Mr. Chris Ryan, SJ

Seven years ago, when I was a senior at Dartmouth College, my roommate was completing the requirements for his major in education. In lieu of many hours attending classes on campus, he spent much of the fall and winter terms teaching French at a nearby public high school in a small Vermont town. For most of those two terms, we rarely saw each other, as our demanding schedules often took us in different directions. Yet I remember being impressed by his dedication to teaching, inspired by his passion for education, and amazed by some of the stories he shared about the events of a typical day at a small public high school.

I am now in my second year of teaching at the Nativity School of Worcester, a middle school that serves underprivileged boys in the second-largest city in New England. I’ve been teaching religion, social studies, and Spanish to 7th and 8th grade students, serving as an advisor to five 6th grade students, coaching cross-country and track, and coordinating the extensive tutoring program that pairs our boys with local college students three days a week. The challenges that face our boys are legion—poverty and violence in their neighborhoods, an uncomfortable degree of instability in many homes, a lack of structure in their lives, and an environment where dreams and hopes are regularly assaulted and daunted by harsh realities. My daily efforts, to me, resemble those of a serious gardener—imposing the order of rows and furrows upon the chaos of an unmanaged field, in order that creative and fruitful growth may emerge from fertile ground. It is a responsibility that is teaching me—not always pleasantly—the value of patience, the necessity of compassion amid the sternness of discipline, and the humbling truth that the real flowering of these young boys is a process that far surpasses the contributions that I will make.

I joined the Jesuits not only in response to a calling, but also amid the inspiration and example provided by many Jesuits who were my teachers and coaches in high school at St. Joseph's Prep in Philadelphia, and my spiritual advisors during college. One of the greatest hallmarks of the Society of Jesus is an educational philosophy that addresses the whole person– mentally, physically, and spiritually. As a teacher, albeit a young and inexperienced one, I now share in that tradition, and strive to carry out that mission within and beyond the walls of my classroom. My spirituality encourages me to look for God’s presence in all things, and to consider how I may cooperate with God’s work in the lives of my students. I find that my teaching style, and educational philosophy, is increasingly motivated not only by the importance of conveying specific material, but also by a desire to help my students develop as young men of intelligence and character, who are devoted to their communities as much as their own pursuits.

The experience of teaching during regency has also led me to meditate upon my developing identity as a Jesuit. In the course of my discernment and formation, I have been blessed with the presence and friendship of many wonderful Jesuits who inspire me with their apostolic devotion, spiritual wisdom, and variety of talents and life experiences. Regency has challenged me not only to discover and develop these talents within myself, but also to share them confidently, trusting that divine grace will guide my actions and growth each day. It is a humbling experience to wrestle with and accept my shortcomings and imperfections, but also a tremendous grace to repeatedly feel Christ’s call to follow him, particularly in my service to the Nativity School of Worcester community. That grace offers me the assurance that the metaphorical sweat and literal long hours that I invest in my current mission as a teacher will one day flower for the 56 young boys with whom I spend my weekdays, even if that process isn’t apparent for another decade or more. And I believe that the same is true with regency’s impact on my own formation and my future priestly ministry, which continues to be a journey that is challenging, exciting, and deeply rewarding.