Father Patrick J. Connolly, SJ, professor emeritus of film and television studies at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, died December 17, 2024, at Sacred Heart Jesuit Center in Los Gatos, California. A member of the Jesuits’ USA Midwest Province, he was 89 years old, a Jesuit for 71 years and a priest for 58 years.
Fr. Connolly was born July 27, 1935, in St. Paul, Minnesota, the second of four boys born to Irish immigrants Patrick Connolly, a St. Paul city fireman, and Rita (Nappy) Coyne Connolly. After graduating from St. Agnes High School in 1953, Fr. Connolly entered the Jesuit novitiate in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. His studies took him to St. Stanislaus Seminary (B.A.) in Florissant, Missouri, and to St. Louis University (M.A., Ph.L.). He taught English at Creighton Preparatory School in Omaha, Nebraska (1960-1963) and then did theology studies at St. Joseph’s College in Milltown Park, Dublin, Ireland, where he earned his Licentiate in Sacred Theology (1963-1967). He was ordained a priest there on July 28, 1966.
Fr. Connolly pursued graduate studies in communications at the University of Southern California (1968-1974), during which time he held teaching positions at Marymount College, Palos Verdes Estates and on the oceangoing University of the Seven Seas. Beginning in 1974, he served as a professor in Loyola Marymount University’s School of Film and Television and produced and directed films including “El Grito de las Madres Dolorosas.” Fr. Connolly became professor emeritus in 2016, devoting his time to priestly ministry in local parishes and health care facilities. In 2021 he moved to Sacred Heart Jesuit Center for a ministry of prayer.
He is survived by nieces Kathleen, Mary, Tara and Meaghan Connolly; nephews Kevin and Timothy Connolly; and many cousins in Minnesota, Florida and Ireland.
The Funeral Mass will be celebrated on July 25, 2025, 11:15 a.m. at Sacred Heart Jesuit Center in Los Gatos.
