Ricardo da Silva, S.J.

Ricardo da Silva, S.J., is a Jesuit priest of the Southern Africa Province residing in New York City. He serves as an associate editor at America Media, a Jesuit ministry, and produces the weekly podcasts “Inside the Vatican” and “Preach,” the latter of which he also hosts. He is also an associate pastor at the Church of St. Francis Xavier in Manhattan.

He earned a Master of Science in Journalism from the Graduate School of Journalism at Columbia University, where he was recognized as a 2019–2020 Pulitzer African Fellow. While there, he focused on reporting related to religion, mental health, housing, and social justice. Prior to relocating to the United States, he served as Acting Editor of spotlight.africa, a Jesuit-run platform for news and analysis in South Africa.

His theological education includes a Bachelor of Theology and a Sacrae Theologiae Baccalaureus from the Faculdade Jesuíta de Filosofia e Teologia in Belo Horizonte, Brazil—degrees with both civil and ecclesiastical recognition. He also holds a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Philosophy from Heythrop College, University of London, U.K. Over 17 years in ministry, he has worked with high school and university students, young adults and families, the unhoused and those living with disabilities, migrants, refugees, asylum seekers, and older adults.

Born in Portugal, he immigrated with his mother to South Africa at the age of six. After finishing school, he worked full-time in sales and marketing for an office consumables and furniture company while studying part-time for a Diploma in Communications, Journalism, and Public Relations at Birnam Business College. Shortly before joining the Jesuits in 2007, he transitioned to a career in brand management in the online gaming industry, honing his skills in online marketing.

He serves on the Board of Directors of CARA (Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate). In March 2025, he joined the Board of Directors of CMMB.