President’s Message
ignatius had insight in the power of educational institutions
as apostolic instruments to bring about extraordinary
good in the world. Specifically, he believed that students
who graduated from Jesuit schools would contribute to
the common good at all levels of society including
commerce, the arts, government, science, law and the
life of the Church. Second, ignatius saw schools as a way
to help transform the hearts and minds of young people
who would grow in faith through cultivating their interior
lives and their capacity for prayer and reflection. Third,
he believed that schools, through a focus on intellectual
rigor and a broad-based liberal arts curriculum, would
set a standard of excellence. Finally, ignatius insisted that
Jesuit schools serve “everyone—the rich and poor alike,”
which tells us something of his commitment to social
justice.
As Fordham prep prepares to celebrate its 175th
anniversary year, it is good to remind ourselves of our
historical antecedents and the foundational touchstone
of our mission as a Jesuit secondary school.
perhaps there is no better resource for this reflection
than the well-respected work, “The First Jesuits” (Harvard,
1991), in which historian John O’malley, SJ identifies
four primary characteristics of Jesuit education from its
origins in 16th century europe.
O’malley reminds us that neither ignatius Loyola nor the
first companions envisaged, in their original deliberations,
schools as being a specific work of Jesuits or an apostolic
priority of the Society of Jesus. So what, then, led him
and his advisors to discern that Jesuits should take on
the work of sponsoring schools, beginning in 1548, when
ignatius granted the request of laypeople in messina in
Sicily to found a Jesuit school for their sons?
ignatius was convinced that schools would be a means
to a greater end—an end which would ultimately and
ideally give greater glory to god and help souls. The
term ignatius and the first Jesuits used to describe our
works was “apostolic instrument.”
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During this anniversary year for Fordham prep, we will
celebrate our history and imagine how we can advance
our mission to 21st century learners.
perhaps the characteristics of Jesuit education—
characteristics which have endured at Jesuit schools
for nearly 500 years—might provide a window for our
reflection in the upcoming months: How do our students
and alumni transform society and, with god’s grace,
create a world that is more humane and just? How does
our openness to finding god in all things animate the
lives of Fordham prep students and alumni? How does
Fordham prep instill a relentless quest for excellence in
our young men—while they are with us, and during the
rest of their lives? How has a Fordham prep education
made a difference by providing opportunity for students
who are the sons of immigrants or from working or
middle class families?
i am excited to reflect with gratitude about the past and
dream boldly about the future. i invite you to join me in
this process of reflection and imagination. And i look
forward to how our dialogue about these questions will
inform our shared mission as we move forward into our
next 175 years!
Christopher J. Devron, SJ
president