RCIA: 20 Students Receive Sacraments

Jesuit High School president Fr. Richard C. Hermes, S.J. celebrated two special Masses in the Chapel of the Holy Cross on Thursday and Friday (May 12 and 13), during which 20 Jesuit students received Catholic sacraments, including 11 who were baptized and nine who were received into full communion with the Catholic Church.

The students were accompanied by their godparents and confirmation sponsors, typically either a close relative, friend, or Jesuit faculty member. Many more family and friends also were there to support them. Afterward at a reception in the cafeteria, they received gifts from Father Hermes and from the campus ministry department - director Jimmy Mitchell, and assistant directors Matthew Kuizon '11 and Mr. Peter Bell, S.J. Campus ministry leads Jesuit's RCIA program - the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults.

Jesuit received special permission to celebrate these 20 sacraments from the Diocese of St. Petersburg, and from the pastor of the parish in which Jesuit is located, Fr. Dan Kayajan of St. Lawrence Catholic Church. It marks the second straight year 20 or more Jesuit students completed the RCIA program, with 22 having received sacraments in 2021.

Those who received sacraments on May 12 were:

• Baptized - Jonathan Coleman '25, Jordan Encinosa '25, Bryce Fraga '23, Michael Malzone '24, Nico Rivera '25, and Zayden Saldin '25.
• Communion - Jackson Andrews '24, Charlie Bardin '24, Brooks Chamberlin '23, and Geoffrey Torkelson '25.

Those who received sacraments on May 13 were:

• Baptized - Tre'Quan Alexander '22, Connor Dooly '24, Jacob Hernandez '24, Landon Paolillo '25, and Michael Radcliff '24.
• Communion - Reed Biemiller '25, Jack Fincher '24, Jake Glover '23, S.K. Moore '23, and Ezra Moros '22.

Since 2010, a total of 89 students have been baptized or received into the Church at Jesuit, and 33 of those will be students at the school in 2022-23: Zach Aweshah '23, Joshua Newman '23, Cooper Stack '23, Gavin Young '23, Hayden Bunn '24, Sean Corrigan '24, Jack Earnest '24, Cooper Kasper '24, Luke Knight '24, Max Livingston '24, Liam Maloney '24, Hunter Newton '24, Reese Newton '24, Teejay Weaver '24, and Drew Woodaz '24, in addition to Andrews, Bardin, Biemiller, Chamberlin, Coleman, Dooly, Encinosa, Fincher, Fraga, Glover, Hernandez, Malzone, Moore, Paolillo, Radcliff, Rivera, Saldin, and Torkelson.

View photo slideshows below from both RCIA Masses, first the May 12 Mass and then below that the May 13 Mass.