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A Message From the President’s Office
Dear Parents, Alumni, and Friends of De Smet Jesuit
KEVIN BERNS ’87
On September 5, 1967, De Smet Jesuit High School opened its doors to 245 freshmen. This signaled a new era of Jesuit secondary education in our city. Eleven Jesuits — five priests, four scholastics, and two brothers — along with six lay faculty staffed the school. The Jesuits lived in rooms that are now De Smet’s administrative offices, the same space where I am presently writing you this letter.
A 1967 edition of a Jesuit fundraising magazine reports that 1,200 people attended the blessing and dedication of the new school. At that ceremony, Fr. Gerry Sheahan, S.J., the most senior Jesuit in the region, explained why a second Jesuit school was opened despite many other pressing needs. He said that only under one condition could this commitment be justified — De Smet must form students spiritually, academically, and socially who are committed to devoting themselves to the service of God and their neighbor.
This edition of Odyssey highlights the ways that De Smet Jesuit has made good on this commitment. Fifty years have passed since the Class of 1971 received their diplomas. Those years provide us the distance needed to appreciate the work that those first on the scene did to create an academic culture rooted in faith and service. Examples of this evolution of culture include the expanded outreach of Campus Ministry and student-driven English projects.
It’s important to take the long view, whether in our own lives or in the life of a school community. A milestone 50-year reunion invites us to step back, appreciate how we got here, and dream about where we are going. The stories contained in this magazine inspire us in this communal examen.
Considering this history, what strikes me are the ways that our past is our prologue. We hear the perennial call to form men for and with others, albeit under very different circumstances than those of the early 1970s. We see students in our halls who are as similar to us as they are different. Our hopes for our sons are connected to the hopes that the crowd gathered for that 1967 blessing ceremony had for their sons — a Jesuit education rooted in the Gospel message, a place where young men learn to hone and grow their talents, and a school whose highest ideals are centered on service to others.
This is the lofty vision that brought us together more than 50 years ago. Remaining true to this vision will ensure our future. Thank you for supporting us on the journey.
A.M.D.G., Rev. Ronald R. O’Dwyer, S.J.
Life at De Smet Jesuit
THE ART OF MEDITATION
A meditative art project encouraged Studio Art students to discover deeper self-awareness and get emotions on paper. “It was a great way to relax during the school day,” said Charlie Moffatt ’23, who swept a charcoal stick across paper while soothing music played in the classroom. “This is about using meditation and art to create something nonexistent,” said teacher Laurie Kohler.
