My Essays

"By rejecting compassion, the very thing that makes us human, we become more like the animals over whom we claim to have utter dominion."

- Daniel Mascarenhas, S.J.

I occasionally write for The Jesuit Post (TJP), a website described as "an online media platform that offers a Jesuit, Catholic perspective on the contemporary world. The TJP is a project of Jesuits in formation. Nearly all of the contributors are not-yet-ordained Jesuits and Jesuit brothers studying theology or philosophy, or working full-time in our Jesuit ministries."

The following are some of my essays on the topic. I recommend reading the essay titled "What is the moral status of animals".

What is the moral status of animals?Why do we eat cows but not dogs? Why does it seem that some animals have different, and better, rights than do others? Daniel Mascarenhas wrestles with these thorny questions from several different…

My Catholic Faith Pushed Me to Adopt an Almost Vegan DietThe Catholic Church condemns animal cruelty. Does our consumption of animal products violate this teaching?

Learning Compassion from ChildrenWhy do we expect a young girl to cry over a pet goat she must give up for slaughter but not over the animals we eat on a daily basis? Compassion for all God’s creation should motivate us to c…

This Christmas, Let’s End the Violence On Our Dinner Plates.The idea of billions of sentient creatures slaughtered to satisfy our gastronomic wants around the holidays should give us pause. There are no good reasons for eating animal products as part of hol…

The Reality of Cheap Chicken and the Overlooked Misery of our Animals - The Jesuit PostMany people eat chicken without knowing the harrowing realities of factory farms. Daniel questions whether Christians, in light of the Beatitude to show mercy, can continue to eat factory-sourced meat.

Praying with the Pope: Caring for the Mental Health of Farm Workers - The Jesuit PostAs the Church prays this November for those struggling with mental health, Daniel Mascarenhas, SJ draws attention to an often unseen group: slaughterhouse workers. In this reflection, he links compassion for animals with care for the human souls bearing the trauma of the meat industry.

What Will Motivate Us to Care for Creation?We need to understand why care for creation matters to us because truths about environmental degradation have no power over us if they do not relate to us.

Waiting in Hope for Universal Kindness - The Jesuit PostAs Christians, we have a hope in God's coming kingdom that Jesus preached. That kingdom encompasses all creation, including all animals.

Abstinence from Meat as Lifelong Discipleship of Christ - The Jesuit PostAbstaining from meat is more than an ascetic practice when we know of the harms caused by the meat industry. Daniel explores how our Christian living of God’s hopes for kindness in this world might require us to abstain from meat beyond these forty days of Lent.

Shooting Dogs and Eating Meat: Towards a Consistent Ethic of Animal Life - The Jesuit PostThe recent outcry over Governor Noem's shooting of her hunting dog exposes an inconsistency with our deep love for animals. Daniel questions whether we as Christians can pamper some pets while also eating factory-farmed meat.

Cooperating with Evil: Our Complicity in the Torture of Animals - The Jesuit PostA vast majority of our animal-based foods come from the cruel practice of factory farming. Daniel Mascarenhas, SJ explores how our Catholic faith ought to inspire us to refrain from cooperating with this evil.

Persevering in Conversion: After the Cannonball Moment comes the Thorny Path - The Jesuit PostThe story of Saint Ignatius reminds us to always trust in God’s goodness and graces for the unknown twists and turns of life. In the footsteps of Ignatius this summer, Daniel Mascarenhas, SJ reflects how he found this saint’s example helps him navigate the difficult spiritual and practical realities following his conversion to a plant-based diet.

Consuming Creation: The Ecological Toll of Animal Agriculture - The Jesuit PostThe damage inflicted by animal agriculture is often ignored, but its impact on God’s creation is undeniable. Daniel Mascarenhas, SJ, argues that Christians cannot settle for an "out of sight, out of mind" approach to the ecological crisis.

The Fishing Industry Has Rendered Most Mass Fish Consumption UnethicalCatholics are called to care for creation and the marginalized. How does eating fish fit into this exhortation?

What Ought I Do About My Carbon Footprint? - The Jesuit PostCare for creation is a massive undertaking, but that does not mean we can shirk our responsibility, as Pope Francis reminds us in his recent exhortation Laudate Deum.

California Is in a Drought. Taking Shorter Showers Is Not the Solution.The California drought is an opportunity to examine how meat-heavy diets cause a strain to our water supply.

Eating Vegan and Healthy Isn’t Selfish — It’s Faithful - The Jesuit PostThe Catholic faith esteems the human body as a temple of the Holy Spirit. Given the negative health outcomes of animal-based foods, Daniel Mascarenhas, SJ reflects how loving God, neighbor, and self through a plant-based diet seems to be a no-brainer.

Grief, Relationality, and Animals: A Call to Bother to Love - The Jesuit PostGrief at the death of animals reveals a moral obligation we too often ignore. Daniel Mascarenhas, SJ argues that if we dare to feel this grief, it becomes a call to love them as fellow creatures of God.

Flee from Demons in Food as Saint Paul Commands - The Jesuit PostIn Corinth, meat in marketplaces often came from sacrifices to gods — and Saint Paul thus warned it carried a demonic character. Daniel Mascarenhas, SJ asks if our modern food system carries its own spiritual dangers.

The Spiritual Foundation of a Lasting Ecological Conversion - The Jesuit PostHow do the Spiritual Exercises speak to an ecological crisis? In this Season of Creation, Daniel Mascarenhas, SJ proposes an “Ecological First Principle and Foundation” to ground a lasting ecological conversion.

Silence Is Not an Option in Matters of Life and DeathBeing pro-life and vegan might seem incompatible, but Daniel Mascarenhas argues that defense of life must be consistent.

The Right to Life of Animals - The Jesuit PostBeing in the image of God implies that humans have certain capacities for the transcendent, which confers them their rights. Because animals have certain capacities for love and self-mastery, Daniel Mascarenhas, SJ reflects that they too deserve to be treated with dignity.

A Just Dinner Plate: Counting the Total Cost of Animal Agriculture - The Jesuit PostThe price of meat may be a few dollars—but the true cost is far greater. Daniel Mascarenhas, SJ examines the hidden environmental, human, and animal harms of animal agriculture and explores what justice demands of a Catholic dinner plate.

Hunting and the Prince of Peace: Can a Catholic Justify Killing Animals Unnecessarily? - The Jesuit PostMany Catholics hunt—some even as a way of connecting with creation. Daniel Mascarenhas, SJ examines the morality of hunting using Scripture and Catholic teaching.

I advise on content for the Saint Francis Institute for Animals whose mission is "to educate and empower U.S. Catholics to protect animals and to end the needless suffering of our fellow creatures." They "envision a world where all animals live free from exploitation and are able to flourish as God intended."

Vatican Document Invites Respect and Care for Animals — Saint Francis Institute for AnimalsA new Vatican document that relates integral ecology with family life offers practical guidelines to care for all God’s creatures. Daniel Mascarenhas, SJ reflects on how this call to action includes concern for animals suffering in factory farms - and how each of us can respect life and reject viole

The following essays were published in the Jesuits USA West Province social justice newsletters (2023-2024). Someday, when historians will wonder how Companions of Jesus seemed so oblivious to their participation in animal cruelty, I hope they will find these brief essays in the archives. Perhaps, they will praise the Jesuits for taking a stance for kindness towards animals even when it was deeply unpopular in the Church and the wider society.

Factory Farms and Nativity Scenes

Factory farms and Nativity scenes

Factory Farms and Cooperation with Evil

Factory farming and cooperation with evil

Shifts in Catholic Views of Animals

Steck - Shifts in Catholic Views of Animals

Abstinence from Meat as Discipleship of Christ

Concern for God’s Creatures in the Catholic Tradition

I wrote the folowing essays during graduate studies in theology at Boston College.

Factory Farming of Animals Through a Catholic Lens

Ecological Ethics - Factory Farming of Animals Through a Catholic Lens.pdf

Ecological Ethics, Boston College CSTM (Fall 2025)

This paper is framed around the idea of concern for animals through the lens of intrinsic value of creatures and the possibility of their presence in heaven. I also included two short anecdotes to frame the way we humans see the animals around us.

The Externalities of Animal Agriculture: Accounting, Justice, and Ethical Implications

Theology and Economy - The Externalities of Animal Agriculture Accounting, Justice, and Ethical Implications.pdf

Theological Ethics and the Economy, Boston College CSTM (Fall 2025)

This paper is about uncovering the true cost of animal agriculture: what needs to be accounted for beyond the sticker price. Then I move to who is responsible, and who must pay. Ultimately, there is no free lunch. Justice requires we pay our share, and love requires that we pay more than our share.

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