On June 8, 2024, three members of the Jesuits West Province were ordained to the priesthood: Fr. Joseph N. Dickan, SJ; Fr. Raymond A. Parcon, SJ; and Fr. Michael J. Tedone, SJ. To watch the recording of the Ordination Mass that was held at Sacred Heart Chapel at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, click here.
In his homily, Most Reverend Matthew G. Elshoff, OFM Cap., Auxiliary Bishop of Los Angeles, reflected on these words from the first reading from the Prophet Isaiah:
The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me,
because the LORD has anointed me;
He has sent me to bring glad tidings to the lowly,
to heal the brokenhearted,
To proclaim liberty to the captives
and release to the prisoners.
Bishop Elshoff said Isaiah words remind us of God’s profound concern and love for the oppressed and brokenhearted.
“What a powerful piece of Scripture to contemplate as you prepare to do the same through your ordination to the priesthood,” he said. “It is this prophetic spirit that will send you forth as evangelists of Jesus Christ into the streets and cities and places you will minister.”
He encouraged the ordinands to conform their lives to the mystery of the cross by “grounding your life in the bread of life itself—Jesus, the living memorial of our redemption. … Speak his name at home and abroad, whether you are busy or at rest, so that you are always in his company.”
Bishop Elshoff told the three ordinands: “You are in good company with your brothers who walk with you through a profession of vows and also in the company of God’s people, the baptized community and others who support you. Remain in that good company and the glory of God will be seen in ways that surprise you and us beyond anything we could have ever imagined.”
These three new Jesuit priests prepared for this moment for upwards of a decade. We invite you to get to know them below.
Fr. Joseph Dickan, SJ, from Long Beach, California, earned a bachelor’s degree in neuroscience from the University of California, Los Angeles. During college, he read the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius and participated in an ecumenical prayer group, both of which were instrumental in his faith development. After graduation, he worked for a year in advancement at a Catholic high school before joining the Jesuits.
During his formation, Fr. Dickan taught math at Bellarmine College Preparatory School in San Jose, California, for two years. He then went to Beirut, Lebanon, where he studied the Maronite liturgy at Holy Spirit University of Kaslik and Arabic at the Saifi Institute for Arabic Language. He earned a Master of Divinity degree from the Boston College Clough School of Theology and Ministry, where he will pursue a Licentiate in Sacred Theology after ordination.
“My greatest joy as a Jesuit has been accompanying friends and family in this life,” says Fr. Dickan. “I’ve found that there is often this profound trust in our relationships because they know that we’re there not only as friends or as a son or as a cousin, but also as ministers of Christ and the Church. And so being able to be there for the baptism of a friend’s child or to pray with people through both the joyful and the challenging times, that’s been a very consoling gift for me. It always reminds me why I became a Jesuit.”
Born and raised in the Philippines, Fr. Raymond Parcon, SJ, met the Jesuits while studying at Ateneo de Davao University for his mechanical engineering degree as an undergrad. After college, he served briefly in local politics and then went to the United States for graduate studies in software engineering at National University. After working in sales engineering for a few years, he went back to school to pursue graduate studies in cyber security at National University before joining the Jesuits.
Fr. Parcon accompanied Yu’pik communities in Alaska, volunteered as a hospital chaplain at Loyola University Medical Center in Chicago and worked as a prison chaplain at San Quentin State Prison during his formation. After ordination, he will spend a month working with Jesuit Refugee Service Europe in Brussels, Belgium, and then head to Georgetown University to pursue a master’s degree in international migration and refugees.
“Even though my work and educational background before entering the Society of Jesus was in the tech industry, I ended up doing ministries serving the poorest of the poor,” says Fr. Parcon. “I couldn’t be more at peace and joyful with my Jesuit vocation and what I am doing now, and I also hope to be a loving, caring and humble priest after ordination serving the poor.”
Fr. Mike Tedone, SJ, grew up in Orange County, California, and began his vocational journey through his high school youth group and his sophomore history teacher who encouraged theological investigation. At Marquette University in Milwaukee, he completed a bachelor’s degree in theology and secondary education, which he immediately put to use at Xavier High School in Micronesia through the Jesuit Volunteer Corps. He then completed a master’s degree in religious education at the Boston College School of Theology and Ministry before entering the Jesuits.
During his formation, Fr. Tedone taught sixth, seventh and eighth grade religion for two years at Sacred Heart Nativity Schools in San Jose, California. He spent one year as director of young adult ministry at St. Aloysius Parish in Spokane, Washington, and as a spiritual director with Spiritual Exercises in Everyday Life (SEEL) Spokane. While completing his Master of Divinity degree at the Jesuit School of Theology of Santa Clara University in Berkeley, California, he also did field work at Cristo Rey De La Salle East Bay High School and St. Theresa Catholic Church in Oakland. After ordination, he will join the faculty at Cristo Rey High School Sacramento, serving in the classroom and sacramental ministry.
“Since entering the Society, my spirituality has become more centered on the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Holy Spirit,” says Fr. Tedone. “I credit this to my experience of both making and sharing the Spiritual Exercises and feeling called to recognize Jesus as brother and Lord who has sent the Church on mission with the Spirit. This has also meant an ever-deepening understanding in what it means to see the face of Christ in the eyes of others.”
To view a video about Fr. Tedone’s life, vocation and hopes for his ministry as a priest, click here.