Many young men claim their time at Brophy College Preparatory was a formative one. The same goes for a newly ordained priest.
Mark Valadao was among 20 men ordained a priest for the Society of Jesuits in a series of Masses held throughout the U.S. and Canada May 26-June 11. Fr. Valadao was among seven men from the California and Oregon provinces ordained as Jesuit priests at St. Aloysius Gonzaga Parish in Spokane June 11 — the same day four men were ordained in the Diocese of Phoenix.
Recent Brophy alumni knew him as a seminarian when the freshly-vested priest spent the 2011-12 and 2012-13 school years at the Jesuit high school. Fr. Valadao taught Scripture, sacraments and philosophy. Outside of academics, Fr. Valadao moderated the Broncos for Life club, coached junior varsity soccer and journeyed with pilgrims to World Youth Day in Brazil.
Fr. Valadao, 36, is the only child of Portuguese immigrants, according to his Jesuit bio. He is headed to Rome to work toward a Licentiate in Sacred Scripture. That will be on top of his bachelor’s degree in foreign service and master’s degree in international relations the priest earned before he entered the seminary.
Although a rookie priest, Fr. Valadao has already conquered tough ministry including outreach at San Quentin State Prison while serving as a transitional deacon.
Related
New Jesuit priests enjoy bonds of brotherhood (National Catholic Register)
