Fr. Matthew J. Ippel, SJ

Entered Society of Jesus: 2013

As a Jesuit: Father Ippel taught at Cristo Rey Jesuit High School in Minneapolis; studied at Loyola University Chicago, the Universidad Antonio Ruiz de Montoya in Peru and Facultés Loyola Paris; and worked with the Jesuit Refugee Service in France and South Sudan.

Assignment Following Ordination: Father Ippel will finish his graduate program in international migration and refugees at Georgetown University, and continue working with Jesuit Refugee Service in Maban, South Sudan.

Call to the Priesthood: My Jesuit vocation is truly a gift. God has surprised me in beautiful ways, gently guiding me and inviting me to taste and see the goodness and mercy offered to us all. This journey involves so many people—family, friends, formators, brother Jesuits, colleagues, and benefactors—and I would not be a Jesuit priest today without their generosity, encouragement, and accompaniment. My parents, David and Barbara, along with family and friends, have given me the gift of faith and the gift of faith in the poor. You have taught me how to love and offer myself—my talents and limitations—in service of others. The gift of friendship is precious, and from Detroit to Chicago, Lima to Maban, Paris to Washington, D.C., your kindness and care have been a constant source of strength.

As an undergraduate student at Georgetown University, Fr. Kevin O’Brien, SJ, not only welcomed me into the Catholic Church but also asked me if I had ever considered a Jesuit vocation. Kevin, thank you for your guidance during my discernment and for your friendship throughout this journey. I have also been blessed with patient, encouraging Jesuit formators like Frs. Tim Lannon and Charlie Rodrigues, superiors like Frs. Kevin Flaherty and Jacques Gebel, and provincials like Frs. Brian Paulson and Karl Kiser. Thank you for helping me draw closer to Jesus, embrace my own humanity and that of others, and expand my horizons to be more available for mission in the universal Society. As Jesuits, we are always sent. To all those to whom I have been entrusted in my apostolic ministries, thank you for teaching me what it means to be a servant leader, with a heart open to the world’s hope and suffering. I pray to continue learning from you how to be a Jesuit priest.

Large photo by: Steve Donisch