New Jesuit priest has Trini roots

Trinidad and Tobago has produced another priest for the Church.

Fr Ryan Birjoo SJ, who grew up for a few years in St James before migrating with his family, was one of nine Midwest Jesuits ordained to the priesthood on June 13 at the Church of the Gesu in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

According to a Midwest Jesuits Facebook post, Ryan was born in Trinidad and grew up with his parents, two brothers and a close extended family. The post continued, “After graduating from Dartmouth College, he moved to Chicago to work for an energy start-up and became involved in young adult Catholic ministries. During this period, he attended a Hearts on Fire retreat, which led him to reflect more seriously on a possible vocation to the Society of Jesus.

Ryan entered the Jesuits 11 years ago and has since experienced a rich and formative journey. His novitiate in Minnesota taught him the value of shared life in community. First studies at Fordham University introduced him to inspiring mentors and gave him the opportunity to teach science at a school in the Bronx, New York. His regency took him to Lebanon, where he served with the Jesuit Refugee Service. There, he found joy in encountering diverse forms of Christian witness — especially within the Eastern churches — and in working alongside Druze, Sunni and Shia colleagues in a shared mission.

During theology studies in Paris, Ryan studied with students from around the world, deepening his sense of the universal mission of the Society of Jesus. He also ministered at a palliative care home, rediscovering the power of teamwork and attentive listening, and occasionally served as a deacon at Saint Joseph, the anglophone mission in Paris. After ordination, he will join the campus ministry team at John Carroll University in University Heights, Ohio.”