Between the hanging out, studying, and putt-putt competition happening in Campus Ministry, passers-by will see a new face in the southeast office. Jack Gorman joins the St. Louis U. High community this year, teaching theology to freshmen.

^{Cornett at Convocation.  photo | Owen Williams}

Gorman is a recent graduate of the Augustine Institute, located in Florissant, Missouri. Originally from Chicago, Gorman planned to return home until the unexpected opportunity to teach at SLUH was shared with him.

"I'm going back to Chicago unless there's a job opening at SLU High. That's the only way I would stay in St. Louis," Gorman recalled thinking. "And then God was true to His word and there was a job opening here, and I had to live up to what I had said."

Before the theology position opened, Gorman had met both Fr. Michael Caruso, SJ and college counselor Tim Wilmes on separate occasions, and both recomended that he apply for the job. Caruso met Gorman at a conference hosted by St. Louis University, where he learned about Gorman's interest in teaching high school theology. When the position opened at SLUH, Caruso encouraged Gorman to apply.

"I was confident that with his background and degrees, that he would be a perfect fit for SLUH," said Caruso. "SLUH is blessed to have him and I couldn't be happier that he is part of the SLUH community."

Alongside having been recommended to apply, SLUH stood out to Gorman for its deep integration of faith into the everyday life of the school.

"It was very important to me that the identity of the school as Catholic and Jesuit was authentic," said Gorman. "This school does not have a Catholic facade over it, rather the mission of being Jesuit is in the bloodstream of this place, and it comes out in more ways than saying a prayer every once in a while."

In his search for a teaching position, Gorman also valued the intellectual rigor of the school. In his theology classes he’s been able to teach the subject in the profound way that he'd been looking for.

"I can challenge my students and really, really get to this subject of theology that I love so much and can bear so much fruit," said Gorman. "There's moments in my classes in which we're diving into a serious academic topic, such as the life of St. Ignatius or the principles of the Jesuits, and then we'll jump into, here's how this affects your life here's why this is this really matters."

In the search for a new theology teacher, the right candidate needed to have a deep connection to their faith, beyond the lessons in the classroom.

"Mr. Gorman unapologetically loves Christ and wants to preach the gospel," said Theology Department Chair Mike Lally. "A few quick conversations with Jack demonstrated his deep belief, his incredible faith and a really sharp and profound intelligence that showed a deep grounding in the Catholic intellectual tradition and a desire to teach and share that faith with others."

In his first few weeks at SLUH, Gorman has been able to find God through his freshman students, who bring energy to the classroom.

"I taught two of the last periods before the Running of the Bills. It was just fun to be with them, and I saw God in their excitement to be with their brothers and to paint themselves blue," said Gorman. "In a more serious way, I see God in them in that they are thinking about life, they're thinking about God, and they're thinking about the Catholic Church in very deep ways."

Gorman's students have already felt the impact of Gorman's calm temperament and listening skills, making the class feel comfortable.

"He's definitely a relatable guy," shared freshman Henry McKelvey, a student in Gorman's Theology I class. "It's definitely a lot different in the way you feel comfortable in his class. I'm not scared to go up and talk to him."

Being in an educational setting, Gorman has found that the students give him motivation to get through each and every day.

"The students are the reason I'm here. So when I'm tired or I feel the need to be super organized or answer all the emails and be perfect, I remember that I'm here to sit in (Campus Ministry) and hang out with students and to teach my students," said Gorman.

Despite having just completed graduate school, Gorman has already completed the Spiritual Exercises, which he did following the 19th annotation, allowing him to experience it over the course of his sophomore year at the University of Dayton.

"It builds so many habits. Now I can sit in silence and pray for an hour, which in our day and age that is something to come by, but the end of it was deep love for God and deep knowledge of his love for me," said Gorman. "To this day I love just sitting in a chapel and doing imaginative prayer with the Gospels, because that's what I learned in doing the Spiritual Exercises."

After recommending that Gorman teach at SLUH, Wilmes is happy to see that Gorman has joined the SLUH community.

"Having known Mr. Gorman over the last few years, I knew he would be the perfect fit at SLUH," said Wilmes. "Looking back, I believe that the Holy Spirit was very active in SLUH's hiring search and in Mr. Gorman's discernment process. We are very, very lucky to have him."