Message
After much planning, event venue securing, invitation
sending and generous giving, Fordham Prep has finally
arrived at the special moment in time which marks our
celebration of 175 years of education at Rose Hill
dedicated to faith, scholarship and service. It is certainly
a momentous occasion to celebrate one’s 175th birthday;
only a few other Jesuit high schools in the nation can call
themselves our older siblings.
While our past history is rich in detail, I like to imagine how
the anniversary of our founding can be an opportunity to
advance our mission into a strong and secure future and
allow us to recommit ourselves yet again ad maiorem Dei
gloriam.
The Campaign for the 175th Anniversary has already
begun to engender extraordinary support and the funding
of several lead gifts is making its impact felt. Here are
some tangible ways the Campaign is transforming—and,
with your support, will continue to transform—the lives of
young men:
• 60% of the Class of 2016 now attend the most selective
colleges and universities in the country—institutions
such as West Point, Georgetown and the University or
Richmond. Fourteen members of the class matriculated
to Ivy League institutions.
• At the conclusion of our Founder’s Mass to kick off our
175th Year, we dedicated our new entranceway and
lobby, and our renovated Commons. The lobby includes
historical artifacts and two stunning brass reliefs of
St. John the Baptist and St. Ignatius Loyola, who
symbolically welcome our students each day.
• This past summer, Prep students and faculty traveled
to Riverview-St. Ignatius Preparatory school in Sydney,
4 | RA MVIE W
Australia, developing global-cultural skills and
competencies through immersion and connection with
young men half a world away
• Just after Labor Day, we welcomed 258 members of the
Class of 2020 from over 100 zip codes. 45% of our 1004
students receive a record total of $4 million in tuition
assistance and merit-based scholarships
• Thanks to Fordham Prep’s co-sponsorship and
investment, the highly acclaimed REACH Program
(Recruiting Excellence in Academics for Catholic High
Schools) expanded its enrollment last summer to
prepare more middle school students from families of
modest means to attend the Prep and our other Jesuit
high schools in New York.
• To promote their professional development and growth,
our faculty traveled to Cincinnati to present and
participate in seminars at the national meeting of the
Jesuit School Network. Two other faculty traveled to
Israel to participate in a program for Catholic educators
sponsored by the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) to
combat bigotry and prejudice.
This year, two of our senior faculty, Mr. Jack Foley ’63 and
Fr. Stan O’Konsky, SJ, are marking 50 years of service to
the Prep. Having taught a combined 100 years, they
helped students master both classical languages and
English, and understand the call to become Men for
Others. Dr. Joseph Petriello ’98, on the other hand, is at
the beginning of his tenure at the Prep, following last
year’s search for our next principal. We are grateful for
Jack, Stan and Joe who, by formal title as well as role and
experience, serve as highly competent and respected
leaders of the Fordham Prep faculty.
Finally, in a graced sign of new life, Mr. Danny Gufstason,
SJ, joins us as the first regent in more than 30 years
assigned by the Province to work at Fordham Prep.
Regency is a period of Jesuit formation in which men
deepen their sense of mission and lived connection to
the Society of Jesus. A Georgetown University alumnus
from South Dakota, Danny joins eight new faculty and
staff who begin the extraordinary journey that Mr. Foley
and Fr. O’Konsky began fifty years ago.
Whether you were among the first to study Latin with
Mr. Foley or take English with Fr. O’Konsky, or you are a
parent whose son will learn about the spirituality and
vision of St. Ignatius in Mr. Gufstason’s class, I hope this
175th year of Fordham Prep instills in you a sense of
gratitude and excitement—gratitude for the generosity
of our benefactors and the service of our faculty; and
excitement for what our future, charged with God’s grace,
promises to bring to new generations of young men who
will come to Rose Hill for four unforgettable and
transformative years.
Christopher J. Devron, SJ
President