New England Jesuit from Cape Cod to be Ordained a Catholic Priest

On June 9, 2012, twelve men burning with love of Christ and his mission were ordained as Jesuit priests at ceremonies held at Fordham University in New York; Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, California; Spring Hill College in Mobile, Alabama; and St. Thomas More Church in St. Paul, Minnesota.  A diverse group, the ordinands hail from Illinois, Minnesota, Massachusetts, Texas, California, Louisiana, Florida, New York, Vietnam and Italy. Before entering the Society of Jesus, they worked in the financial and high-tech industries, served in the military, taught at the high school and college level, practiced medicine and earned a multitude of advanced degrees. Their call to priestly ministry is as varied as their hometowns and former occupations, but they have one thing in common: a desire to dedicate themselves to the Jesuit mission of serving the Roman Catholic Church wherever the need may be greatest.

Fr. Matthew F. Malone, SJ, 40, who hails from Cape Cod, MA, was one of the 12 Jesuits ordained as Catholic priests across the country this Saturday.

Fr. Malone, part of the New England Province of Jesuits, earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in history from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst before serving as the deputy director of MassINC, an independent political think tank, and co-publisher of CommonWealth, an award-winning review of politics, policy, ideas and civic life. In 2002, Father Malone entered the Society of Jesus later serving as associate editor of the Society’s America magazine from 2007-2009 and then earning a master’s degree in philosophy from Fordham University. He also completed theology studies at Heythrop College in Great Britain.  Fr. Malone’s writing has appeared in numerous domestic and international publications.  He was ordained to the diaconate in April 2011 by Most Rev. Peter David Smith, Archbishop of Southwark, at Corpus Christi Church in Brixton Hill, London

In 2006, Fr. Malone was the recipient of a first-place Catholic Press Association award for his essay recounting his father’s heroic act of forgiving the man responsible for Father Malone’s brother’s death in a drunk-driving incident in 1984.  America magazine recently announced that Matt Malone will become their newest (and youngest) editor-in-chief this Fall.

Ordination is one of the final steps in a Jesuit's decade-long formation.  Learn more about Jesuit vocations and formation at: http://www.jesuitvocation.org

Read about all of twelve of the Jesuit ordinands from National Jesuit News.