Fr. Zachariah F. Presutti, a Society of Jesus (the Jesuits) priest whose prison ministry has drawn strong support from the Archdiocese of New York, is the subject of a new profile in Rolling Stone, the venerable music and culture magazine known for its cultural criticism and long-form journalism.  

The piece, “‘He Didn’t Judge Us’: The Priest Throwing a Lifeline to Men Leaving Prison” traces how Fr. Presutti’s nonprofit, Thrive For Life, has become a national model for helping formerly incarcerated men pursue college degrees. 

Born and raised in Belmont, a small town outside Buffalo, Fr. Presutti first encountered the Jesuits as an undergraduate at Canisius College, where their warmth and intellectual seriousness drew him to discern a vocation. He founded Thrive For Life in 2016, while still in formation. Fr. Presutti was ordained on June 12, 2021, at Fordham University Church.  

Fr. Presutti was not initially drawn to prison ministry, having grown up with a father and grandfather who were both justices of the peace. “‘I did not go with alacrity and joy,’ he says, a touch of rye in his voice. But once there, he met inmates who read deeply and widely in their extension courses. Their ‘hunger for meaning’ matched Presutti’s and fired his imagination,” the article, published June 28, said. 

WATCH: Jubilee for Prisoners: Thrive for Life Helps New Yorkers Rebuild After Prison 

Thrive For Life, which Fr. Presutti founded with support and encouragement of Cardinal Timothy Dolan, now runs houses of study in the Bronx, East Harlem, and Milwaukee, along with spiritual and educational programming across six correctional facilities in New York and New Jersey. Cardinal Dolan has personally celebrated Mass at Ignacio House, one of TFL’s residences, thanking Presutti for his leadership. The archdiocese has backed the organization’s growth as it has expanded from a single rented apartment block to a multi-state network that has housed some 150 formerly incarcerated “scholars” and graduated 80 with degrees. 

The organization’s ministry focuses not just on reaching men while they are incarcerated but also on preparing them for their lives once they are released. “[Fr. Presutti] saw that it wasn’t enough to assure those men that ‘God loves and forgives them all.’ He also had to help them harness their drive to create lives of purpose after prison,” the Manhattan-based magazine reported.  

Having already moved beyond New York, Fr. Presutti continues to look for suitable sites for new ministry houses. “’As long as we get a building [from the local diocese], we’ll go anywhere people will have us,’” he told Rolling Stone. 

Read the full article here (subscription may be required).