Dominic Chai, SJ, was born in Seoul, Korea, and immigrated to the United States at age 12, growing up in Orange County, California. He earned a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of California, Berkeley, and a doctorate in management from the London School of Economics. Before becoming a Jesuit, Dominic held faculty positions at Manchester Business School, Seoul National University and Birkbeck College, University of London, teaching strategic management and business ethics. His corporate sector experience included serving as a senior executive at Hyundai Development Company, where he oversaw global strategy and developed new ventures. While discerning his vocation, Dominic walked the Camino de Santiago and made a pilgrimage to Yamaguchi, Japan, where St. Francis Xavier once ministered. These encounters deepened his desire to enter religious life in the Society of Jesus.
After two years in the novitiate and taking first vows in Los Angeles, Dominic completed philosophy studies at Loyola University Chicago. During the pandemic, he was missioned to the Vatican Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development for his regency, co-coordinating the Vatican COVID-19 Commission’s Economy Taskforce, advocating for debt relief in impoverished nations and forging partnerships to bring Laudato Si’ into action. He also collaborated with the International Association of Jesuit Business Schools, exploring how Jesuit higher education can address contemporary societal challenges, and taught in the Church Leadership and Management program at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome. For theology studies, Dominic pursued a Licentiate in Sacred Theology at Boston College, writing his dissertation on Sensus Fidei and communal discernment. He also served as a deacon at St. Ignatius Parish and chaplain to the Boston College Symphony Orchestra. Dominic will celebrate his first Mass at St. Thomas Korean Catholic Center, his home parish in Anaheim, California. After ordination, he will serve as associate professor of management and associate dean for strategy and mission at Loyola Marymount University’s College of Business Administration.
Dominic’s Mass of Thanksgiving will take place on Sunday, June 15 at 10:00 AM at St. Thomas Korean Catholic Center (412 N Crescent Way, Anaheim, CA 92801) – bilingual in English and Korean
