Fr Brian G Paulson SJ celebrates installation as Provincial of Chicago-Detroit Province

Fr. Brian G. Paulson, SJ
My hope and my prayer is that we can move forward in hope that, through our ministry together, the Light of Christ’s love will continue to be visible in our provinces; my hope and my prayer is that God’s passion and thirst for justice and reconciliation will continue to be alive in our own minds and hearts so that we can be faithful and effective servants of Christ’s mission on behalf of the Society of Jesus ~ Fr. Brian Paulson
Fr. Brian G. Paulson, SJ, was installed as Provincial of the Chicago-Detroit Province in a celebratory Mass on June 19, 2014, in Chicago, Illinois. Fr. Paulson succeeds Fr. Timothy Kesicki, SJ, who has been named president of the U.S. Jesuit Conference in Washington, DC.
In remarks at the installation Mass, Fr. Paulson shared his gratitude for the support he has received in this transisitional period, as well as his optimism for the future of the combined Chicago-Detroit and Wisconsin Provinces.

“I would like to thank Fr. Tim Kesicki for his faith-filled, positive, hope-filled, and wise leadership over the past six years. Tim successfully merged the Detroit and Chicago Provinces, and, with Fr. Tom Lawler  (Provincial of the Wisconsin Province) and their respective staffs, most of whom are in this room – you laid the foundations for the future USA Midwest province,” said Fr. Paulson. “There have been countless challenges, small and large, over the past six years, but you bore the heat of the day with grace and poise, which was a calming and steadying influence on all of us. On a personal note, I want to thank you for the many ways in which you have been personally supportive and encouraging to me over the past six years in my vocation and leadership at Saint Ignatius College Prep and Loyola University Jesuit Community, and during this transition.”

Fr. Paulson expressed his thanks to Frs. Tom Lawler and Pat Burns, “who have been most welcoming and supportive of me during these past nine months.”

Fr. Paulson offered gratitude as well to Fr. Walter Deye, who has served as both Vice-Provincial and Socius for several months, to afford Frs. Paulson and Kesicki a break before assuming their new roles. “(Fr. Deye)… provided a steady hand on the tiller of the province, and for that we are all deeply grateful. I look forward to working closely with (him) over the coming years.”

During his term as provincial, Fr. Paulson will become the provincial of the new USA Midwest Province when the existing Chicago-Detroit and Wisconsin Provinces come together by 2017 as part of an ongoing national realignment of Jesuit provinces.

For details about Fr. Paulson’s appointment as Provincial, including biographical details, please click here

To view all images from Fr. Paulson’s installation Mass, please click here

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.