Father Ed Sthokal, SJ, had never considered becoming a retreat director; he never even specifically trained for it. The plan for the young Jesuit was to teach English literature, perhaps go on to run a university department in the field. So how did he end up spending 58 years as a retreat director at Demontreville …
Father Jack Rainaldo, SJ, accomplished much in his 62 years as a Jesuit. He served others as teacher, retreat director, spiritual advisor, and a staunch advocate of the Catholic faith.
Growing up in north Omaha as one of 13 children—six of whom entered religious lives—Fr. McCaslin “always wanted to be a priest.”
A shy priest might not seem like a natural fit to lead a university, but Jesuit Fr. Michael Morrison’s gifts of warmth, sincerity, and good humor translated to a successful tenure as Creighton University’s longest-serving president.
Approachable. Attentive. Authentic. Available. These words come up time and again when his fellow Jesuits describe Fr. Bob Leiweke, SJ.
As a Jesuit, Fr. Francis Daly has studied and taught the Spiritual Exercises to countless Jesuits and laypeople during his career, introducing them to Jesus and deepening their relationship with the Lord.
When Fr. John Mace, SJ, celebrated his golden jubilee while serving in the Philippines, Fr. Adolfo Nicolás, SJ, then Superior General of the Society of Jesus, delivered the homily and declared about the jubilarian, “50 years of journeying with the Lord—50 years of being polished into perfection!”
He might have been a Trappist monk. Or an architect. Ultimately, discernment for his religious vocation led Fr. Jim King to the Society of Jesus.
A WWII veteran, Fr. Larry Jonas, SJ, traveled to Washington, D.C. in April 2012 for the Stars and Stripes Honor Flight. The trip offered a glimpse of what Heaven might be like.
A desire to be a priest and a teacher made joining the Jesuits an ideal option for Fr. Bob Hilbert, SJ.