Reflection #77: Meet Father Caruso

Since many alumni may not have had much contact with St. Ignatius College Prep in the last 5 years, I decided to write a “Reflection” about Fr. Michael Caruso, S.J., its current president.  I asked to meet with Father, and, in turn he invited me to lunch, which I found to be a delightful hour…plus, the food was excellent. 

In the interest of full disclosure, I admit to having been in administration as the athletic director for 3 years (it wasn’t pretty), and I learned 2 very important lessons. The first was that I didn’t want to be an administrator.  The second was to be slow to criticize those who have the authority as well as the responsibility.  There are many factors that go into making tough decisions that the “out-sider” may not be aware of.

There were 7 presidents during my teaching career at St. Ignatius, and, from my vantage point, I have nothing but the greatest respect for them.  Each of them had their own set of challenges in the unique environment during time that they served.  I’m also willing to bet that some, if not all, took the job more out of their commitment to obedience, than because this is what they chose as a part of their vocation.

This brings me back to Fr. Caruso.  Being involved in school administration is exactly what he wanted.  Early on, in our discussion, he mentioned that his story was neither exciting nor very interesting.  I’ll agree that there wasn’t a great deal of “excitement”, but I found it very interesting.  As I reflected on my meeting with Fr. Caruso, I had to smile.  A retired teacher and coach is made to feel perfectly at ease, chatting with the head of one of the most prestigious high schools in Chicago…and beyond.  Father Caruso has that rare ability to make everyone he comes in contact with feel like the most important person he’ll meet that day.

After our meeting, Father sent me a copy of his resume.  I was awe-struck.  I have always known the Jesuits to be intelligent and well-educated, but this was overwhelming. If I were simply to list his academic credentials, which includes a doctorate from the Institute of Catholic Educational Leadership, that would be impressive, but when one adds his teaching experiences, scholarly activities, workshop and TV presentations, publication contributions and awards, it would take up more space than I intend to use here. 

After I had a chance to peruse his resume, I emailed some questions.  Father was born and raised in Kansas City, MO.  I asked him what prompted him to become a priest and, of all things, a Jesuit.  In his own words, “I was ordained in 1982 for the Diocese of Kansas City - St. Joseph.  I was always attracted to religious life, but sought a community that was committed to education and an apostolic life.  The Jesuits and their spirituality made a good match.”

Something else in his resume that I asked about was his move to California, to wit he answered, “When I was encouraged by the Jesuits to pursue a doctorate, I found the Institute of Catholic Educational Leadership, at the University of San Francisco to be the perfect program for me.”

Lest you think that Fr. Caruso’s sole objective was education, he also has a Master of Divinity degree from St. Mary-of-the-Lake Seminary in Mundelein…Yes, our Mundelein…as well as partaking in Ascetical Studies at the Jesuit Novitiate in Denver.

Perhaps the most intriguing feature in Father’s resume was the frequent appearance of the name DISNEY.  The Disney name appears 11 times and, In fact, Fr. Caruso’s doctoral dissertation is entitled The Mission and Culture of Jesuit Higher Education: A Comparison of Strategies with the Walt Disney Company.  My only interaction, as a teacher, with Disney was occasionally showing the movie: “Donald Duck in Mathmagic Land”…surprisingly sophisticated, all things considered.

This, of course, prompted the obvious question, "What was the Disney Company’s allure as a model for Catholic schools."  Father’s answer was more complete, but the following quote was what caught my eye.  “One summer day after my arrival at SICP in 2010, I was wearing a Disneyland Polo shirt.  A faculty member asked me if I intended to turn this place into Disneyland.  I said, "To the extent that people love coming here, have a great time while they are here, learn something, and can't wait to get back...that's not a bad reality to shoot for!"

         That has been my reality through 50+ years at Ignatius.  It wasn’t always the President that created that atmosphere, but folks like Pat O’Mara, Frank Raispis and too many other colleagues to name here.  That’s what has kept me coming back.