My close friend and colleague, Fr. John P. Foley, SJ, retired last week. What “retirement” actually means for a guy like John is something that both he and we will discover over time. The biggest initial change is that he moved from his rooms in Chicago to the Jesuit...
Preston Kendall’s President’s Pen
December President’s Pen
Earlier in December, our principal let me know that our AP English Literature class would be using the new stage instead of their normal classroom because they planned to read aloud and act out scenes from Hamlet. So, a few minutes into seventh period, I wandered over...
November President’s Pen
Sometimes small occurrences combine in such a way that saying it is just a coincidence is an entirely insufficient explanation. In certain moments, Providence plays a hand and for a brief second you sense that God really is actively working in our world through those...
October 2021 President’s Pen
“We had no idea what we were doing!” is what my friend and colleague, Fr. John P. Foley, SJ likes to proclaim when asked about the founding of the Cristo Rey movement. What started as one school in Chicago’s Pilsen neighborhood has blossomed into thirty-eight schools...
September 2021 President’s Pen
“The value of life does not depend upon the place we occupy. It depends upon the way we occupy that place.” – Saint Therese of Lisieux Lately, people have been asking what it is like to be back in full-time classes at CRSM. My response is a single word, “Joyful.” It’s...
July President’s Pen: An Interview with Preston Kendall
In celebration of Cristo Rey’s 25th anniversary, “We Are CR” profiles will feature interviews with some of the many people who helped shape Cristo Rey Jesuit High School since its doors opened in 1996. Preston Kendall was part of the founding leadership team for...
June President’s Pen: Marking significant endings and beginnings
June at CRSM marks significant endings and beginnings. No sooner did we say goodbye to the class of 2021 at an in-person graduation – the first in our new gym – than we greeted our incoming 9th graders to their first week of training and assessments for the Corporate...
April President’s Pen: “You can cut all the flowers but you cannot keep spring from coming.”
On May 1 we will hold our annual Founders’ Dinner. The event will be virtual and last just over 20 minutes – but those minutes are jampacked – we have alumni, students, and others sharing uplifting stories. Fr. John P. Foley, SJ will also be joining us since 2021...
March President’s Pen: A Time for Hope
This week we modified our school schedule to allow students two full days per week of in-person instruction for the remainder of the school year. Freshmen and Sophomores responded very favorably to the expansion with about 60% and 62% respectively opting to come in;...