Superior General appoints Nagueño head of Philippine Jesuits

On October 7, the Memorial of Our Lady of the Holy Rosary, the Philippine Province of the Society of Jesus announced that Fr. Arturo Sosa, SJ, Jesuit Superior General, appointed Fr. Xavier “Xave” L. Olin, SJ as the 13th Provincial Superior in the Philippines.

Fr. Olin succeeds Fr. Primitivo “Jun” Viray, SJ, who served as superior since 2017. In June of this year, Fr. Jun, was appointed as the new President of Jesuit Conference of Asia Pacific (JCAP).

“I thank Fr. Xave for his generosity and availability to serve the Province and the Society,” Fr. Viray said. “Let us all continue to pray for Fr. Xave and the province.”

Born and educated in Naga City, 49 years ago, Fr. Olin graduated elementary at St. Joseph School in 1987, finished high school in 1991 and obtained A.B. in Literature from Ateneo de Naga in 1994.

Saint Joseph School - Naga City congratulated Fr. Xavier in their social media account. “Fr. Xavier Olin is an alumnus of Saint Joseph School (Naga City), Inc. He graduated elementary in 1987.May St. Joseph guide and inspire you in your new journey, Fr. Xavier!”

Fr. Xavier L. Olin S.J., a Nagueño, has been appointed 13th Provincial Superior of the Philippine Jesuits on October 7 by the Superior General of the Society of Jesus, Fr. Arturo Sosa S.J.According to the website of Philippine province of the Jesuits (phjesuits.us), there are 287 Jesuits in the Philippines (224 priests, 53 scholastics, 10 brothers) (Photo credit: Official FB Page of Philippine Jesuits)

The Ateneo de Naga High school also extended prayerful greetings to Fr. Olin in its social media account: “Congratulations and Godspeed! REV. FR. XAVIER OLIN SJ, New Provincial Superior, Philippine Province Society of Jesus (Jesuits). He belongs to HS Class of 1991.”

“Fr Xavier or “Xave,” 49, obtained an A.B. in Literature from his hometown Jesuit school of Ateneo de Naga University in 1994. He entered the Society in 1997 and completed the S.T.B. and M.A. in Pastoral Ministry at Loyola School of Theology in 2008. That same year, he was ordained to the priesthood. Fr. Xave has been assigned mostly to formation work. He was Province Vocations Director and Arvisu House Candidacy Director. He was Superior of the Jesuit Community of Xavier School and Director of Campus Ministry (from 2008-2020). After tertianship in Australia, he was assigned to San Jose Seminary and served as Director of its Spiritual Pastoral Formation Year program. Currently, he is Rector of Loyola House of Studies, Province Delegate for Formation, and Executive Director of the Center for Ignatian Spirituality. “ (from the memo of Jesuit Philippine Superior Primitivo E. Viray, Jr, SJ)

Fr. Olin belongs to the Parish of St. John the Evangelist in Naga City. He served as a sacristan at the Naga Metropolitan Cathedral.

“We extend prayerful felicitations to Rev. Fr. Xavier L. Olin, SJ on his appointment as the thirteenth Provincial (Superior) of the Philippine Province of the Society of Jesus, commonly known as the Jesuits. In this role, he is tasked with leading the priests and brothers of the said religious order in the country, and their many pastoral works,” said the Naga Metropolitan Cathedral or the St. John Evangelist parish. “As you begin your new mission, we pray that the Lord may grant you more years of forming more men and women for others and leading them to the greater glory of God. Congratulations!”

“The Society of Jesus is a religious order of the Roman Catholic Church founded in the 16th Century by Ignatius of Loyola. Members of this religious order are commonly known as Jesuits. Of the 17,000 plus members of the Society of Jesus in the world, 287 are Jesuits in the Philippines (224 priests, 53 scholastics, 10 brothers). The Society of Jesus in the Philippines is proximately administered today by its Provincial Superior, Fr. Primitivo Viray, S.J., in Quezon City, and ultimately by its Superior General, Fr. Arturo Sosa, S.J., in Rome. Fr. Viray is assisted by Fr. William Abbott, S.J., and Fr. Cesar Marin, S.J., Treasurer. Below the Provincial are various superiors of communities (e.g. the superior of the Jesuits in Bukidnon) and directors of works (e.g. the president of the Ateneo de Manila University).Jesuits in the Philippines are Servants of Christ’s Mission, especially at the frontiers. They carry out in the Philippines the general mission of the Society of Jesus worldwide, namely, (1) the proclamation of the Faith, (2) the promotion of the Justice that Faith implies, (3) sensitivity to culture and inculturation, and (4) inter-religious dialogue – all Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam – unto the greater glory of God.” ( from website of Philippine province of the Philippine Jesuits - phjesuits.us)

Ateneo de Naga University (ADNU) is a Jesuit school in Naga. It was founded in 1940 at the invitation of Pedro P. Santos, Bishop of Nueva Caceres , with Fr. Francis Burns SJ as its first rector.

Fr. Xavier Olin, SJ, ADNU Alumnos, will assume office on a date that is still being determined, according to the congregation. - Myrna Bermudo