The Superior General of the Society of Jesus, Fr Arturo Sosa, has appointed Fr Brian Bonaventure Pereira as the new Provincial of the Karnataka Province. The appointment was made on 29 September 2026. Fr Pereira officially assumed his new responsibility on 1 November 2026.
Born in 1971 in a coastal district of Karnataka, Fr Pereira joined the Society of Jesus in 1989 and was ordained a priest in 2002. He brings rich experience in youth ministry, education and formation to his new leadership responsibility. He holds a Master’s degree in Chemistry from St Joseph’s College, Tiruchirappalli, and a Master’s degree in Pastoral Counselling from Loyola College, Maryland, USA.
Following his ordination, Fr Pereira served as Vocation Promoter and Director of Navasadhana, the Pre-Novitiate of the Karnataka Province. His commitment to young people led him to serve in various capacities as a youth animator, including as Secretary for Youth Ministry at the Jesuit Conference of South Asia (JCSA). He also initiated and promoted several creative youth formation programmes, including the training of Youth Animators and the MAGIS South Asia programme.
A significant part of his Jesuit ministry has been dedicated to education. As Rector of the Jesuit communities at St Joseph’s Institutions, Bengaluru, and St Aloysius Institutions, Mangaluru, he worked to strengthen student formation and outreach. He conceived and promoted Bembala, an initiative aimed at forming “men and women of solidarity”. He also introduced the Ignitors programme to deepen holistic formation among students and initiated Samagra, focusing on mental health and wellness.
More recently, as Coordinator for Mission Partner Formation at JCSA, Fr Pereira has conducted numerous workshops and formation programmes for Jesuits and lay collaborators across different Provinces. He is also a member of the Conference Task Force for Reimagining and Restructuring the Society of Jesus in South Asia.
With his rich pastoral, educational and formative experience, Fr Pereira brings valuable gifts and vision to his new responsibility as Provincial. The Karnataka Province looks forward to his leadership and guidance in strengthening its mission and apostolic commitments.
The Jesuit Conference of South Asia expresses its sincere gratitude to Fr Dionysius Gerard Leonard Vaz, the outgoing Provincial, for his dedicated leadership, generous service and contribution to the Karnataka Province. We wish Fr Brian Bonaventure Pereira God’s blessings and the guidance of the Holy Spirit as he undertakes this important ministry of leadership.
Reported by Fr. Vernard Antony, SJ, JCSA Communications Coordinator
