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.

         

Reflection #77: The Class of ‘65

            On September 18 and 19, the members of the Ignatius graduating class of 1965 will convene to celebrate the 50-year anniversary of their graduation.   This has a special significance for me, because this class entered Ignatius the same year that I started teaching math here in the fall of 1961.

My last day as a full-time teacher was in May of 2004.  Two members of the class of ’65, Bob Achille and Jim Luzzi, made it especially memorable.   As I was about to start my last class, there was Bob, sitting in the first seat, first row, the same seat he had occupied on his first day as an Ignatian and my first day as a teacher.  To commemorate my last day, Bob gave me a beautifully inscribed glass “apple”.   Jim, an Ignatius math teacher and our first soccer coach for over 40 years, chronicled events by taking photographs and, later, presenting me with an album.  Both the apple and the album still have a place of honor in my home

            The years from Sept. ’61 to June ’65 were very eventful both at Ignatius and in the outside world.   At Ignatius, one of the more significant events was the dropping of football.  (It was brought back in 2003…if memory serves.)   I would have left St. Ignatius to coach somewhere else if it hadn’t been for the fact that Carmen Pintozzi stayed and coached, cross country and Don Lucas, the A.D., started the baseball team.  They had both been football coaches, and they were my friends.  So I stayed to help coach baseball.  It turned out that we were better in baseball than we had been in football.

            From my vantage point, of far more significance were the changes over the intervening 50 years.  If there are class of ’65 alumni who haven’t been back since graduation, the changes will astound them. 

            There is a “new” gym (well over 40 years old, not counting up-dates), the athletic field, tennis courts, baseball fields, and a theater.  The old 4^th-floor gym is now the student library and the old asphalt backyard is now a beautiful garden.  These are by no means the only changes, but that gives you the idea.

            In the so-called “real world”, the class of ’65 were S.I. students when President Kennedy was assassinated and, they were witness, on live television, to Jack Ruby killing Kennedy’s assassin, Lee Harvey Oswald.   During the early ‘60’s, the War in Viet Nam was escalating, which brought about peace demonstrations, largely on college campuses.  In August of 1963, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. gave his famous “I have a dream” speech, which was an important event in the quest for racial equality.

            Finally, but by no means least, there was the escalating tension between the U.S. and Russia.   The Bay of Pigs fiasco and the Cuban missile crisis were just some of the events that marked our history during the years from ’61 to ’65. 

            I’ve heard it said that what makes the “good old days” good is that we survived them.   There’s much truth to that statement.

            To the any members of the class of 1965 who might be interested in joining their former classmates to relive the happier memories, contact Christine Cesak at christine.cesak@ignatius.org or 312-432-8412.

Reflection #76 (Only 999 to go): Frank’s Chair

             I should state at the outset that Frank Raispis is just fine…for an 88-year-old.   I say that because, as I read the following remarks, I realized that it sounded a lot like a eulogy.  It’s not.

            If you are a regular visitor to “1076 Reflections”, you’ll probably notice that Frank Raispis’ name pops up frequently.  There are two obvious reasons for that. 

            The first is because of the significant role Frank played in the modern history of Saint Ignatius.  He was the first lay principal, 20 years before another layman would be given that position.  Frank was the first recipient of the Raymond T. Grant Educator-of-the-Year Award.  Who knows how many times he would have received that award if there hadn’t been a rule that a teacher could only receive it once?  He was also an early recipient of the prestigious Golden Apple Award.

         He held so many offices at S.I.C.P., it’s difficult to keep count.  For example, in 1965, the yearbook lists him as Administrative Assistant to the Principal, College Counselor, English II, Greek III and IV and Latin IV. 

            The second reason that his name appears so often in my articles is that I know Frank well.   Besides being a colleague for over 50 years, I was blessed to have driven Frank to school every morning for 25 of those years.   In that time, I got to learn a lot about what made him the man and teacher he was.  I often teased Frank that he had the ability to put students into a trance-like state, so that the same young people who balked at “doing the dishes” or “taking out the garbage” at home would help him work in the gardens at school, or carry a sudan chair (with someone in it) on the Walk-for-Ignatius.

            Did you know that, when Frank was in his 70’s, three senior girls invited him to be their escorts at their senior prom.   He was grateful for the honor, but respectfully declined.

            What I didn’t know was that two generous benefactors, Sam (’61) and Mimi Krug have created an endowment for the formation of the Frank Raispis Chair in the Classics at Ignatius by pledging a $500,000 matching gift. 

            I normally steer clear of anything that has to do with fund-raising…because I would be really bad at it.  However, it occurred to me that many folks, who have such fond memories of Frank but aren’t aware of this program, might want to show their love and appreciation for all Frank has meant to Saint Ignatius by making a contribution.

         If you are interested, you could either contact geoffrey.hammond@ Ignatius.org. or send a check to ST. IGNATIUS COLLEGE PREP with the designation to FRANK RAISPIS CLASSICS CHAIR ENDOWMENT.         

Reflection #75 (Only 1000 to go): Men and Women for Others (Pt. 2)

 (Note:  The credit for the information in this article goes to Ray Kizelevicus who, for over 20 years, has been a part of the Ignatius service projects in the U.S. and Guatemala.  Thank you, Ray, for both your efforts on these projects and for sharing the information for the article.)

       In the summer of 1986, Ignatius sent students to two sites: one in Monticello, Kentucky in Appalachia, the other in Peru. 

              Quoting from the PREP 1987:      “Appalachia:  The Chicago Nine, as they called themselves, set out for their two week project in Monticello, KY.  They went to the homes of the elderly to wash windows, clean, paint, and talk.  Some were sent to teach bible school to children.

                  The trip was definitely a growing experience.   They were impressed by the openness and charm of people who still pumped water from outside wells, giving them a new perspective.  They learned compassion, understanding, trust and love, and they returned home with memories of one of the best experiences of their lives.”

                “Peru:      1986 marked the beginning of a journey which for ten Ignatians will never end.  Ms. Suzanna Ackerman, Fr. Gino Donatelli, and Mr. Brian Paulson headed a group of seven seniors: Yvette Alcarese, Nora Briody, Stephanie Greene, Tim Joyce, Miriam Manglano, Missy Nordgren, and Matt Slattery. 

                  The group visited Lima, Cusco, Machu-Picchu, the ruins of an ancient Incan city, and the campos (villages) of Progresso Bajo and San Rafael.  The Majority of the trip was spent in the campos, living and working with the Peruvian people.  The days were spent shoveling sand, working in the cotton fields, teaching catechism to the children, and learning the customs of Peru.  For these ten Ignatians the summer of ’86 will remain etched in their hearts forever.

           The following summer, 1987, 5 students and two faculty members returned to Peru, and the Appalachian program was expanded to include 42 students and 8 faculty members. The sites included Manchester, Ohio; Beattyville, Kentucky; Williamsburg, Kentucky, and Center Point, West Virginia.”

                  The trips to Peru were replaced by trips to Central America, where students worked side by side with the indigenous Mayans and watched the men make tools by hand out of wood scraps and painting with paint brushes whose bristles had been worn down to about an inch. 

                We no longer go to out of the United States sites.  Over the course of the years, Ignatius has sent students to many different places in Appalachia, as well as New Orleans, North Dakota, Detroit and Saint Procopius Parish which is a mile away from Saint Ignatius.

            The four pillars of the service program are prayer,  community, simplicity and service.  Each student lived these traits while learning about a culture totally different from their own.

            I asked Ray what motivated the students to go on these rigorous projects.

      “Most of the students who have gone with me on service projects have done so altruistically.  They went out of their comfort zone to experience poverty and to help however they could.  Certainly, a few may have gone so they could add it to their college application; some parents may have sent their children because it would be a 'good' experience. 

        No matter their motivation, all students came back affected by meeting and helping people and probably received more from the people than the people received from them.”

        Ray felt that the experience was so valuable that he wished more…or all… of the students would take advantage.  That’s just wishful thinking of course, but, in a world where evil acts are reported daily on the news, it’s comforting to know that there are many young men and women who give so willingly of themselves to make life better for those in need.

OOps!!! Error

With apologies, if it matters to anyone, and contrary to the information posted in blog # 74, the Jubilarian Reunion will be on Friday, May 22 starting with Mass in Holy Family at 9:00.    js