Soon after the founding of the Jesuits, on August 15, 1549, Jesuit priest St. Francis Xavier entered southern Japan at Kagoshima, and this began the presence of Jesuit missionaries in Japan.

Uncle Jack, a local Baltimore boy first grew-up in St. Benedict’s Parish, living on Bentlou Street. He was born in the year 1925. Jack, Helen, and Tom Nissel lived a few blocks from other relatives (the Sullivans and St. Legers) while attending St. Benedicts Parish school. Later the Nissel family moved to a more country setting on Kernan Drive and attended St. Agnes School in the stone school building next to this church. He and his brother Tom were altar boys. Uncle Jack graduated from St. Agnes in 1939.

Uncle Jack attended Loyola High School first located in downtown Baltimore attached to the present St. Ignatius Church, on North Calvert Street. While attending Loyola, Uncle Jack accepted employment working in the Jesuit Rectory of St. Ignatius Parish.

Uncle Jack was drawn to the literal form of living-out the Gospel through the Jesuit’s example that he encountered while attending Loyola and working in the rectory of St. Ignatius Church. This literal living of the Gospel as defined by the words of Jesus in Luke‘s Gospel#: “sell all that you have and distribute it to the poor, and you will have a treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me." In fact, I had the opportunity to visit Uncle Jack’s room at the SJ House in Tokyo and he only had a small collection of books, a few changes of clothes, and a computer. He lived a life that was not encumbered by material possessions and he would frequently give things away to others.

Uncle Jack graduated from Loyola High School in 1943, and began the Jesuit novitiate in Warnersville, Pennsylvania.

Two years later, in the year 1945, the Nissel Family was accompanied by the pastor of St. Agnes Parish, Msgr. Roach, attended the ceremony where Uncle Jack took his first vows as a Jesuit in Wernersville. My mother recalls the day, August 15, as the day that the war ended in the Pacific and the ringing of the church bells in nearby Reading, Pennsylvania could be heard as the nation celebrated the end of the Second World War in the Pacific theater. Uncle Jack was 19 years old at this time.

Following the novitiate Uncle Jack attended the Jesuit seminary in Woodstock Maryland (Baltimore County) where he studied philosophy for 3 years.