Jesuit magazine (4-11).indd - The New Orleans Province of the ...

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Formation
The New Orleans and Missouri Provinces will celebrate
the ordination of seven new Jesuit priests in June 2011. These
Jesuits begin their priestly ministry as the two provinces
are preparing to combine into one apostolic entity in 2014.
Together, they represent the provinces’ shared future, yet each
has uniquely received and responded to the call to religious
life.
Johnathan L. Brown, S.J., 35, was born and raised in the
southern Louisiana town of Eunice where his parents operate
a rice and crawfish farm. The tenth of twelve children,
John attended St. Edmond’s Catholic grade school followed
by public high school. Though skilled in the operations of the
farm he thought he might become a commercial artist, and at
19 he moved to Houston to study art and graphic design at the
Art Institute of Houston. He took a job building websites and
ended up as a project manager, supervising graphic artists and
computer programmers.
Frequent business travel offered plenty of time for meditation
and prayer. He reflected on the meaning of his life, and in
the midst of news about genocide and war he experienced a
growing desire to help improve the world.
The Southern Jesuit Spring 2011
Jeffrey Johnson (far left), Johnathan Brown
(second from right) and Aaron Pidel
(far right) at their diaconate ordination at
St. Ignatius Church in Boston
Our Shared Future
John investigated the possibility of
a vocation with Rev. Marvin Kitten, S.J.,
and went on a discernment retreat. After
sharing in dinners and Masses with the
Strake Jesuit College Preparatory community
in Houston, he entered the New
Orleans Province novitiate in 2002.
His novitiate experiments in Belize,
Tampa and at Hope House in New
Orleans’ St. Thomas housing project
confirmed his vocation. He then went
on to complete philosophy studies at Saint Louis University
where he also worked in campus ministry, participated in service
trips with students, was involved with the campus RCIA
program and learned Spanish.
During his regency, John worked in Villahermosa, Mexico,
at San José Parish and with the youth groups at its 52 satellite
chapels. He also taught theology at Jesuit High School in
Tampa where he served as defensive coach for junior varsity
football and linebacker trainer for the varsity team. He was
also moderator of the hunting and fishing club.