Jesuit Phillip Alcon Ganir, the son of Brigido and Lourdes Ganir of Foster Village, Honolulu, was ordained a deacon with 10 others by Bishop Patrick McGrath of San Jose on Oct. 20, 2012, at Santa Clara University in San Jose, Calif.
The diaconate is the last major transition on his 14-year path to the priesthood. Ganir will be ordained a priest on June 8.
Ganir visited Hawaii this past week. While here he preached and assisted at Masses Jan. 26 and 27 at his home parish of St. Elizabeth in Aiea.
The deacon attended St. Elizabeth Grade School, is a 1994 graduate of Damien Memorial High School and went to the University of Hawaii at Manoa.
He entered the Jesuit order in 1999 and began an enriching and wide-ranging preparation for ministry.
The Hawaii Catholic Herald caught up with him by email last month with questions on how his life and vocation were progressing.
His responses below show a maturity and grace instilled by a decade-and-a-half of Jesuit life.
The other deacons ordained with Ganir were James Donovan, Philippe Habada, Jun-Seung Park, Raul Navarro, Patrick Gilger, E. Joseph O’Keefe, Matthew Kunkel, William Noe, Glen Butterworth and Oh-Chang Kwon.
Herald: What have you been up to these past few years in your formation process?
Ganir: In August 1999 — almost 14 years ago — I joined the Jesuits. Two years later in 2001, I finished my novitiate by pronouncing simple perpetual vows of poverty, chastity and obedience. Since then, I have been missioned to:
- complete a master’s of arts degree in philosophy at Fordham University, N.Y. (2001-04);
- earn a bachelor’s of music degree from the Manhattan School of Music, New York (2004-07);
- teach music, English and theology at Jesuit High School, Sacramento (2007-10);
- complete a master’s of divinity at the Jesuit School of Theology of Santa Clara University, Berkeley, Calif. (2010-present).
Throughout these formation years I have also been engaged in a number of “short term” ministries and projects designed to help us explore our gifts, stretch us beyond our comfort zones and make us more sensitive to the universal mission of the church — particularly to the poor and marginalized. In that light, I have:
- served as a prison and hospital chaplain in Los Angeles and New York;
- worked with developmentally disabled adults in Seattle;
- taught English as a foreign language in San Jose, Honolulu and Poland;
- worked as a formator for Jesuit candidates in Myanmar (Burma);
- studied Spanish in Mexico, German in Germany and Tagalog in the Philippines;
- experienced Vipassana (Buddhist) meditation in Nepal;
- co-produced a TV documentary on St. Francis Xavier;
- worked as a spiritual director in a women’s correctional facility;
- given workshops and talks on Ignatian spirituality;
- conducted choirs at the high school, parish and university levels;
- recorded and produced religious music;
- engaged in parish ministry in Alaska and California.
Most ministries and projects were unexpected. As a high school teacher, for instance, my work as a moderator for the breakdancing club became a novel and surprising venue for ministry with young people!
These experiences, varied and plentiful, are not simply for our own personal development, but help us to be more available for mission. Perhaps Pope Benedict’s words provide urgency when he addressed my superiors at our last general congregation, the major gathering of Jesuit representatives which, among many other things, elected our current general superior: “The church needs you (Jesuits), counts on you and continues to turn to you with confidence, particularly to reach the geographical and spiritual places where others do not reach or find it difficult to reach.” (Feb. 21, 2008, Rome)
Herald: What are you doing now?
Ganir: I am working to complete a master’s of divinity at the Jesuit School of Theology of Santa Clara University. My current ministries include serving as a deacon at Most Holy Trinity Church, in San Jose, and serving on the board of trustees at Jesuit High School, Sacramento.
Herald: What are your thoughts on your impending ordination after your long preparation?
Ganir: Two things come to mind as I prepare for ordination:
First, gratitude overflows. Jesuit formation is long, and it will not conclude until a number of years after my priestly ordination this June. I am grateful to the order and to our benefactors for investing their time, energy and resources into my vocation.
I am grateful to my Hawaii-based family and friends who have communicated their steady love and support through phone calls, email, letters, gifts and care packages. (Chocolate-covered macadamia nuts and shortbread from Big Islands Candies have provided their fair share of consolation on cold Mainland nights!)
And most importantly, my gratitude to God only deepens because I am more aware that the call to religious life is a pure gift — a freely given grace. I did nothing to earn it. The story of my vocation is the story of Jesus captivating my heart, and my (willing though sometimes sloppy) response to that call.
Second, a sense of urgency for mission emerges. The question “Why be Catholic?” is an issue with which we will have to address with greater honesty, clarity and humility. My emerging priesthood continues to negotiate recent events by which we have all been challenged: religious tension following 9/11; institutional distrust from the sex scandals; impassioned stances for and against same-sex marriage; political division in the wake of migration; and financial limitations amidst economic instability.
Coupled with the decrease of church attendance and the drastic rise of people who identify themselves as “spiritual but not religious,” it is increasingly difficult to ignite, let alone sustain evangelization efforts among people — particularly among young adults, a population where we must invest more time, energy and resources.
But these formation years have revealed to me that Christ works in the tension. God’s heart, as a friend once said, is large enough to “hold it all in” and make something beautiful from difficult situations.
Jesus continues to show me that our Catholic tradition can be a tremendous gift to our world because at our best (which includes our brokenness), we can witness a love that is generative and transformative.
This gift of my priestly vocation compels me to give of myself fully and generously for no other reason than because Jesus gave of himself so fully and generously.
I am excited for my ordination to the priesthood on Saturday, June 8, at 10 a.m. at Blessed Sacrament Church in Hollywood, Calif. And I am thrilled to celebrate a Mass of Thanksgiving at St. Elizabeth Church, Aiea, my home parish, on Sunday, June 23, at 6 p.m.
Herald: Any message or advice to young people these days on the viability, attractiveness, appeal, satisfaction of a religious life?
Ganir: Sometimes people have the impression that to be a “religious” means that we aren’t really human. (Some parishioners and former students are surprised that I like to watch movies in the mall or even eat fast food!) To a certain extent, I can understand this view as my vows are certainly countercultural.
Paradoxically however, my Jesuit vows do not make me less human, as if they erase all human desire, but they have allowed me to be more human. Why? The vows help me, amidst many things, to be more grateful to what and who I have in my life. And from that gratitude, I can choose to live more fully and love more deeply.
The friendships I have made — both in and out of the order — are life-giving and sustaining. My heart has grown not without heartache and disappointment. But amidst the challenges, I have never laughed more, nor have I have known any deeper happiness, peace and joy, than as a Jesuit.
For those who feel God tugging at their heart toward a religious vocation: God’s invitation is very real and special. It’s also not cheap. Commit. And do not be afraid of commitment. God wants courageous people. Yes, it’s a courage that invites boldness and initiative, but it’s also a courage that is unafraid of weakness, emptiness and vulnerability. And that is grace too; for vulnerability before Christ allows us to know God’s generosity in more ways than we could ever imagine.
