Can a Jesuit school be Jesuit, if there aren’t any Jesuits? It may sound like a riddle, but it is the question that the Seattle Prep community has dealt with for the past few decades. This year Fr. Mike Moody is the sole member of the Society of Jesus at Prep, but the priests haven’t always been so lonely on campus.
“In the 70s and 80s, the majority of teachers were still Jesuits. The old Adelphia Hall, named Payton Hall, was built as a residence for the priests,” said Mr. Mack, who has seen 35 Jesuits over his time at Prep.
So, what changed? Mr. Mack says the shift happened globally within the Catholic church. “When the Catholic church updated to Vatican II, it was a time for a lot of different forces internationally. Partly the Cold War, but also the freedom and hippie movement led to a drop off in the vocation.”
The effects felt from that cultural shift in the church were felt all throughout the world. The number of Jesuits decreased overall, leading to far fewer priests being available to teach at schools. As a result, the school began hiring more laypeople to serve as members of the faculty.
However, a fear arose that without enough priests, Prep would lose its tradition as a Jesuit school. So, is Prep still Jesuit? “Of course, the answer is yes, but you have to be more intentional about it. We literally rewrote the book to think about what characteristics make up Jesuit education. That’s where many of the common phrases such as Grad at Grad, Men and Women for Others, and Cura Personalis came from,” says Mr. Mack.
As one of a few Catholic schools in Seattle, Prep is not unique in professing the teachings of Jesus, but its unique flavor from the Society of Jesus is what sets it apart. Mr. Mack explains that “there’s a lot of richness within the Jesuit order, and the Jesuits are one of the few groups within the Catholic church that have a special flavor for teaching.”
Many Catholic schools teach Christianity strictly by the book, expecting rote memorization and acceptance of the doctrine. Meanwhile, Jesuit teaching welcomes and encourages questions, helping students question and embrace their doubts about religion.
Despite a lack of ordained priests, many staff members at Prep have equivalent degrees and similar training to what a real Jesuit would have. To answer the question if Prep can still be Jesuit, Mr. Mack sums it up nicely: “We’re not as Jesuit without Jesuits, but we’re still pretty close.”
