Jean Robert Déry, SJ, 34, the youngest in a large family, grew up in Saint-Jean-du-Sud in the south of Haiti. Raised in a devout family, Déry wanted to be a priest from a very young age and was active at St. Jean Baptiste Parish, where he served on the altar, sang in his church choir and played drums and bass guitar. He attended the Lycée de Saint-Jean du Sud and graduated from the Lycée Claudy Museau. As a high school student, Déry read about the Jesuits and was drawn to their missionary spirit. After graduating from high school in 2003, he served as a teacher in a pre-novitiate program before entering the Jesuit novitiate in Port-au-Prince. His two years as a novice included teaching catechism to children preparing for First Communion and working with farmers. Missioned next to the Pontificia Universidad Javeriana in Bogotá, Colombia, Déry studied Spanish for four months before immersing himself in philosophy studies. He earned a Licentiate in Philosophy while also playing music for two years at St. Alberto Hurtado Parish. In 2010, he was missioned to the border of Haiti and the Dominican Republic, where he worked for two years with Jesuit Migrant Service as the coordinator for migration and human rights. In 2012, he was missioned to Regis College at the University of Toronto, where he learned a fourth language while earning a Master of Divinity degree and a master’s degree in theology. Ordained as a deacon in May of 2015, Déry served the Haitian community at Saint-Louis-de-France Parish and also played guitar and sang with the choir. After ordination, he will work for Jesuit Migrant Service at Haiti’s southern border, an assignment that is the fulfillment of his greatest desire. (French Canada Province)