Our parish is blessed with experienced and dedicated professional pastoral ministers and administrators who assist the parish in its mission of welcoming, teaching, guiding, praying and serving in the ministry of Jesus Christ in our own day, our own time, and in our own way, always seeking the greater glory of God.

Fr. Daniel Ruff, S.J.

Prior to being named pastor at OSJ, Fr. Daniel M. Ruff, S.J. served as Director of Campus Ministry and Acting Coordinator of Jesuit Mission and Identity at Loyola College in MD from 2000-2008. Fr. Dan entered the MD Province of the Society of Jesus in 1976 and was ordained in 1986. A graduate of the Jesuit School of Theology at Berkeley, he holds a Ph.D. in Liturgical Studies from the Catholic University of America. During his years at Loyola, he taught regularly as an affiliate faculty member in the department of Theology; he also gave frequent presentations and workshops to colleagues and students on Ignatian spirituality and history, created and led numerous retreats, participated in a men's support group, and served as chaplain to the Men's Lacrosse Team. In recent years, at the request of the MD Province, he has participated in two Ignatian-Lay Partners Retreats and has presented on homiletics to his brother Jesuits throughout the province.

From 1993-2000, Fr. Dan taught Systematic and Liturgical Theology and Homiletics and served as a mentor and spiritual director for seminarians at St. Mary's Seminary and University (Baltimore), where he was Associate Professor. During his tenure at St. Mary's, Fr. Dan regularly assisted on weekends at St. Dominic Parish; he also gave workshops on liturgy, preaching, and Ignatian spirituality to priests, permanent deacons, seminarians, and laity in parishes and retreat centers throughout the Archdiocese of Baltimore as well as in Gettysburg, Wheeling-Charleston, Palm Springs, New Orleans, upstate New York, and Australia. He is a member of the North American Academy of Liturgy, the Catholic Association of Teachers of Homiletics, and the Jungmann Society of Jesuit Liturgists.

In his free time, Fr. Dan enjoys, reading fiction, listening to classical music, and attending theatre and film. He is fascinated by the interface of postmodern Western culture with religion, faith, and spirituality and reads widely on these subjects. However, he is a pastoral priest at heart rather than a scholar; like St. Ignatius, his first love is "helping souls." You can reach Fr. Ruff at druff@oldstjoseph.org or by calling 215.923.1733, ext. 109.

Fr. Edward O'Donnell, S.J.

Father O'Donnell became the Parochial Vicar at Old St. Joseph's in July 2010 after previously serving in that capacity at a diocesan parish, St. Teresa in Runnemede, New Jersey, and at St. Ignatius, the Jesuit parish in Baltimore. He spent many years in higher education: teaching at the University of Scranton (where he regularly assisted at the downtown Cathedral parish) and as an administrator at Xavier University in Cincinnati. He has M.Div. and S.T.L. degrees in theology from Regis College, the Jesuit Faculty in the Toronto School of Theology. A native Philadelphian, and a graduate of St. Joseph's Prep, he majored in English at Fordham University. Father O'Donnell enjoys movies, Blue Jays and Phillies baseball, walking, reading (biography, history, theology) and listening to classical music. He can be reached at eodonnell@oldstjoseph.org or by calling the rectory at 215.923.1733, ext. 102.

Fr Dennis M. Linehan, S.J.

Father Dennis M. Linehan, S.J., a Philadelphia Catholic by birth and disposition , returned to the staff at Old St. Joseph's in September, 2010. As a young priest, he served here during the bicentennial year.

From St. Bridget's in East Falls and St. Joseph's Prep, Father Dennis entered the Society of Jesus in July, 1960 and followed the usual Jesuit course of studies, earning an AB and an MA from St. Louis University. He then taught at the Scranton Preparatory School and the University of Scranton from 1966 to 1969 He studied theology in Toronto and New York, earning an M.Div degree from Woodstock College. He was ordained to the priesthood by Cardinal Lawrence Shehan at Loyola University in Maryland on June 3, 1972, and pronounced his final vows as a Jesuit in the same chapel on November 5, 1982.

Father Dennis received his Ph.D. in history from the University of London While in London he worked at Sacred Heart parish in Wimbledon. During his graduate studies he was a member of the Institut des Hautes Etudes Saint Germain in Paris. On returning to the United States, he served as a professor at Loyola, Maryland and as dean and professor at the University of Scranton. For ten years in Scranton he worked at St. Mary of the Assumption parish.

After a sabbatical year in 1992-1993 which he spent as an associate editor of AMERICA magazine, and teaching and giving retreats in East Africa, he joined the staff of AMERICA, where he remained for seventeen years. While at AMERICA, Father Dennis also was a chaplain for the Sisters of Life of New York, a community founded by Philadelphian Cardinal John O'Connor of New York, to promote pro-life activities, in an educational, pastoral and healing context.

His duties at AMERICA took him all over the world, with a special emphasis on tropical islands such as Cuba, Malta and East Timor. The two awards of which he is most proud are the Eileen Egan award from Catholic Relief Services for his writings on the church's universal mission, and from the United States Department of the Army for patriotic civilian service. Father Dennis considers himself blessed to be allowed to join in the Jesuit ministry to such a faith filled and vibrant parish. And he is especially grateful to be geographically close to his family, for the first time in thirty five years.

Normand Joseph Gouin

Norm is our Director of Music. Norm has worked full-time in pastoral ministry for the past 17 years. He has served as both Liturgy and Music director in a variety of church settings including St. John's Student Parish in East Lansing, Michigan the community that serves the Catholic student population of Michigan State University. As a composer, he has been commissioned to write works for both churches and religious communities throughout the country and most recently has worked as the lead composer and editor for the Liturgy of the Hours project, a joint effort between St. Norbert's Abbey in DePere, Wisconsin and Daylesford Abbey in Paoli, Pennsylvania. He has works published by GIA publications and has been a contributing writer for the GIA Quarterly. Mr. Gouin has served on several Diocesan Liturgical Commissions and locally has worked as a consultant with the Philadelphia Liturgical Institute. He holds degrees in music and liturgical studies from The Catholic University of America and the University of Notre Dame. Norm can be reach at ngouin@oldstjoseph.org or by calling the rectory at 215.923.1733, ext. 111.

Eric German

Eric has been serving the parish since 1988 in a number of capacities, including cook for the Jesuit community, organist, children's choir director and interim director of music. On the side, Eric has his own line of humorous (and some serious) greeting cards which he makes for parish staff birthdays and which are also sold at the Wanamakers General Store located in the NW corner of Lehigh County. In his spare time, he also paints Fraktur (PA German folk art) on the walls of the homes of friends, family members and clients. Since 1998 he has been the Administrative Assistant to the pastor. He can be reached at germane@oldstjoseph.org or by calling the rectory at 215.923.1733, ext. 103.