Francis T. Gignac (Father)

June 4, 2014

Francis completed 25 Marine Corps marathons, ran the Boston Marathon four times, and finished the Cherry Blossom 10-mile race in DC for 30 years.

Francis T. Gignac

Francis completed 25 Marine Corps marathons, ran the Boston Marathon four times, and finished the Cherry Blossom 10-mile race in DC for 30 years.

Let us pray in thanksgiving for the life of Fr. Francis T. Gignac, SJ, who died on June 4, 2014, at Colombiere Center in Clarkston, Mich, from congestive heart and renal failure. He was 81 years old.

Father Gignac was born on February 2, 1933, in Detroit. He entered the Society of Jesus on September 8, 1950, in Milford, Ohio. He was ordained a priest on June 14, 1967, at Colombiere College in Clarkston, Mich., and professed final vows on April 22, 1979, in Washington, D.C. Father Gignac graduated from the University of Detroit Jesuit High School in 1950, before entering the Society. As a Jesuit, Fr. Gignac earned a bachelor’s degree in Latin (1955), a master’s degree in classics (1957), and a licentiate degree in philosophy (1957) from West Baden College (via Loyola University Chicago). He earned a doctorate in Greek and philology from Oxford University in Oxford, United Kingdom (1964). Father Gignac earned a master’s degree in theology from Loyola University Chicago (1968) and an S.T.L. from Bellarmine School of Theology in North Aurora, Ill. (1968).

During his regency, Fr. Gignac taught Latin and Greek at Saint Ignatius High School in Cleveland (1957-1958). He was professor of Biblical Theology at Fordham University (1968-1974). In 1974, Fr. Gignac became a professor of Biblical Greek and Biblical Studies at Catholic University in Washington, D.C. From 1981 to 2003, he was the chairman of the Biblical Studies Department. Father Gignac was at Catholic University until he moved to Colombiere Center in 2013.

Outside of the classroom, Fr. Gignac did Sunday supply work at St. Nicholas Catholic Church in Laurel, Md., for almost 40 years and ran marathons. He completed 25 Marine Corps marathons, ran the Boston Marathon four times, and finished the Cherry Blossom 10-mile race in DC for 30 years.

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Patrick Saint-Jean, SJ

Patrick was born in Haiti and moved to France where he began his vocational journey during secondary school at the age of 11 and continued while he attended a Jesuit high school.

Before entering the Jesuits, Patrick studied medical psychology, medical psychoanalysis, clinical psychology, scholastic philosophy, and pastoral studies. During formation, Patrick completed his theological and philosophical studies at Loyola University Chicago while teaching at the University of Saint Mary of the Lake. He taught psychology at Creighton University while doing psychotherapy work at the counseling center. He earned a licentiate in pastoral theology at the Jesuit School of Theology of Santa Clara University.

After ordination, Patrick will enter a postdoctoral program in psychological trauma and serve as adjunct professor at the University of San Francisco.

Chris Williams, SJ

Chris was raised in Spearfish, South Dakota and attended Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska, where he met the Jesuits. He entered the society in 2014.

During formation, he has been especially impacted by his time teaching high school theology at Marquette University High School in Milwaukee; having the privilege of serving as a spiritual director in a number of contexts; and serving as a deacon at Corpus Christi Parish in Piedmont, California.

After ordination, he will teach theology at Creighton Preparatory School.

Jack McLinden, SJ

Jack was born in Cleveland and met the Jesuits as a student at Saint Ignatius High School. He entered the Society in 2014 after graduating from Bucknell University.

During formation, he received a master’s degree in women’s and gender studies at Saint Louis University, a master of theology at the Institute for Black Catholic Studies at Xavier University of Louisiana, and did theology studies at the Jesuit School of Theology of Santa Clara University and Hekima University College in Kenya. He also taught, worked as a campus minister, and coached baseball at Loyola High School in Detroit.

Jim McGivney, SJ

Jim was born and raised in the Cleveland area and encountered the Jesuits through his grandmother’s cousin, Paul Besanceney, SJ, and then Saint Ignatius High School. He earned degrees from the University of Dayton and the University of Notre Dame and worked in accounting before entering religious life with the Congregation of Holy Cross in 2011. He again met the Jesuits through spiritual direction at Sacred Heart Jesuit Retreat House in Sedalia, Colorado. After a time of further discernment, he left the Congregation of Holy Cross and later entered the Jesuits in 2014.

During formation, he earned a master’s degree in education at Fordham University, served as a hospital chaplain at Loyola Medical Center outside Chicago during the pandemic, taught at Brebeuf Jesuit Preparatory School in Indianapolis, and earned a master’s of divinity from the Jesuit School of Theology of Santa Clara University.

After ordination, he will work and teach at Walsh Jesuit High School in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio.

Jim Kennedy, SJ

Jim was born in Chicago and encountered the Jesuits at St. Mary Student Parish while studying at the University of Michigan. He entered the Society in 2014.

During formation, Jim taught at Creighton Prep in Omaha, Nebraska, and Marquette University High School in Milwaukee. He also served at Our Lady of Mount Carmel School in the Bronx while studying at Fordham University. He is currently completing a master of divinity degree at Regis College in Toronto.

After ordination, Jim will serve on the faculty at Marquette University High School.

Matthew Ippel, SJ

Matthew was raised in Dearborn Heights, Michigan, and first met the Jesuits at the University of Detroit Jesuit High School and Academy.

While at Georgetown University, he interacted with Jesuits who were his professors, spiritual directors and mentors. His junior year abroad in Amman, Jordan, and San Salvador, El Salvador, with the Casa de la Solidaridad program, exposed him to the international dimension of the Society of Jesus and confirmed his desire to enter the Jesuit novitiate after graduation.

During formation, Matthew 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 (JRS) in South Sudan.

Matt is currently pursuing a master’s degree in international migration and refugees at Georgetown University, working with JRS/USA, and serving as a deacon at the Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle in Washington, D.C. After ordination, he will finish his graduate program and continue working with JRS.

David Inczauskis, SJ

David was born in Hinsdale, Illinois, and raised in Homer Glen, Illinois. A graduate of Wake Forest University, he met the Jesuits while studying liberation theology at Oxford University and joined the Society after graduation in 2014.

As a Jesuit, David has been particularly active in academics: studying or working at a university every year since taking first vows in St. Paul, Minnesota, in 2016. He published two books in Spanish, one in 2019 on Honduran theater and one in 2022 on Honduran cinema. His current research as a doctoral student in philosophy at Loyola University Chicago focuses on critical phenomenology and Latin American liberation philosophy. Also at Loyola Chicago, he serves as chaplain to the men’s volleyball team and to the Spanglish Christian life community. Off campus, he works as a community organizer with the Coalition for Spiritual and Public Leadership.

After ordination, David will continue as a doctoral student in philosophy at Loyola University Chicago.

Francis T. Gignac (Father)

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