Victor Pro Yanez, SJ, was born in Tepic, Nayarit, Mexico, and immigrated to the United States at the age of 11, growing up in Riverside and Bloomington, California. He was a member of the U.S. U-17 Men’s National Soccer Team and played Division 1 soccer at the University of California, Los Angeles, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in sociology. After college, he worked at Wabash College in Crawfordsville, Indiana, as a soccer coach and an administrator.
After suffering a career-ending injury to his left ankle, Victor found inspiration in St. Ignatius of Loyola, who underwent a spiritual conversion after enduring his own devastating leg injury. While discerning his vocation to the Society of Jesus, Victor was given a book about Blessed Miguel Pro, SJ (1891-1927), a Mexican Jesuit priest and martyr who served during a time of great need due to the Catholic persecution in Mexico. These encounters deepened Victor’s desire to become a Jesuit.
As a Jesuit novice, he was missioned to serve at Marycrest Manor, a skilled nursing facility, and at the Jesuit Restorative Justice Initiative, a prison ministry serving those impacted by incarceration, violence and systemic injustice. He also worked at Bellarmine College Preparatory in San Jose, California, ministering to students as a coach, teacher and campus minister. After taking first vows, Victor completed philosophy studies and an MBA at Fordham University in New York, where he also served as a teacher and administrator at St. Ignatius School in the Bronx.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Victor was missioned to serve at the Kino Border Initiative (KBI), a binational Catholic ministry dedicated to promoting humane, just and workable migration. For theology studies, he earned a Master of Divinity and a Licentiate in Sacred Theology from the Boston College Clough School of Theology and Ministry. After ordination, Victor will serve at Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish in San Diego and will help accompany migrants at the parish’s Pope Francis Center.
