The Jesuits and Me

There was an article in the Inquirer (October 13, 2025) that celebrated the way that St. Joseph’s Prep School has increased their diversity in the student body. It was a Pro-DEI statement. They were founded in 1868 and stayed put in the city even when St. Joseph’s University moved to City Line Avenue. They had 8 students of color in 2003 and 26% of today’s 940 students are black. The Jesuits always make the point that justice is part of every operation in which they are involved. It is foundational to the school’s identity.

The school requires an entrance examination. Their goal is to make every student the best version of himself. The Prep is most known in our area for its successful athletic programs. So, it was great to see that their academic excellence and diversity were underscored.

St. Joseph’s University had been our neighbor at EA for many years. I got the opportunity to have an important relationship with the Jesuits which is part of my celebration of their recognition. This included Nick Rashford, their former President, and Charles Curry Professor of Physical Chemistry, as well as previous President of the two Jesuit Universities. The Jesuits were nicknamed the Marine Corp of the Roman Catholic clergy because of their courage in supporting the poor in such places as Central America and their commitment to be highly educated and to be supportive of the education of others.

I have great memories of them. One day Charlie and I were having lunch together, he looked at his watch and said that he had to get to a meeting. He avoided telling me the meeting he would be rushing to but finally indicated that he had to get to a MENSA meeting, a group of people with genius level IQs. He was one of the kindest people I have ever known.

The Roman Catholic Archdiocese is very conservative, and the Jesuits were very liberal which made life interesting for the Jesuits at the university. They were so effective that they outgrew their worship space, which was a large lab, so they asked to have a meeting with  me. They wanted to use Christ Chapel at EA on Sunday evenings for their services. Before we met, they called me to tell me that priests from the archdiocese had required them to join the meeting to make sure the worship space was “good enough.” Christ Chapel had large seating for 850 people so I knew we could accommodate them. It was a modern structure with the altar in the center. The committee who attended acted like the biggest favor would for me to have the “privilege” of having Catholic worship in our chapel and went on with other demeaning statements. I did not respond to anything they said. Finally, they said they thought the chapel would be “good enough” but still acted reluctant to agree to the Jesuit’s request. Finally, they did! My friend was so upset he apologized profusely for their lack of manners. I smiled and said, “Hey we got what we wanted! Forget about it.” St. Joe’s worshipped on Sunday evenings for a good bit of time. The interior of their new chapel was modeled after Christ Chapel. That clergyman who made the request to worship at EA went on to oversee trials in Central America. The Jesuits went to places where others would not dare to go.

Just before President Nick Rashford retired, we met outside their new chapel and across from a new residence hall connecting the dorm to the campus with a bridge over City Line Avenue. More than anyone, Nick made the university what it is today. He was a great leader and better fund raiser who created the curriculum that, in essence, is still used today. I asked him, “Nick, what was your greatest accomplishment?” He said with a smile on his face, “Do you see that bridge over City Line Avenue?” I had to get many variances to get that built. I had to work with the city, the township, and the state. People said that it couldn’t be done.” We both got a belly laugh over that. I don’t know if he was kidding or not for he accomplished so much. He was also a great photographer. I am aware of the magnificent photos he took on a trip through Ireland.

St. Joe’s, EA, and the Barnes Foundation were surrounded by difficult neighbors and the Lower Merion Supervisors. Richard Glanton, a Philadelphia lawyer, was Chair of the Board of Trustees, who had attended Lincoln University. The Township and neighbors would not allow any changes to be made regarding building on our campus. I represented EA at a meeting of all the players to get some understanding of the various points of view. I will never forget the evening as Glanton charged into the room and proclaimed, “That Jesuit, referring to the President, is the toughest businessman I have ever met.”

We tried for years to expand our campus by building up and not out. That didn’t get approved. We knew when we couldn’t get approval to build a squash court off the back of our gym that we would need to move. We found land to the West which enabled us to move our campus to Newtown Square expanding it from 30 acres to 120 acres. We sold our school and property to St. Joseph’s University where we had important connections, religious and otherwise. The building of the new campus is another whole story.

I was invited to attend the dedication and opening of the Constitution Center. Timothy Lannan who was President of St. Joe’s at the time saw me and said, “Jim, I owe you an apology. We thought you guys just didn’t know how to deal with the township and neighbors. We are further back in deliberations that you ever were.”

Recall, one of my themes in teaching ethics was “follow the money.” I have attached a video of the politics of the Barnes Foundation’s move to Philadelphia which highlights this theme. We lived next to the Barnes and St. Joseph’s University for 29 years and had =memorable visits to the museum. There wasn’t a dull moment as St. Joe’s and our school as tried to be helpful to the Barnes in a politically charged situation.

The Barnes Foundation Controversy