Men with Camden Diocese ties ordained as Jesuit priests

On June 8, 2024, the USA East Province ordained four Jesuits to the priesthood at the Fordham University Church after a decade of formation in the Society of Jesus. Two of the men grew up in South Jersey.

Father Brendan Gottschall, SJ, entered the Society of Jesus in 2014 at the Novitiate of Saint Andrew Hall in Syracuse, N.Y. Raised in Margate, N.J., and an active member of Holy Trinity Parish, Father Gottschall grew up in a committed Catholic family and felt a call to be a priest from a young age. He attended Catholic schools for most of his life including Saint Augustine Preparatory School, Richland, and Georgetown University, Washington, D.C. It was in Catholic schools that Father Gottschall encountered vowed religious: first religious sisters, then Augustinians and Jesuits, all of whom inspired his vocation. After graduating with a bachelor’s degree in economics, with minors in government and Chinese, he worked for two years in economic consulting before entering the Jesuits.

After two years of novitiate, including a five-month experiment at Cheverus High School in Portland, Maine, he took vows in 2016 and was missioned to study philosophy at Fordham University in the Bronx, N.Y. Having studied Mandarin Chinese in undergrad, Father Gottschall began his regency in Beijing, where he worked for almost a year. He then taught middle and high school classics, theology and economics at Loyola Blakefield in Baltimore for two years. For the last three years, Father Gottschall studied theology at the Boston College Clough School of Theology and Ministry, earning a Master of Divinity and a Licentiate of Sacred Theology.

Father Gottschall will serve as assistant director and promoter of vocations for the Jesuit USA East Province after ordination.

Father Brendan G. Coffey, SJ, grew up in Cherry Hill, N.J., as a member of the Catholic Community of Christ Our Light. He was raised by his parents, Gerry and Janice, alongside his brother, Justin, and sister, Katelyn. He credits his great uncle, Msgr. Tom Coffey, a Catholic priest, pastor and high school educator, as an early vocational inspiration. Father Coffey first met the Society of Jesus at St. Joseph’s Preparatory School in Philadelphia and continued his Jesuit education at Fordham University in the Bronx, N.Y., where he studied English and philosophy. After graduation, he participated in the Alumni Service Corps at St. Joseph’s Prep, followed by graduate studies in Anglo-Irish literature at Trinity College Dublin, where he earned a Master of Philosophy. After returning stateside, Father Coffey was a high school English teacher for several years at Saint Augustine High School in San Diego and at Regis High School in New York City.

Father Coffey entered St. Andrew Hall novitiate in Syracuse, N.Y., in 2015. As a novice, he worked as a hospital chaplain and technician, accompanied adults at a spiritual renewal center, and taught English at Cristo Rey Jesuit High School in Baltimore. After professing vows, he pursued a master’s in Catholic theology at Fordham University, volunteering at Cardinal Hayes High School in the Bronx on his days off. During his regency, Father Coffey taught theology and English at Fairfield College Preparatory School in Fairfield, Conn.; he also served as an assistant cross country coach. Following regency, Father Coffey continued his theology studies at the Jesuit School of Theology of Santa Clara University in Berkeley, Calif., earning a Licentiate in Sacred Theology/Master of Theology. While in the East Bay, Father Coffey worked with youth groups at Saint Joan of Arc Parish in San Ramon, Calif., where he also served as a deacon.

Father Coffey will spend the summer at Saint Peter Catholic Church in Charlotte, N.C., before returning to Fairfield Prep as a full-time teacher.

Also ordained were Father Thomas Elitz, SJ, born in Philadelphia and raised in Cinnaminson, N.J., and Fr. Chia-Yang “C-Y” Kao, SJ, born and raised in Taipei, Taiwan.