Melvin Rayappa, SJ, ’08 Ordained to Priesthood

Melvin Rayappa, SJ, ’08 was ordained a Jesuit priest during Mass at the Church of St. Ignatius Loyola on Saturday, with family, friends, and members of the Regis community in attendance, including several current students. Rayappa was one of five Jesuits from the USA East Province to be ordained during the Mass after a decade of formation that began as a discernment and a call of the Holy Spirit.

The following day, Fr. Rayappa celebrated his first Mass as a priest at his home parish, Immaculate Conception Church in Jamaica, Queens. Several priests with connections to Regis were among the concelebrants: Regis President Rev. Christopher Devron, SJ; Vice President for Ignatian Identity and Formation Rev. James Ferus, SJ; former President Rev. Philip Judge, SJ, ’80; former interim President Rev. James Croghan, SJ; former Principal Anthony Andreassi, CO; former Regis teacher Rev. Brendan Coffey, SJ; and Doug Ray, SJ, ’91. Tristan Ramdhanee ’28 was one of the altar servers.

After graduating from Regis in 2008, Fr. Rayappa attended Carnegie Mellon University, where he earned bachelor’s degrees in electrical and computer engineering and engineering and public policy in 2012. A year later he graduated with a master’s degree in electrical and computer engineering.

Following a career at tech startups working on electronic hardware and software, he joined the Society of Jesus in 2015. During his two-year novitiate in Syracuse, he served in various ministries such as jails, hospitals, and schools — including five months teaching in Kingston, Jamaica. He also completed the Spiritual Exercises, a 30-day silent retreat, before taking perpetual vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience in 2017.

After vows, Fr. Rayappa went to Saint Louis University, where he received a master’s degree in philosophy in 2020. He was then missioned to Loyola University Maryland, where he taught electrical and computer engineering courses while also assisting with campus ministry retreats and prayer programs. In 2022, he began his theological studies at the Jesuit School of Theology of Santa Clara University in Berkeley, Calif. He also served as a deacon at St. Augustine Parish in Oakland.

After ordination, Fr. Rayappa will spend the summer at St. Peter Catholic Church in Charlotte, N.C. In the fall, he will study at the Pontifical Biblical Institute in Jerusalem to complete a Licentiate in Sacred Theology in Scripture from the Jesuit School of Theology of Santa Clara University. In 2026, Fr. Rayappa will serve as the USA East Province assistant director and promoter of vocations.

In 2024, Fr. Rayappa spoke with Regis Magazine about how his time at Regis was an opportunity for him to grow spiritually, especially during the retreats he attended, even if he didn’t yet know that he’d choose a religious life as a Jesuit.

“In those teenage years, you're on the cusp of being a child versus being an adult,” said Fr. Rayappa at the time. “I appreciated that Regis didn't really answer the questions for me but gave me the space to struggle with some of these questions about my faith and what it means to be an adult. I appreciate the structures and the resources that helped push me towards this good direction in my life.”

Fr. Rayappa will celebrate a schoolwide Mass for the Regis community next spring.