O鈥橠wyer to Lead De Smet Jesuit High School
12/16/2021
Ronny O鈥橠wyer, S.J., assistant professor in the School of Education, will take a leave of absence from 抖阴pro to become the interim president of De Smet Jesuit High School.
De Smet that O鈥橠wyer received a unanimous vote of approval from the school鈥檚 board of trustees. The appointment will run for 12-18 months. During that time he is expected to work with faculty, staff, parents, students and alumni to find the next president.
鈥淥ur faith is the greatest gift that we have,鈥� O鈥橠wyer said. 鈥淎nd handing on this faith that has been entrusted to us is the center of Catholic, Jesuit education. We know that our faith is caught, in as much as it is taught. Which is why at De Smet Jesuit we鈥檝e always put such an emphasis on community 鈥� building a community where the vision and values of the Gospel are our starting point, our guiding light, and the measure of our success. It鈥檚 only within a community that can we achieve the lofty goal set before us by Fr. Arrupe: to be men and women for others.鈥�
O鈥橠wyer is not leaving SLU. Gary Ritter, Ph.D., dean of the School of Education, said O鈥橠wyer will be taking a leave of absence and will remain a faculty member.
鈥淭his is a wonderful and timely opportunity for Fr. Ronny,鈥� Ritter said. 鈥淗e鈥檚 recently been discerning his future plans, and leadership is certainly one potential path for Ronny. While he has certainly been a leader in the School of Education, the opportunity at De Smet will require him to jump quickly into a bigger and more impactful leadership position.鈥�
Ritter said O鈥橠wyer will be missed during his time away.
鈥淲e will certainly miss his daily presence here in the School of Education 鈥� his infectious enthusiasm, his great sense of humor, and the steady support he provides to all of his colleagues,鈥� Ritter said. 鈥淲e love having him around and we are very glad that this is only a leave of absence.鈥�
The move to De Smet enhances the connection between the two St. Louis Jesuit schools, Ritter said.
鈥淲hile we will certainly feel Fr. Ronny鈥檚 absence here at SLU, I am proud that our Jesuit secondary schools look to the School of Education for leadership during difficult moments,鈥� Ritter said in a note to faculty announcing the move. 鈥淭his will further strengthen our relationships with schools in our region. And, in my opinion, we should all be proud to be colleagues and friends with Fr. Ronny, who is courageously taking on this challenging and important position at this time.鈥�
O鈥橠wyer will take over at De Smet in January 2022. He is no stranger to De Smet having served as a theology teacher and an assistant for student activities from 2009-2012.
鈥淚鈥檝e been given many gifts during my Jesuit life. Among the greatest of these has been the chance to teach at De Smet,鈥� he said. 鈥淎fter I was ordained a priest in 2015, I returned home to celebrate a Mass of Thanksgiving in gratitude for the De Smet community that nourished my vocation.鈥�
At SLU, O鈥橠wyer had been the Assistant to the Dean for Catholic School Initiatives and an assistant professor in 抖阴pro鈥檚 School of Education. Prior to this work, he was the director of the Billiken Teacher Corps from 2016-2020.
Since his ordination as a Jesuit priest in 2015, Fr. O鈥橠wyer has been invited by many Spartan alumni to share in significant moments in their lives, including baptisms, weddings, and funerals.
O鈥橠wyer is expected to complete a doctorate in Educational Leadership and Policy from Vanderbilt University in May 2022. He has an M.A. in Catholic Educational Leadership and an M.A. in Philosophy from 抖阴pro; and a Master鈥檚 in Divinity and an ecclesial degree from Boston College. He received a B.A. in Philosophy from The Catholic University of America.