For the second time in a decade, Saint Ignatius High School will be looking for a new leader.
In a letter to members of the Ignatius community, Fr. William Murphy, SJ announced Thursday that he will be leaving his position as President at the end of the 2014-2015 school year.
“I’m a little bit surprised to be honest. Fr. Murphy was an excellent president,” said Matt Coric ’15. “Everything he did was behind the scenes, so it was hard for us students to recognize just how much he has done for this school- a very humble man.”
In his letter to the student body, Fr. Murphy explains that the provincial Jesuit of the Chicago-Detroit area, Rev. Brian Paulson S.J., is directed him to prepare for a new ministry and for tertianship. “Tertianship refers to the period of preparation for final vows in the Society of Jesus,” informs Fr. Murphy.
During tertianship, the Jesuit studies the most important documents of the Society of Jesus and spends 30 days in silence during a retreat based on the Spiritual Exercises, the retreat St. Ignatius himself created.
A Presidential Search Committee will be formed in coming weeks and will include members of the Board of Regents, as well as representatives of the faculty and staff, alumni and other members of the Ignatius community. It is not known exactly when a new president will be announced, but Fr. Murphy anticipates a new president will be in place before the start of the school in August 2015.
“I’ve only experienced one year with him, but I am surprised to see him leave,” affirmed Zach Small ’17.”Walking around the halls, he was always smiling and would always make sure to say hi.”
Coric and Small both agreed that the next president needs to have strong leadership, and they would like to see a president who is interactive with the students.
In the meantime, Fr. Murphy intends to keep his focus on Ignatius’ future–the school is in the middle of developing a new strategic plan–and engaging directly with students in his history class and school masses.
Fr. Murphy continues to inspire the students and emphasize that our desires and God’s desire are one, and challenges us as Fr. Welsh does to answer the question “What does God want from me?”
“When people ask me the best thing about my job, I tell them that I get to be with the best people all the time,” said Fr. Murphy. “I doubt that I’ll ever be a part of anything like it ever again.”
The Eye will sit down for an interview with Fr. Murphy soon to discuss his transition and relfect upon his years at Saint Ignatius.
