Our guest will be Fr. Juan Pablo Marrufo-del-Toro, S.J. Fr. Marrufo-del-Toro teaches physics and astronomy at Brophy Prep, the Jesuit High School in Phoenix. But he’s also been a long-time collaborator with the Vatican Observatory. He’s spent summers with us in Rome and participated in ACME programs.
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Our tradition of hosting online meetups with our Sacred Space Astronomy members and the Vatican Observatory staff, scholars and friends during the Full Moon in Tucson (or thereabout, as in this case) continues on Thursday March 13th at 12:00 Noon ET (9:00 AM Tucson time). This meetup is a perk for our Sacred Space Astronomy subscribers- you get to chat with each other, and astronomers and scientists from the Vatican Observatory!
We’ll also have the latest astronomy news and an update about the Vatican Advanced Technology Telescope1.
Fr. Juan Pablo Marrufo-del-Toro, S.J. was born in Guadalajara, Mexico. He felt called to be a Jesuit while he was earning his B.S. at the Jesuit University of Guadalajara, After graduating in 2001 with a degree in business and physics, he kept up with the Jesuits he had met who helped him discern his vocation.
He entered the Society of Jesus in 2003. He earned a master’s degree in philosophy at Loyola University Chicago in 2009 specializing in philosophy of science. While at Chicago, he volunteered as the telescope operator for the Adler Planetarium. He taught math and religion at Seattle Preparatory School and at the Colegio Mayor de San Bartolomé in Bogotá, Colombia.
He attended the Vatican Observatory Summer School of 2007 and collaborated with the Jesuit astronomers doing photometry and P.R. He has a pilot’s license which he has used in Alaska. He earned a M.Div, ThM and STL in 2016 from the Jesuit School of Theology of Santa Clara University in Berkeley, and a M.Ed from the University of San Francisco.
In 2023. Fr. Marrufo-del-Toro completed his Jesuit tertianship in Australia where he got to observe the southern night sky. Currently, he teaches physics and astronomy at Brophy College Preparatory in Phoenix, Arizona where he also serves as the school chaplain, coaches the Mountain Biking Team and is the moderator of the Aviators Club. He is fluent in English, Spanish and proficient in Italian.
Video: Looking for Life Elsewhere with Lynn J Rothschild and Juan Pablo Marrufo
When? Thursday, March 13, 2025: Rain or shine
What time? These meetups will happen around lunch time in North America: in particular, 12:00 PM Eastern Standard Time, which is 9:00 AM Tucson time.
How do you access the Zoom link? Join Sacred Space Astronomy and you’ll get an email with the full link! If you are already a member, log in to the Vatican Observatory site, and you will see the Zoom info at the bottom of this post.
1The Vatican Advanced Technology Telescope consists of the Alice P. Lennon Telescope, and the Thomas J. Bannan Astrophysics Facility.
