A native of Philadelphia, Pa., Kurt M. Denk, SJ, entered the Society of Jesus in 1996. During his formation, Denk served as chaplain at St. Barnabas Hospital in New York, taught history at Fordham Preparatory School, and served as assistant and then director of the Jesuit Family Retreat, a summer program for urban and immigrant families. After earning a master’s degree in philosophy in 2001, Denk taught philosophy at Loyola College in Maryland and worked there as a residence hall chaplain. He also served on the staff of the college’s Center for Community Service and Justice, coordinating a service-learning program to Mexico. Following ordination, Denk will pursue a law degree at the University of California, Berkeley, while serving as an associate chaplain at San Quentin State Prison. His first Mass will be Sunday, June 10, 2007, at Loyola College.

A native of New York, N.Y., Ralph J. Rivera, SJ, entered the Society of Jesus in 1998.  He pursued studies at Loyola University in Chicago and while there, worked as a chaplain at the Cook County Jail. He later worked as an adjunct professor of philosophy at St. Peter’s College in Jersey City, N.J., and as a pastoral assistant at St. Mary of the Assumption Church in Staten Island, N.Y. Rivera also served as a deacon at St. Leo the Great Church in Oakland, Calif. After his ordination, Rivera will work as a parish priest in the Jesuit church of La Immaculada Concepción in Oaxaca, Mexico. His first Mass will be Sunday, June 10, 2007, at St. Paul the Apostle Church in New York City.

Ignatius Hadimulia Sasmita, SJ, was born in Jakarta, Indonesia, and moved to the United States in 1985. He entered the Society of Jesus in 1996. During his studies, Sasmita worked at the Indonesian Apostolate in the Diocese of Brooklyn, N.Y., taught algebra at Gonzaga College High School in Washington, D.C., and ministered to Indonesian families in the area. Sasmita has also served as spiritual advisor for the Indonesian Catholic Community of Northern California. Following ordination, Sasmita’s first assignment will be in pastoral ministry in Oceanside, N.Y. He is interested in interreligious dialogue with Muslims. Sasmita’s first bilingual Mass will be Sunday, June 10, 2007, at St. John the Baptist Church in Silver Spring, Md