Let us pray in thanksgiving for the life of Br. Jerome J. Pryor, SJ, who died on November 15, 2025 at Colombiere Center in Clarkston, Michigan. He was 92 years old. May he rest in peace.
Jerry is preceded in death by his parents, Joseph and Frances (nee Topolewski), and his brother, James.
Jerry was born on December 28, 1932 in Detroit, Michigan. He entered the Detroit Province of the Society of Jesus on August 20, 1964 at Colombiere Center in Clarkston, Michigan. He became a member of the Detroit Province when it was created in 1955. He pronounced final vows at the University of Detroit on December 28, 1975.
Before entering the Society, Jerry attended the University of Detroit (1950-1952; 1955-1956) and was a novice with the Trappists in Spencer, Massachusetts (1952-1954). He earned a bachelor’s degree (1958) and a master’s degree (1960) in fine arts from Wayne State University. He was a curator at the Detroit Institute of Art and taught art at the University of Detroit and in the Adult Education Division of the Detroit Board of Education.
As a Jesuit, Jerry earned a doctorate of education from Wayne State University (1972). The title of the dissertation was: Parallel Structures in Brother Pozzo’s Triumph of St. Ignatius and the Exercises of St. Ignatius.
Jerry taught art at the University of Detroit while he was in doctoral studies (1966-1971). He taught art at John Carroll University (1971-1974) before he became a professor of art at Xavier University (1974-2002). In 2002, Jerry was missioned to Colombiere Center where he was an artist in residence and performed community service.
Jerry was a gifted artist and teacher. In both the classroom and through his paintings he encouraged others to glorify God and deepen their spiritual life. The majority of his paintings were religious or Bible-based and attempted to show the relationship between humans and the Divine. Throughout his career, he presented papers on a variety of subjects including film, the humanities, Jungian archetypes, and religion. A 1996 article in the Catholic Telegraph states:
A key word in Brother Pryor’s vocabulary is “interdisciplinary.” Along with his interests in various kinds of visual art, he has strong interests in film, literature and music, particularly opera. His doctorate is in the humanities, and he often teaches humanities courses where students examine and compare how a theme or archetype is explored in genres as diverse as literature, film and opera.
