Jesuit Provincial Mercier, S.J. visits SLUH

Published in Past Articles  |  

USA Central and Southern Provincial Superior the Very Rev. Ronald A. Mercier, S.J. made his annual visit to St. Louis U. High last week. Each year Mercier makes a visit to each Jesuit community in the province—including high schools, colleges, parishes, and retreat centers—to talk with members of the Jesuit community and the Leadership Team.

In his meetings with members of the Jesuit community, Mercier zeroed in on all aspects of life as a Jesuit. The topics of discussion ranged from prayer life to assignments and everything in between.

“We meet with our provincial once a year to do what’s called the account of conscience. That’s where we manifest our spiritual life—what’s gone well, what are my struggles, how’s community life, how’s my prayer, et cetera,” said Michael Mohr, S.J. “So I talked to him about my work at SLU High and how important it’s been for my formation.”

As both a Jesuit and an administrator, Mercier conversed with Principal Ian Gibbons, S.J. on two separate occasions.

“I met with him twice—once as a Jesuit and once as a principal. We kind of divided the meeting into two parts to very clearly separate those pieces,” said Gibbons.

Gibbons and Mercier looked closely at curriculum initiatives, admissions, global education projects, and achievements from the past school year.

In addition to conversations with Jesuits, Mercier met with the Leadership Team, which is comprised of third-floor administrators, about prevalent topics in the school community.

“It was largely a 40,000 foot look at a lot of key manpower and governance pieces and kind of what’s going on around the province,” said President Alan Carruthers.

The Leadership Team and Mercier discussed some of the outcomes of the recent Jesuit Sponsorship Review, as well as present and future assignments for Jesuit manpower.

Another topic the Leadership Team and Mercier discussed was the reality of lower enrollments in Catholic education in the Archdiocese of St. Louis. This upcoming year will also mark a time of transition within the Archdiocesan office, as Archbishop Robert J. Carlson is set to retire in the near future.

“It was very broad ranging; we tended to talk about finance and governance, and we talked about the state of Catholic Education—the challenges there. The transition in the Archdiocesan office and how that is going, I think that’s a very positive move, and we also have an Archbishop who will soon be replaced, and so just getting on the same page with the timing that’s going to take place,” said Carruthers.

This was also Mercier’s last visit to SLUH as the Provincial Superior, as he will pass the torch to the Rev. Tom Greene, S.J. in July.

« Jazz Band performs at MMEA conference; First Catholic school to perform since 1993 Mock Trial experiences mixed results; Varsity wins over Lindbergh, JV downed by Priory »
back to top