Fr. Felix Just, SJ, is a member of the "Jesuits West USA Province" of the Society of Jesus (the Jesuits). He is currently serving the Archdiocese of Los Angeles as Coordinator of Theological and Liturgical Formation in the Office of Diaconate Formation.
Felix was born in Berlin, Germany, and raised in Tucson, Arizona. He entered the Jesuit Novitiate in 1980 and was ordained a priest in 1991. After receiving his Ph.D. in New Testament Studies from Yale University, he taught theology and biblical studies at Loyola Marymount University (Los Angeles), the University of San Francisco, and Santa Clara University. He then served ten years as Director of Biblical Ministries and as Executive Director of the Loyola Institute for Spirituality (LIS) in Orange, CA, and as Dean of the Lay Ecclesial Ministry and Deacon Formation programs of the Diocese of Las Vegas. He regularly teaches in the "Catholic Bible Institute" of several dioceses in California and Arizona, and he often leads pilgrimages to the Holy Land, Turkey, Greece, Rome, or other sites related to the Bible. He gives many public lectures on a wide variety of biblical and liturgical topics, and often leads biblically-based days of prayer, parish missions, and weekend or week-long retreats. He is a member of the editorial board for the revision of the New Testament of the New American Bible, and an active member of the Catholic Biblical Association of America. He has produced seven audio-CD programs with "Learn25" (formerly called "Now You Know Media"), and also maintains his own large internationally recognized website of “Catholic Resources” (https://catholic-resources.org).
Soon after Felix was born in Berlin, Germany, the Just family emigrated to Tucson, Arizona, where he graduated from Tucson High School and studied Mathematics at the University of Arizona (B.S. 1978; M.S. 1980). He entered the California Province of the Society of Jesus in 1980 and was ordained a priest in 1991. [As of 2017, the new expanded province is called "Jesuits West USA."] His Jesuit training included attending the Jesuit Novitiate in Santa Barbara, CA, studying at the Hochschule für Philosophie in Munich, Germany (Bakk.Phil. 1984), teaching mathematics and German at Jesuit High School in Sacramento, CA, and studying theology at the Jesuit School of Theology in Berkeley, CA (M.Div. 1990, S.T.L. 1994). Along the way he also had several shorter teaching stints and pastoral experiences in Los Angeles, San Jose, Oakland, Guaymas (Mexico), Rome (Italy), and Guadalajara (Mexico).
Fr. Just did his doctoral studies of the New Testament in the Dept. of Religious Studies at Yale University, New Haven, CT, culminating in a dissertation entitled, “The Social Role of Blind People and Attitudes toward the Blind in New Testament Times” (Ph.D. 1998). His other research interests include the Gospel and Letters of John, the Book of Revelation and Apocalyptic Literature, the Roman Catholic Liturgy, and the Lectionary for Mass.
After completing his doctorate, he taught theology and religious studies for many years at Loyola Marymount University (Los Angeles), the University of San Francisco, and Santa Clara University. He was also the Director of the Center for Religion and Spirituality (a part of LMU Extension), and the Dean of the Lay Ecclesial Ministry and Deacon Formation programs for the Diocese of Las Vegas, Nevada. He then worked ten years as Director of Biblical Ministries at the Loyola Institute for Spirituality (LIS) in Orange, CA, including four years as President and Executive Director. He also served as the "Minister" (Jesuit Administrator) of the Loyola House Jesuit Community in San Francisco, CA, from 2018 to 2020..
He offers a variety of adult faith-formation programs, biblically-based days of prayers, weekend or week-long retreats, parish missions, and online webinars; he has also taught in the Catholic Bible Institutes of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, the Diocese of San Bernardino, the Diocese of Orange, and the Diocese of Tucson, and in the Deacon Formation Program of the Diocese of Honolulu. He is currently working for the Archdiocese of Los Angeles as Coordinator of Theological and Liturgical Formation in the Office of Diaconate Formation.
He has worked extensively with the Campus Ministry program at Mount St. Mary's University, Los Angeles, for over 25 years. He is also an active member of the Society of Biblical Literature and the Catholic Biblical Association, having served on a variety of committees and as webmaster for the CBA. He is a member of the editorial board for the revision of the New Testament of the New American Bible, a project of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. He has produced seven audio-CD programs with "Now You Know Media" (now renamed "Learn25"), and also maintains his own large internationally-acclaimed website with a wide variety of biblical and liturgical materials (https://catholic-resources.org).
Fr. Just gives many public lectures and workshops for parishes and dioceses on a wide variety of biblical, liturgical, spiritual, and theological topics. He likes to travel and lead biblically-focused pilgrimages, enjoys a broad range of popular and Christian music, gets his exercise through hiking and cycling, and tries to keep up his working knowledge of several ancient and modern languages, including German, Spanish, French, Latin, and Biblical Greek and Hebrew.
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