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Headliners
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The World is Our House
FACULTY AND STAFF REPRESENT AT JESUIT SCHOOLS NETWORK COLLOQUIUM
BY PETE MUSSO, ED.D.
Jerónimo Nadal, a companion of St. Ignatius (founder of the Society of Jesus) proclaimed: “We (Jesuits) are not monks. The world is our cloister! The world is our house!” His words invite us to connect what happens on Ballas Road to the broader world in which we live — making those connections real and palpable for students we teach.
Seventeen De Smet Jesuit colleagues who traveled to Loyola Marymount University (LMU) in mid-June were inspired to do just that.
During the week-long Jesuit Schools Network triennial colloquium on Jesuit secondary and pre-secondary education, they connected with more than 350 Ignatian educators from across the U.S. and Canada to celebrate their vocation as educators in Jesuit schools.
The week was thoughtfully framed by keynote speakers who provided context for the Jesuit Universal Apostolic Preferences (UAPs) — vital orientations for the Society of Jesus and apostolates over a 10-year span — as interrelated cries of the world that we need to be attentive to in our school.
SHOWING THE WAY TO GOD
The first and foundational UAP that is lived through the practice of the next three. The reflective questions for each UAP will guide future work at De Smet Jesuit.
GILLES MONGEAU, S.J., Socius to the Provincial, Canada Province
WORKING WITH THE MARGINALIZED
Who is stuck behind closed doors and how can we be present to the excluded in our school, the region, and the world? How can we use our power and influence to create communities of hospitality?
JOANNA WILLIAMS, Executive Director of the Kino Boarder Initiative - Nogales, AZ
ACCOMPANYING YOUTH
How is our Jesuit school a safe, sacred space for everyone? How can the Profile of the Graduate at Graduation be a framework for student accompaniment?
WILLIAM PARHAM, Ph.D., Professor of Counseling, LMU
CARE FOR OUR COMMON HOME
What daily strategies can we model for students that lead us to greater stewardship of our earth? How can we approach individual and institutional decisions from this stewardship lens?
DUSTIN LIU, Teaching Fellow, Harvard University
Colloquium participants attended Mass, shared meals, and spent time living in community. They practiced radical listening (pausing personal thoughts to focus completely on the speaker’s words) during spiritual conversations and identified feelings of consolation, as well as challenges, related to their mission-centered work now and in the future.
At left: (kneeling, from left) Pete Musso ’89, Tony Plein, Howie Place, Matt Mohan ’82, and Adam Boehm; (standing, from left) Carrie Becher, Lisa Knabe, Lisa Mosquera, Laurie Kohler, Gene Bender, Debbie Higgins, Ray Sherrock, Peter Lenzini, Kennedy Phillips, and Maria Lang At right: (from left) Kurt Knoedelseder, Michele Neary, Jim Walsh, Lil Morlock, Linda Sodemann, and John Pukala; not pictured: Matt Creamer and Bro. Hank Welch, S.J.
Farewell, Friends
HONORING RETIRING FACULTY AND STAFF
In May, De Smet Jesuit bid farewell to retiring faculty and staff with well wishes and messages of gratitude during two special events: an open house for members of the school community and a faculty-staff luncheon to conclude the school year. Congratulations, retirees, and thank you for your countless contributions to De Smet!
MATT CREAMER
(38 years of service) “Your work elevates everything we do. Every gear that needs to turn is made possible because of the work you put into it.”
– TONY PLEIN
KURT KNOEDELSEDER
(11 years of service) “He recognizes the importance of cura personalis. He’s never given anything less than his care, respect, kindness, and wisdom.”
– RYAN SEXTRO ’04
LIL MORLOCK
(20 years of service) “She knows what matters most and fights to protect it. She is a mother to many who stops everything to be present in the moment.”
– CARRIE BECHER
MICHELE NEARY
(25 years of service) “Your kindness has been a daily reminder of why we are here. You always have the right words, and I speak for everyone when I say we love you and we will miss you.”
– PETER LENZINI
JOHN PUKALA
(5 years of service) “Even after surgery, John would be out on his golf cart working to prepare fields for games. He was also Dr. Phil for coaches, always listening and giving sound advice.”
– KENT WILLIAMS
LINDA SODEMANN
(3 years of service) “I need her professionally because she calms me, challenges me, and always shows up for me. My wish is for everyone to have a Linda Sodemann.”
– LINDA DOHERTY
JIM WALSH ’76
(41 years of service) “This spring is Jim’s 90th semester at De Smet if you count his time as a student. It boggles the mind when you think of the number of lives he’s touched in 41 years. It’s the end of an era.”
– MATT MOHAN ’82
BRO. HANK WELCH, S.J.
(33 years of service) “He worked quietly and diligently seven days a week and was happiest receiving friendship, a plate of cookies, and a cold Dr. Pepper.”
– MICHELE NEARY
