He entered the Jesuits in 1964 and was ordained in 1977. Fr. Sazama was a long-time teacher at Marquette High before coordinating vocations for the Jesuits. He has worked for several years with the Congress for Working America and the Jesuit Volunteer Corps. His undergraduate degree is from St. Louis University and he holds Masters Degrees from both Theology Union and the Jesuit School of Theology-Berkeley.