Arlington native Christopher Kellerman, SJ, to be ordained to the priesthood

Four Jesuits of the USA Central and Southern Province will be ordained to the priesthood on Saturday, June 12, 2021, in New Orleans. One of these men, Christopher Kellerman, SJ, is a native of Arlington. He will be ordained at Holy Name of Jesus Catholic Church in New Orleans, along with his brother Jesuits Louis R. Hotop, James Page and Brian Strassburger. The Most Reverend Gregory Aymond, Archbishop of New Orleans, will preside at the sacred liturgy.

Daniel Mora Arenas, SJ, will be ordained in Bogotá, Colombia, on June 3, 2021, at San Javier (Francis Xavier) Parish. The Archbishop of Bogota, Mons. Luis José Rueda, will preside.

All Jesuits undergo extensive formation in the Society of Jesus, training that integrates their spiritual, personal and professional development. A Jesuit’s preparation for ordination can take from eight to 12 years.

These are the Jesuits to be ordained for the USA Central and Southern Province this year:

Christopher Kellerman, SJ, was born in Arlington, Texas, and was baptized and confirmed at Most Blessed Sacrament Parish. He graduated from Lamar High School in 2004. He became a political junkie at a young age. He attended Texas Tech University in Lubbock, Texas, where he studied music and political science and was an active member of the Catholic Student Association. He went on to earn his master’s degree in theology from the University of Dallas in Irving, Texas, where he began seriously discerning a religious vocation.

He entered the Jesuit Novitiate of St. Stanislaus Kostka in Grand Coteau, La., in 2011. After two years, he went to St. Louis, where he studied philosophy at Saint Louis University and served for a year at St. Louis University High School.

Kellerman’s ministerial experience was at Regis Jesuit High School in Denver. He then earned his Master of Divinity degree at Regis College at the University of Toronto. For the past year, he has been a visiting research fellow at the Jesuit Social Research Institute (JSRI) at Loyola University New Orleans, as well as serving as a deacon at Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in Baton Rouge, La.

Following ordination, Kellerman will serve as a priest at Immaculate Conception Parish in Baton Rouge, while serving as interim director of JSRI in New Orleans.