Fr Bradley Easterbrooks

Let me take a moment to introduce myself. I am a newly ordained diocesan priest. I am in the second year of my work on a Licentiate in Sacred Theology (STL) in Dogmatic Theology at the Gregorian University. This is my fifth year at the Greg. Common to seminarians and priests, I pursued a Bachelor of Sacred Theology (STB) first, which I received in 2021. I was ordained to the priesthood this past June by Robert Cardinal McElroy, the Bishop of San Diego. After completing my STL, I’ll return to San Diego to work as a priest in the diocese.

My path to seminary was not a foregone conclusion. In fact, I did my bachelor’s degree at Boston College, majoring in in political science. Afterwards, I was hired as a consultant at a public affairs firm, working with clients in politics and business. Then I went to Pepperdine Law and passed the California bar exam. With a desire to serve my country in uniform, I became an attorney in the U.S. Navy as a member of a military community known as the Judge Advocate General’s Corps, or “JAG” for short.

I loved being an attorney for the Navy, with a practice which focused on legal advice to military commanders and criminal litigation. However, as I was growing in my faith over the course of this period, I began to discern the possibility of a vocation to the priesthood. After much prayer and reflection, I realized that God was calling me to be a priest. In 2017, I left active duty military service in order to enter seminary with the Diocese of San Diego. I was also co-sponsored by the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA, enabling me to serve in uniform again as a Catholic military chaplain. When I arrived in Rome, I knew the Greg would offer a theological education in the Jesuit tradition (I knew something about that, having already graduated from BC!). However, I didn’t know the extent to which the Greg education and experience makes a difference.

My education is diverse. But what do I mean by that? My professors include priests, laymen and laywomen who are theologians from many continents. Combine that with the student body, which includes not only priests and seminarians, but also lay religious and lay students from all over the world. Put all of that together, and it is a combination for a truly diverse experience. Questions I might have never imagined are asked and engaged by professors and students. Moreover, we get to know one another, and visit each other’s communities in Rome. The diversity prepares me for whatever life throws my way as I serve Christ’s church as a priest and pastor in an ever-changing world.