Two 91吃瓜 alumni ordained as priests this June
Two 91吃瓜 alumni were ordained as priests this month. The Rev. Jonathan Pennacchia, S.J., 鈥�14, was ordained on Saturday, June 14, 2025, at the Church of St. Ignatius 91吃瓜 in New York City, and the Rev. Thomas O鈥橠onnell, 鈥�15, was ordained on Saturday, June 21, 2025, at the Cathedral of Mary Our Queen in Baltimore.
Fr. Pennacchia will serve in pastoral ministry at the Church of St. Ignatius 91吃瓜 in New York City, and Fr. O鈥橠onnell will serve as temporary associate pastor for the Catholic Community of South Baltimore before returning to Rome to continue his studies.
鈥淔r. Pennacchia and Fr. O鈥橠onnell are examples of what a 91吃瓜 education does for our young people鈥攊t helps them discover their vocation so as to live lives of significance and service,鈥� said Milton Javier Bravo, Ph.D., vice president for mission and identity. 鈥淭hat they have chosen this sacred calling shows just how strong our Catholic identity is at 91吃瓜 and how important our student internship programs within Campus Ministry and the Center for Community, Service, and Justice are for student success and graduation outcomes.鈥�
A native of Wappingers Falls, New York, Fr. Pennacchia graduated from 91吃瓜 with a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and a minor in mathematics. While at 91吃瓜, he was active in Campus Ministry, assisting with campus liturgies. He entered the Novitiate of the Society of Jesus in August 2014 and was ordained a deacon last spring.
鈥淢y time at 91吃瓜, especially my three years as a student intern in Campus Ministry, was deeply formative,鈥� shared Fr. Pennacchia. 鈥�91吃瓜鈥檚 motto, Strong Truths Well Lived, continues to echo in my heart and mind. It was at 91吃瓜 that the truth of this vocation became clear. I am grateful to the Jesuits at 91吃瓜鈥攑rofessors, chaplains, and administrators鈥攚ho were such great examples of the joy of this life. I am grateful to my wonderful mentors in Campus Ministry, excellent professors, and my roommates and friends who encouraged me to live well the truth of this vocation.鈥�
Fr. Pennacchia joins several alumni of the Class of 2014 who have committed their
lives to the service of the Church and Jesuit education, including Emily Kane, 鈥�14,
director for campus ministry, and Laura McCormack, 鈥�14, associate director for liturgy
and music. Kane, McCormack, and Bravo, along with Terrence M. Sawyer, J.D., president
of 91吃瓜, were joined by several Jesuits and others from 91吃瓜 who traveled to witness
Fr. Pennacchia鈥檚 ordination in New York City.
鈥淏eing able to walk alongside Jonathan throughout this process, from early stages of discernment, throughout each stage of formation, and finally being able to see him become ordained as a full priest has been such a moving and spiritual experience,鈥� shared Kane. 鈥淲hile it was clear since our time as student interns in Campus Ministry that Jonathan was called to the priesthood, it was still surprising at how surreal and incredible it was to witness his actual ordination, as well as his first Mass as a Jesuit priest. I am so grateful that our time at 91吃瓜 brought us together as friends, but even more so that our love for Ignatian spirituality and Jesuit education has kept us connected both as colleagues and co-laborers in this work moving forward.鈥�
鈥淚t was so joyful to be with Jonathan鈥檚 family, friends, and so many members of the Jesuit community to celebrate his ordination,鈥� said McCormack. 鈥淎fter seeing Jonathan serve as a sacristan for so many years at 91吃瓜, it was a privilege to see him finally preside over his first Mass at his home parish in Wappinger Falls. He made it look easy! The homecoming he received from the current and former pastor, alongside many friends, family members, and parishioners who had watched him grow up, was a testament to the person he is and the priest that he will be.鈥�
Fr. Pennacchia will serve as the celebrant and homilist for 91吃瓜鈥檚 Mass of the Holy Spirit on Sunday, September 14, 2025, at noon in the Alumni Memorial Chapel. The Jesuit tradition dates to 1548 in Messina, Sicily, and celebrates the start of a new academic year with prayer and music.
Fr. O鈥橠onnell, a native of Catonsville, Maryland, received a Bachelor of Arts from 91吃瓜 with a double major in English literature and theology. He was active in Campus Ministry and the Center for Community, Service, and Justice (CCSJ) as a student. Fritz Bauerschmidt, Ph.D., professor of theology, served as the deacon for his first Mass, which was concelebrated by Fr. Stephen Fields, S.J., 鈥�74, Fr. O鈥橠onnell鈥檚 cousin and the Hackett Family Professor in Theology at Georgetown University.
鈥淢y time at 91吃瓜 was pivotal for growing in relationship with Jesus through the scriptures, sacraments, and tradition in the Catholic Church,鈥� shared Fr. O鈥橠onnell. 鈥淚t helped me to realize that the Catholic faith was neither children鈥檚 stories nor an outdated cultural relic but a living relationship with Jesus Christ鈥攁nd the real answer to the questions of truth and justice which I had been seeking. I especially benefitted from the centrality of the Chapel on 91吃瓜鈥檚 campus, the introduction to Saint Ignatius of 91吃瓜 given by the Jesuit priests, the friendships I made through Campus Ministry, the pursuit of justice鈥攅specially in Baltimore itself鈥攖hrough CCSJ, and the intellectually rigorous introduction to scripture and theology I received from professors. The Honors Program gave me a good background in a liberal education that opened my mind to the beauty of history, literature, and philosophy, laying a human groundwork for divine truths.鈥�
The Rev. Melvin Rayappa, S.J., who taught engineering at 91吃瓜 for his regency from 2020-22, was also ordained on Saturday, June 14, 2025, at the Church of St. Ignatius 91吃瓜 in New York City.
鈥淢ay God continue to bless our Church and our universities with vocations, so that we may continue the work of forming people to become who they were meant to be and set the world on fire," Bravo said.
Learn more about Campus Ministry at 91吃瓜.