Beloved Jesuit history teacher takes his talents to Vatican City
By ZACHARY WOZNAK ’11

Students fortunate enough to have been taught by Father Lawrence Ober, S. J., will remember him as the brilliant Jesuit educator of the history department.  His tales of the Huns, Amalasuntha, and the infamous torture known as the necat have become legendary throughout the halls of Happy High.  In December of 2009, much to the disappointment of many young scholars and his famed secretary, Ida C. Shultz, Father Ober left his position in the history department for a period of rest and relaxation prior to his sabbatical in Rome, which began earlier this year.   Recently, Father Ober provided this reporter with an update of his sabbatical activities.

Father Ober arrived in Rome in early July to begin his work in the Jesuit archives.  He has been tasked with researching the history of the Jesuits and preparing information and biographies for young Jesuits to study. His work requires knowledge of six different languages, a task that he says often leaves him confused at the end of the day.

Father has adjusted well to his new home.  His residence is a block away from the Vatican in a neighborhood that he describes as \”a dazzling spectacle of international tourists peppered with bandits trying to sell them everything imaginable.”

Gone Green for Good

Andrew Drozd ’12

Mondays at St. Ignatius High School, like most high schools, are usually characterized by lethargic students and anxious teachers.  This is not true for a group of about 60 students, who dedicate their Monday afternoons to the Green Team.

The Green Team’s goal is to clean up the environment and to make it a better place to live.  The Green Team’s members accomplish this goal by collecting the recycling in the school. The students are responsible for collecting the paper waste from the 200 blue recycle bins located all over campus.  They also collect the paper in the large yellow bins that are located in the \”high traffic”

By Alexander DeWitt ’12

\”Today is the first day of the rest of your life!”

by Jack Lupica ’14

The Jesuit Community at St. Ignatius High School has blest us with the gift of daily mass.   I always look forward to my lunch period not only because I get to eat lunch, but more importantly, I receive spiritual food through the reception of Jesus in the Eucharist.

There are a number of reasons why I have decided to take advantage of this great gift.  The most important reason is that I am given the opportunity to spend time with Jesus asking Him for support in my day with all of its challenges.

I also attend to thank God for all of the many gifts He has blest me with.  Once, St. Teresa asked Our Lord, \”How can I thank you?”

In a letter from Peter Corrigan, the results of the “surprise” for the seniors is as follows: (see more photos here)
“I would like to echo Rory Hennessey’s words of thanks to all who made today such a tremendous success!  Many people helped pull this off and the seniors seemed to genuinely appreciative.  Thank you for supporting the seniors and your colleagues who took the initiative to respond to a need they perceived.

I wish that you all could have all been there when I introduced the day at 8:05 in the Breen.  I opened by commenting that I knew that they were wondering why we had assembled them this morning.  You could have heard a pin drop as they waited in anxious anticipation.  I then showed them a brief clip from Dead Poets’ Society where teacher John Keating (Robin Williams) tells them to rip out the introduction to their poetry anthology.  I proceeded to tell them that we were ripping out the regular schedule for them today and there was a puzzled but audible sigh of relief.  Rory then got them rolling with his bon mots.
The day moved along flawlessly and concluded with a class picture in the Wasmer Field stands, a final blessing, and the singing of our Alma Mater.
I think that this may be one of their memorable class memories.  Thanks again to all those who made it so successful.

p.s.  Can you believe that Rory Hennessey had never seen Ferris Buehler’s Day Off until today?  No wonder he let it be shown today.”

‘Time, as most students know it, is what a Kairos retreat seeks to transcend. Kairos comes from a Greek word relating to God’s time, or time to be filled “