Welcome to Jesuit High School of Tampa
Dear Students, Parents, Alumni, and Friends,
It is a privilege for me to write this letter of introduction to you at the beginning of my first year as President of Jesuit High School. I know you join me in thanking Fr. Doyle for his twelve years of whole-hearted service to the Tampa Jesuit community and in praying for his ongoing recovery in New Orleans.
In the last decade of the 16th century, still at the beginning of the Jesuit commitment to education, a Jesuit missionary wrote the superiors in Rome, asking for advice on the best way to bring the Gospel to those not yet evangelized. The reply came back, "Schools, schools." And so it has been ever since, from the first Jesuit school founded in 1548 in Sicily to the modern day Jesuit schools across the country. For 460 years the Society of Jesus, joined by our lay colleagues and benefactors, have offered a robust Catholic education that seeks to develop the God-given talents and abilities of each student so as to form them into "men for others" who strive to live "for the greater glory of God" (AMDG).
As you know well, Jesuit High School in Tampa has been a vital part of that history for 109 years. The mission of Tampa Jesuit, our commitment to a total Christian formation that addresses the mind, body, and heart of each student individually, has well-served thousands of our alumni and their families. I am mindful of joining a community and a tradition outstanding in excellence but always wanting to strive for what Saint Ignatius called that something "more" (magis), a greater excellence, a more lavish generosity, a deeper life of faith.
The ultimate goal of every Jesuit school is to help our students find God, to help them live according to God's holy will. In this essential mission, however, we should never lose sight of the fact that we are a school. The classroom is the primary stage for the transformation that Jesuit High School aims to foster in each of our students. For any Jesuit school to remain faithful to its roots and tradition it is necessary that the school be known for its demanding excellence, in our case, excellence as a college preparatory school. The faculty and staff at Jesuit High School have an obligation to offer academic excellence and to require it of every student.
As an alumnus of Jesuit High School in Shreveport, Louisiana, I am well aware, however, that extracurricular activities (athletics, clubs, honor societies, and service organizations) are an indispensable part of the total formation offered by Jesuit schools. We want to form well-rounded young men, men who are prepared to live life well and to put their talents at the service of others with distinguished generosity.
Binding together the curricular and extracurricular activities is our spiritual formation. The spiritual life of Tampa Jesuit is not just one facet among many. It is our constant task and responsibility to remind the students that everything they do, every choice they make, every endeavor of their lives (great or small), is an expression of their relationship with God. Saint Anthony's Chapel stands fittingly at the heart of the campus. There the students gather for monthly Mass and daily convocations. There, in the center of the campus, the presence of our Lord is adored, and his Sacred Heart reaches out to each student, alumnus, parent, and faculty member in a silent embrace of love.
It is not only my mission but my privilege to serve the school and the larger Tampa Jesuit community in the coming years. With your support and prayers, and assisted by the grace of God, I am confident that this next phase in the life of Jesuit High School will draw from and build upon the rich tradition of this great school.
Yours in Christ,
Fr. Richard C. Hermes, S.J.
President
Jesuit High School