Meet The Novices
In August 2026, eight men entered the USA Midwest Province of the Society of Jesus at the novitiate in St. Paul, Minn. From left (front row) Antony Santagata, Joseph Hausman, Ryan Bender; (middle row) William Culp, Brian Craft, Jack Russo; (back row) Adam Ramasute, Christian Sanchez.
Ryan Bender
(Chicago, Illinois)
Ryan attended Marquette University, where he earned a degree in commercial real estate and finance. He worked as a golf caddy for eight years and as a real estate analyst for a summer. Ryan is a Fourth Degree Knight of Columbus and loves to serve Mass at his home parish. Meeting the chaplain of the Knights of Columbus for the Marquette council, he saw how being a Jesuit means you are “not just” a priest or a brother but something so much more than yourself.
Brian Craft
(Jackson, Michigan)
Brian graduated from the University of Michigan with a bachelor’s degree in history and a minor in German. He later earned a master’s degree in German and European studies at Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service and worked for nonprofits while living in Washington, D.C. At Georgetown, Brian began discerning a Jesuit vocation, as his desire for public service transformed into a desire to serve Jesus and his Church.
William Culp
(Peoria, Illinois)
Will earned a bachelor’s degree in biology from Creighton University, where he first encountered the Jesuits. At Creighton, he worked in campus ministry and at the university’s Schlegel Center for Service and Justice. He also served as an EMT in the City of Omaha. These experiences, along with the encouragement of his friends and family, and the positive example of many great Creighton Jesuits, inspired him to join the Society.
Joseph Hausman
(Overland Park, Kansas)
Joseph first met the Jesuits at Rockhurst High School in Kansas City, Mo., where he enjoyed singing in the choir and serving Mass. At Creighton University he earned a bachelor’s degree in finance and was an active member of St. John’s Church on campus. During a summer break in college, he spent two months at the Benedictine Quarr Abbey on the Isle of Wight and felt a strong calling to the Society.
Jack Russo
(Detroit, Michigan)
Jack earned a bachelor’s degree in social science from the University of Michigan, focusing on religious studies and urban studies. He then earned a master’s degree in real estate development from the University of Maryland, focusing on urban design. While living in Washington, D.C., he also earned a certificate in business administration from Georgetown University, where he first encountered the Jesuits. Jack has worked in custom home building, small business operations, and urban planning and public service.
Christian Sanchez
(West Chicago, Illinois)
Christian earned a bachelor’s degree in mathematics from the University of Illinois at Chicago and spent six years as an engineer at a leading German software company. In recent years, as a missionary in Colombia serving Las Hijas de la Madre de Dios, he helped renovate a preschool and formation center. He has also participated in the Via Crucis (Stations of the Cross), portraying Jesus. Seeking a more meaningful path in service to God, Christian discerned a call to Jesuit religious life.
Adam Ramasute
(Omaha, Nebraska)
Adam first met the Jesuits at Creighton Preparatory School in Omaha, Neb., where during his junior year he began discerning the priesthood. He graduated from Creighton University with a bachelor’s degree in theology and a minor in mathematics. In his last year of college, he spent much of his time volunteering at a local homeless shelter and local elementary school, where he helped teach reading comprehension.
Antony Santagata
(Cincinnati, Ohio)
Antony was born in Washington, D.C., to an Italian family and grew up in Cincinnati. He graduated from St. Xavier High School in 2025, where he met the Jesuits. He began discerning a vocation after walking the Camino de Santiago as a junior in high school, and spent the following year studying history and political science at Wabash College in Indiana. There, he also played collegiate soccer and was actively involved with the Newman Catholic Center.
NOVITIATE:
A man enters the Society of Jesus as a novice. A novice spends two years living in community while taking classes, making the 30-day retreat of the Spiritual Exercises and engaging in a variety of ministries. At the end of that time, he pronounces perpetual vows of poverty, chastity and obedience, as either a brother or a scholastic, with the primary difference being that scholastics intend to be ordained to the priesthood while brothers do not.
IN THIS ISSUE
ON THE COVER
The 2026 ordinands at Church of the Gesu in Milwaukee.
Photo: Steve Donisch