not just rational, not just good and forgiving and loving, but curious as well. Mary and Robert were pleased that Paul entered the Society of Jesus. I have some background with the Jesuits, Mary explains, and I knew that Paul wanted to join an order that really got involved with the community. The Jesuits were just right for him. Robert also has some background with the Jesuits. He attended Xavier University for two years after World War II and recalls his Jesuit instructors as wonderful teachers. They got straight to the point and they really cared about the work the students were doing. As a physics teacher, Paul is often asked how he can believe in both the Big Bang and Genesis. His reply is, Why not? The truth of Genesis is that God created the world, and it was created however the Author of Life designed it. The ordination weekend was a convergence of two worlds for Paul, much as his formation has been about the convergence of his science and his faith. People from all parts of my life my family, my friends from college, Eastern Illinois, and Fermilab, as well as my Jesuit friends and brothers came together to celebrate my ordination. The ceremony, for Paul, was both very beautiful and very human. Robert calls the ordination one of the happiest days of my life. The singing was wonderful, and meeting the people who have supported Paul all these years was really edifying. The whole family is very, very proud of him. He s been the answer to a lot of our prayers. It was an opportunity for us to put faces to all the names we had heard for so long, adds Mary, There s a saying, by your friends you shall be known. After meeting Paul s Jesuit brothers and friends, I can say that Paul must be a pretty terrific person. For his part, Paul feels that the Church is made up of some pretty terrific people. The Church really is the people of God. As Bishop Williams said, the Church of the next century will be the Church of the people. You often hear that, in the next century, it will be the Church of the laity, but I think that makes too strong a distinction between the clerics and the laity. Church of the people maintains that Church leadership begins with baptism; ordination is a specific way of living out that baptism, as marriage and all the sacraments are specific ways of living out baptism. Even before entering the Jesuit novitiate, Sean O Sullivan, SJ, age 38, looked for ways to live out his own baptism. By working with mentally disabled adults and children, and considering a career in psychology, Sean was always dedicated to helping people in need. Born in Kenmare, County Kerry, Ireland, Sean attended high school at Holy Cross College in Kenmare. He moved to the United States when he was 21. He settled in the Rogers Park neighborhood in Chicago, where Loyola University has its main campus, and where he and several other young Irish men and women formed a community that made the transition from Ireland to America easier. He worked for Misercordia, Heart of Mercy, a residential facility for mentally disabled adults and children, where he first came into contact with Jesuit priests. Through Loyola University, he met more Jesuits and became increasingly interested in the ministry. I thought about the ministry in high CONTACT 6
school, but not seriously, Sean recalls, While I was growing up in Ireland I noticed that some of the priests I knew often kept their distance. They seemed somewhat removed from the day-to-day lives of the people. The Jesuits I later met, however, had a wonderful way of bringing together their humanity and their vocation. My experiences with the Jesuits showed me a different perspective on the ministry. His mother, Ettie O Sullivan, always knew that her oldest son was destined for something out of the ordinary however. There was always something different about him, she remembers, something special and gentle. When his father, Michael O Sullivan, passed away, eight-year-old Sean immediately began to help his mother take care of his brothers and sisters. It was a difficult time, recalls Ettie, but we got through it. Among many things, Michael O Sullivan left his son with some words to live by. The night before he passed away, Michael told Sean that he could have a bicycle if he promised to never say no to his mother. And Sean was always a very good boy, Ettie says with pride. Like Paul and Ross, Sean has a strong sense of family, and one of the most memorable parts of the ordination for him was witnessing his family from Ireland and all over the United States sharing the celebration with his Jesuit family. Celebrating with all these people that I care about, whose love and support have sustained me throughout my life was almost unbelievable. Everyone was most gracious and hospitable to my family from Ireland, and I was touched by the kindness. Sean entered the novitiate in Berkley, MI, in 1987. During his Jesuit training he earned bachelors degrees in sociology and Spanish from Loyola University New Orleans in 1992. He served as a youth minister at St. Procopius Parish in Chicago, and earned a master s of divinity from the Jesuit School of Theology at Berkeley in California. He currently attends the University of San Francisco and will receive his master s in counseling with an emphasis on marriage, family, and child counseling this August. He is also serving as an intern at The Community Institute for Psychotherapy in San Rafael, CA, where he works with low-income families, the homeless, and the developmentally disabled. His interest in helping the poor is a family tradition; his mother has always helped the less fortunate through her parish church in Kenmare. Sean considers himself fortunate to be a part of the Jesuit tradition. The people of God have welcomed me, he says, They opened their doors and their hearts to me. During my formation, the support from my Jesuit brothers, the Sean O Sullivan, SJ lay community, and the benefactors was overwhelming. I feel very lucky. He adds with a laugh, The people of God are rooting for me. That feeling was very strong for Sean during his regency, when he served at St. Procopius. He realized there that his Jesuit training was not confined to his classes. I was taken in by the people there. I really got to know their culture, and was fortunate enough to get to know them individually. The Imposition of Hands The people of God have welcomed me, says Sean. The primary symbol of the Sacrament of Holy Orders is seen in the action of laying hands on the heads of the candidates. Through this symbol, the Holy Spirit is called upon to give the courage and strength to fulfill the ministry of the priesthood. Rick McGurn, SJ, and Dick Baumann, SJ, lay hands on the ordinands. CONTACT 7
It just seemed right, says Ross. Mary Selzer and Anne Einspanier congratulate Ross Pribyl, SJ, on his ordination. Ross describes the support of the lay collaborators as overwhelming. They taught me many lessons about being a priest. The support of the St. Procopius parishioners was evident at his First Mass, which he celebrated there on June 20th. Jesuits from Chicago and California were there, as well as former students and local families. I am thrilled and humbled to be a part of the Jesuit community. Ross Pribyl, age 37, experienced the same feelings at his First Mass, which he celebrated in the chapel of Brebeuf Jesuit Preparatory School in Indianapolis. He admits to choking up during his homily. It was a Mass of Thanksgiving, and I realized what a wonderful gift it was to me. I was saying thank you to all the people who have helped me through my formation and my life, then looking up and seeing them all right there listening to me. It was an opportunity to really express to them how grateful I am, and how much their support has meant to me. The son of Marvin and Annette Pribyl, Ross was born in Brookfield, WI. He attended Marquette University High School in Milwaukee before earning his bachelor s degree in business administration from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1983. He worked as an assistant buyer and department manager until entering the novitiate in Berkley, MI, in 1988. As part of his Jesuit training, he studied philosophy at Loyola University Chicago from 1990 to 1992, and taught English and moderated the drama club at Brebeuf Jesuit Preparatory School in Indianapolis from 1992 to 1995. He has studied theology at the Weston Jesuit School of Theology, and will be receiving his master s in divinity this August. This past year, Ross served as a deacon at Sacred Heart Parish in Malden, MA. Ross s mother Annette is both proud of and grateful for the influence the Jesuits have had on her son s life. Since joining the Ross Pribyl, SJ Jesuits, Ross has always been happy, always content, and always pleased, she remarks, This is what Ross wanted. This makes him happy. Before entering the Society of Jesus, Ross worked in Chicago and volunteered with the young adults group at St. Zachary s parish in Des Plaines, IL. The group, a collection of young adults from St. Zachary s, St. Mary s, and St. Stephen s parishes known as ZMS, opened new doors for Ross and he found his service with the parish increasingly more fulfilling. My life at the parish was where I really found life. I felt more alive and happier the more involved I became in parish work. He never even thought about the priesthood, however, until a close friend from the ZMS group asked him about the possibility of becoming a priest. We were teaching an RCIA class together, and she asked me pointblank if I had ever wanted to be a priest. My initial reaction was, Me? No!, he recalls with a laugh, but the more I thought about her question, the more I felt that it seemed right. The more he thought about his friend s question, the more Ross realized that he was truly drawn to the ministry but still had a difficult time imagining himself as a diocesan priest. The same friend directed Ross to the Campus Ministry team at Loyola University Chicago. She recommended them because they were Jesuits, and Jesuits are supposed to be good at spiritual guidance and the like, he laughs. Meeting the Jesuits at Loyola University confirmed Ross s feelings about his vocation. They were what I had hoped a priest could be. To see any of them walking down the street, you wouldn t really know that they were priests. You knew it from the work they did. Just talking to them and observing them I thought, This is how I want to be. Ross s decision to become a Jesuit priest caught his family by surprise. Marvin and Annette knew that Ross was becoming more and more involved with his church group and they were both happy to see how that involvement influenced and comforted their son. When Ross told his parents he was entering the novitiate, Marvin was excited about the decision he had made. I was extremely pleased. We have many fine memo- CONTACT 8
ries of the past 11 years, traveling to see him wherever he was and watching his progress. Annette admits she felt shocked when Ross told them of his decision. I remember just sinking right on to the kitchen floor. It still takes me a while to think of him as a priest. Her philosophy about parenting makes it easy to embrace her son s vocation. Go with your children. Be behind them, encourage them, when they fall down, pick them up. No matter what they choose, it s their life. Let them lead you. Described by his parents as a born performer, Ross took his talent and enthusiasm for theater with him to Brebeuf Jesuit Preparatory School in 1992. While teaching English there, he discovered that students were interested in starting a drama club but had no faculty guidance. Though things were difficult in the beginning, after the new club s first production, Do Black Patent Leather Shoes Really Reflect Up?, the program grew and took on a life of its own. Before the first play, I was begging students, especially the young men, to audition. We performed in the chapel because there was no auditorium. Eventually, more and more stu- The Proud Parents Paul Nienaber, SJ, with parents Robert and Mary Nienaber. Investiture Annette and Marvin Pribyl with son Ross Pribyl, SJ. The newly ordained priests are clothed with the stole and chasuble, the liturgical vestments of a priest. Sean O Sullivan, SJ, with his mother, Ettie O Sullivan. Sean s father, Michael, is deceased. CONTACT 9
Bishop J. Kendrick Williams receives the blessings of the newly ordained priests. Blessing dents became involved, and now the school is raising money to build a new theater. As he prepares to begin earning his master s of Fine Arts from DePaul University in Chicago, Ross is grateful for all the support he has received from his Jesuit family. The Jesuits recognize the value of using theater and entertainment as other means of preaching, really reaching the people of God. What I like most about being a Jesuit is the variety of the work, especially in education. I can really reach out to the students and show them something new. A Jesuit teacher reflects ethics and values in his religious life, and that becomes evident to the students. Ross believes that, as a Jesuit in- structor, the example he tries to put forth says to the students, I chose this life and you can too, whether that choice involves the priesthood or living a secular life by the ethics and values of the Jesuit order and the Church. The young man who could never imagine himself as a priest was overwhelmed by his ordination. The litany of the saints, when the ordinands lie on the floor as a sign of submission to God was deeply moving for Paul, Sean, and Ross. As Ross says, there was a sense of connectedness, the feeling that they were each part of a greater mission. It was wonderful, joyous, and very humbling. His parents were also impressed by the ceremony. Annette recalls that when the choir started to sing at the beginning of the ceremony I thought I was going to cry. I suddenly realized what all of this meant. It was beautiful, just beautiful. Marvin agrees. We really enjoyed the celebration, he adds, the ceremony was so moving, and Bishop Williams warmly inspired everyone with his human touch on a long-standing religious tradition. Marvin continues, I have a deeper appreciation for the Jesuits after that weekend. They are top-notch people. I was impressed with every Jesuit, from the youngest novice to the oldest one there. I know very well why my son was attracted to the Jesuits. I am proud and pleased for him and my family. Activities of the Ordination Weekend Friday On Friday, Jesuits met at St. Xavier High School to discuss ministry among African-Americans. Attendees included (front row): Tim Hipskind, Tim Howe, Richard Bollman; (back row): Philip Chmielewski, Bill Creed and John Ferone. CONTACT 10
Saturday The Saturday morning program began with remarks by Dick Baumann, SJ. The program featured apostolic planning for the province, with an emphasis on moving toward apostolic action on key issues that have emerged during the past two years of evangelical consultation: evangelization, solidarity with the poor, lay collaboration, secondary and higher education, leadership development, apostolic availability, and community life. Jesuits Don Nastold, Peter Nguyen, Jim Stoeger and Don O Shaughnessy meet in a small group setting to recommend to the provincial specific action steps relevant for implementation. Jesuits gathered together in prayer on the Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. James Ackerman, SJ, offers incense at the Jesuit prayer meeting Friday evening, the night before the ordination. Dick Baumann, SJ, addresses province Jesuits on apostolic planning. CONTACT 11