The William H. Hannon Foundation has made a $400,000 grant to Jesuits West Province, covering 10 states, with 505 Jesuits and approximately 100 ministries and works, including educational institutions, parishes, retreat centers and social ministries serving an estimated 100,000 people annually. The grant will be used to support Jesuit ministries in the Western U.S., especially in underserved communities.
“My late uncle, William Hannon, our foundation’s founder, had a special bond with the Jesuits — from Loyola High School to then Loyola University, now Loyola Marymount University, he admired the Jesuits and over the years counted many among his closest friends. We carry on his appreciation for the Jesuits by supporting many of their causes, including the province that so many of our Jesuit friends call home,” said James Hannon, Treasurer of the William H. Hannon Foundation and a former Chair of the Board of Directors of Loyola High School in Los Angeles.
The William H. Hannon Foundation is the result of a promise made during the Great Depression by Eugenie Hannon to Father Hugh Duce, SJ, who was then the president of Loyola University. Hannon asked Father Duce to let her five sons attend his university, and promised that they would pay back their tuition once they had jobs.
Now, the Hannon family continues to repay the kindness they received from the Jesuits through the family Foundation, established in 1983 — not just in monetary gifts, but in service too. Many members of the Hannon family have served on the boards at LMU and Loyola High School, and have been involved in a number of Jesuit charity programs.
The Jesuits West Province includes Alaska, Arizona, California, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Utah and Washington state. Founded in 1540 by St. Ignatius of Loyola, today the Jesuits, the largest male religious order in the Catholic Church, have close to 17,000 priests and brothers worldwide, including Pope Francis.
