Buffalo, NY – Canisius University announces the creation of the Office of Mission & Ministry and the appointment of Rev. John J. Mattimore, SJ, as Chief Mission & Ministry Officer. The Office of Mission & Ministry was created with the reorganization of the college’s mission and identity, campus ministry and outreach activities.
In this new role, Father Mattimore will provide leadership and day-to-day management for the college’s mission as a Catholic, Jesuit institution by overseeing the development of mission-related programs, spiritual development and faith formation programs, and the college’s outreach activities. He will be responsible for the coordination of activities and initiatives among the college’s Campus Ministry and Mission & Identity offices and the New Buffalo Institute.
Father Mattimore came to Canisius in January of 2020 and worked in Campus Ministry and the New Buffalo Institute. Before joining the Canisius Jesuit Community, Father Mattimore worked as a chaplain on Rikers Island, New York City’s jail, and as director and teacher at Yap Catholic High School in Micronesia. He taught at Cristo Rey Jesuit High School in Baltimore, and has been a teacher and administrator at Canisius High School, Fordham Prep and Xavier High School. He has served as chaplain with Jesuit Refugee Services at the Buffalo Federal Detention Facility, St. Luke’s Mission of Mercy and Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center. He is the weekend associate at St. Mary’s Church in Swormville, NY.
A native of Western New York, Father Mattimore attended Canisius High School before joining the Jesuit order. Father Mattimore holds master’s degrees in divinity and in theology from Regis College - University of Toronto and a master’s degree in English education from Teachers College at Columbia University.
One of 27 Jesuit universities in the nation, Canisius is the premier private university in Western New York. Canisius celebrates its sesquicentennial anniversary during the 2019-20 academic year, marking 150 years of Jesuit education and leadership in the city of Buffalo and Western New York. Visit https://www.canisius.edu/150 for more information about Canisius’ milestones and celebratory events.
