Bicolano priest Fr. Xavier Olin is new Jesuit head in Philippines

Bicolano priest Fr. Xavier Olin is new Jesuit head in Philippines

MANILA, Philippines – A 49-year-old Bicolano priest, Father Xavier “Xave” Olin, is the new head of the Society of Jesus in the Philippines, the religious order that runs the Ateneo network of schools across the country.

The Rome-based superior general of the Society of Jesus, Venezuelan-born Father Arturo Sosa, appointed Olin as the 13th provincial superior of the Philippine Jesuits. (Editor’s Note: An earlier version of this story misstated the first name of the Jesuit general as Antonio.)

Father Primitivo Viray Jr., the outgoing head of the Philippine Jesuits, announced the appointment in a memo on Saturday, October 7, Memorial of Our Lady of the Holy Rosary. Viray, who served as provincial superior for nearly six years, was named as the Jesuit general’s lieutenant in Asia-Pacific on June 13.

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

“Let us pray for Father Xavier Olin, SJ, as he embarks on this bigger mission,” said Xavier School, a prominent Jesuit institution catering to Chinese Filipinos, where Olin once served as campus ministry director.

The Society of Jesus, better known as the Jesuits, is the world’s biggest male Catholic religious order. Its most prominent member is Jorge Mario Bergoglio – Pope Francis – who is the first Jesuit pontiff.

Olin hails from a staunchly Catholic region known for its devotion to Mary under the centuries-old title “Our Lady of Peñafrancia.” Olin himself often mentions Our Lady of Peñafrancia, enshrined in a basilica in Naga, Camarines Sur, in his Facebook posts.

Olin finished his bachelor’s degree in literature at Ateneo de Naga University in 1994, entered the Society of Jesus in 1997, and completed his bachelor’s degree in theology and master’s degree in pastoral ministry at Loyola School of Theology, Quezon City, in 2008.

He was ordained to the priesthood by Luis Antonio Tagle, then the bishop of Imus, Cavite, also in 2008. 

As a priest, Olin “has been assigned mostly to formation work,” said Viray, noting that he was also once vocations director of the Philippine Jesuits. He is currently rector of the Loyola House of Studies based in Ateneo de Manila University, Quezon City, and executive director of the Center for Ignatian Spirituality.

As the new provincial superior of the Philippine Jesuits, Olin is expected to face the challenges of the dwindling number of Jesuit priests and brothers across the country, engagement in sociopolitical issues under the Marcos administration, and their religious order’s thrust to serve more of the country’s peripheries, particularly Mindanao. – Rappler.com