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Faith Resources

jesuit saint of the month for Parents and Alumni for the 2025-2026 School Year

Each month during the academic year, Fr. Doug Leonhardt, S.J. will share a brief biography and reflection for a Jesuit saint whose feast we celebrate that month. Jesuits saints were not supermen but ordinary persons who let God transform their lives so with God’s help they were able to love  and serve others in heroic ways. We have the same capacity with God’s help. 
 

Jesuit Saint of the Month for November - St. Stanislaus Kostka, November 13
St. Stanislaus was born in Poland in 1550 and died as a Jesuit novice at the age of 18. His family had considerable wealth. So, at 14 years old he was sent with his older brother along with a tutor to the Jesuit College in Vienna. At that time there were several wealthy boys who had been sent there with their servants to get a Catholic Jesuit education. Some of these boys banded together and lived the lifestyle of noblemen. Stanislaus was more attracted to the lifestyle of the Jesuits. He was impressed that the Jesuits were spirited, prayerful, interacted with the students in friendly ways, and were masters of their subject matter, teaching it clearly. He wanted to be like them, so he spoke to the Jesuit rector of the college about his desires. He was told that he could not join the Jesuits unless he had the permission of his father. Stanislaus knew that would never be granted.  

One day Stanislaus heard that a cardinal had arrived in the city to become the confessor of the empress. Stanislaus knew the cardinal in Poland, so Stanislaus met with him to talk about his desire to be a Jesuit. The cardinal advised him to talk with the Jesuit provincial, Peter Canisius, who resided in Augsburg, Germany. Almost immediately, Stanislaus set out with a letter of recommendation from the cardinal. This was August 1567.

Stanislaus dressed as a beggar so as not to be recognized as he began the fourteen-day, 500-mile walk. When his brother discovered him missing, he hired a four-horse coach so that he and the tutor could catch him. Because of his disguise, the coach passed right by him.

When he met Canisius he was invited to stay in the Jesuit community so that the Jesuits could judge his character and suitability for Jesuit life. After three weeks, Canisius sent him with a letter of recommendation to the Superior General in Rome. On the thousand-mile trek, he was accompanied by two Jesuits. Three days after his arrival in Rome, he was admitted to the novitiate of the Society of Jesus. Less than a year later, Stanislaus died on August 15, 1568 in the summer heat from a high fever, possibly malaria. His feast day is celebrated on November 13. He is the patron of Jesuit novices—those in the first two years of Jesuit formation.     

Reflection: What do we desire with as much determination as Stanislaus did to enter the Jesuits?
 

Jesuit Saints of the Month for October - The North American Martyrs
Between 1642 and 1649, six Jesuits and two lay companions were martyred in North America as they attempted to bring Christianity to the Huron Indians. All men were French and worked in what was called New France, mostly Canada. To keep this a readable length, I will write about only one of them. All were men of courage, zeal, faith, and determination who lived the Magis. Their feast day is October 19.

Isaac Jogues was born in 1607 and died in 1646. When he was a young Jesuit, his heart burned with desire to become a missionary to New France. Shortly after he was ordained a priest in 1636, he was missioned to work among the Hurons. The Huron tribe was the only tribe of Native Americans open to Christian missionaries. Missionaries at that time began their relationship with the Indians by gaining their trust by caring for the sick, giving them supplies when their food ran out, and just being with them. Their challenges were learning the language as well as adapting to being bitten by mosquitoes, enduring long cold winters in porous buildings, and the slow progress of gaining converts. At one point, Isaac was asked by his Jesuit superior to accompany a flotilla to Quebec to pick up supplies. On their return, they were ambushed by the Mohawks, and as soon as they saw Isaac wearing a cassock, they knocked him down, beat him, and ripped off his cassock. They celebrated with joy having captured a Frenchman and black robe. When he and the other prisoners reached a village, they were greeted with a gauntlet that left them broken, bruised, and bloody. Issac was kept at that village and became their slave doing farmwork. Soon he was befriended by the daughter of the chief who arranged to have him travel with a group of Mohawks to a Dutch settlement to get supplies. There one of the Dutchmen took charge of Issac and stealthily got him to a ship returning to France. Once home and somewhat recovered from tortures, his heart began to yearn to get back to New France. On his arrival, he learned the Mohawks were on the warpath. At one point, the French government wanted to make peace so they sent an ambassador to the Mohawks. Isaac was asked to accompany him because he knew the language. After 20 days of paddling, they were ambushed, beaten, and taken to the same village where Isaac was previously held. Once there, he looked for Mass supplies he left behind, and he discovered they had disappeared. He learned they were disposed of because the Indians thought they contained an evil spirit responsible for their crop failure and a drought. Shortly after his arrival, Isaac reluctantly accepted an invitation to join some elders for a meal. As he walked through the door, a brave with a tomahawk split his skull open and he died immediately. Those present let out a war cry and the whole village celebrated his death. It was a whole year before his Jesuit brothers heard he had been martyred. As the apologist Tertullian wrote: “The blood of martyrs is the seed of the Church.”
 

Jesuit Saint of the Month for September - St Peter Claver, SJ
Peter Claver was born in Spain and died in Cartegena Colombia. He studied at a Jesuit School where he met a saintly Jesuit brother, Alphonsus Rodriguez. Alphonsus inspired Peter to become a Jesuit and instilled in him an interest in becoming a missionary in Colombia where the Jesuits were serving. During his theology studies in Spain, the Jesuit superior missioned him to Columbia to finish his studies, get ordained, and join the Jesuit missionaries. At that time Cartegena, Colombia was one of main ports where African men and women were brought to become slaves. Since the slavers were not considered human beings by the traders, they were transported from Africa in the crowded holds of ships in unsanitary conditions and with little food. So, when they arrived in Cartagena, they were bewildered, hungry, filthy, and many sick and dying. Peter was there to greet them as they disembarked. He provided them with medicine, food, and clothing which he had begged from merchants. He comforted and welcomed them with a smile before they were locked in pens like animals. He also gave some rudimentary instruction about the Christian faith. He knew from experience that the owners would treat Christian slaves better than others. Peter ministered to the slaves for 35 years until his health broke down.

Reflection: The slaves were mistreated because of the racism of many of many white Europeans who felt themselves a superior race. Peter broke through this racism and treated the slaves as human beings, created in the image and likeness of God. He knew they shared the same humanity, emotions, hopes, and dreams that he had. How do I respect others who have different skin tones and cultural values than I have? Do I treat others as equals? St. Peter Claver, pray for us.

Marquette High Faith resources

If you have a favorite online resource you would like to share with the MUHS community, send your suggestions to: kofler@muhs.edu 

Adult Ministry Team

Father Doug

Fr. Doug Leonhardt, S.J. is a Milwaukee native and graduated from Marquette High in 1956. He entered the Jesuits right after high school and was ordained in 1969. He has. Masters Degrees in Education and in Spirituality. His first assignment was Principal of Marquette High in Milwaukee. After that, he held other administrative posts: President of Marquette High, Associate Vice President for Mission and Ministry at Marquette University. Pastor of Gesu Church in Milwaukee and in the Society of Jesus as Director of Novices, Director of Jesuit Formation for the province, and superior of the community Jesuits in Assisted Living at St. Camillus. Currently he is Mission Associate at Marquette High and Alumni Chaplain. He loves giving retreats, spiritual direction, and talks on Ignatian Spirituality.

Janice Kofler outside of MUHS

Janice Kofler currently serves as the Employee Chaplain at Marquette High. Certified as a spiritual director though Fairfield University, Janice completed the Spiritual Director’s Workshop offered by the Loyola House at Ignatius Jesuit Centre in Guelph, Canada, and studied at the Spiritual Direction Program sponsored by Creighton University. In her 33rd year of service at MUHS, she has taught theology and AP Psychology. Janice is married and has two grandchildren.

Four minute Ignatian RetreatS for Parents and Alumni for the 2024-2025 School Year

Every month during this school year, a reflection will be offered on the different meditations of the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius. The Spiritual Exercises are a pattern for a spiritual retreat based on St. Ignatius’ experience of growing in union with God.  

Each of the presentations will be an opportunity to make a four minute retreat. It will consist of a brief reflection, a short scripture or passage from Ignatius’ book, a reflection question and an action item. It will be an opportunity to pause, take a deep breath, and let your soul and spirit be nourished by God.
 

For What Should I Be Grateful?

He is Risen! He is truly Risen!

Why did Jesus Suffer and Die?

What is Friendship with Christ?

Who Remembers their Baptism?

Magnificent

Mary's Yes

Sin and Forgiveness

Getting God's Perspective on Our Lives

"Did you know" series by Fr. doug leonhardt. S.J.

This is a series of short reflections on Jesuit Education, Ignatian Spirituality, the Society of Jesus, and the Social Justice Teaching of the Catholic Church by Fr. Doug Leonhardt, S.J.  The reflections are intended to be a brief introduction to a topic that might lead to pursuing it more in more depth.

Jesuit Education and Marquette High

  1. How the Jesuits got into education  

  2. Core Values of Jesuit Education

  3. Jesuit Education: 1969 Identity Crisis

  4. Spiritual legacy of St. Ignatius at Marquette High

  5. Jesuit code words

  6. The Graduate at Graduation—Open to Growth

  7. The Graduate at Graduation—Intellectually Competent

  8. The Graduate at Graduation—Religious

  9. The Graduate at Graduation—Loving

  10. The Graduate at Graduation—Committed to Justice

  11. Controls to keep a Jesuit school Jesuit

  12. Fr. Jaques Marquette

 
Social Justice

  1. Development of Catholic Social Teaching

  2. The meaning of Social Justice

  3. The Jesuits and Social Justice

  4. Social Justice at Marquette High

Saturdays with Ignatius

This is a program offered to parents and alumni. There are six Saturdays each academic year. In one hour, there is a Mass with a twenty minute homily, and a ten minute prayer/reflection period. Fr. Doug Leonhardt, S.J. is the presenter.

Saturdays with Ignatius, 2023-2024

Reflections on the Resurrection Appearance of Jesus and how the Resurrected Jesus invites us to live with hope and joy.


Saturdays with Ignatius, 2022-2023

Reflections on six Gospel personalities, how Jesus related with them, how they responded, and how Jesus relates with us in similar ways.


Saturdays with Ignatius, 2021-2022

A series of topics based on the Spiritual Exercises.

Ignatian Moments

Eight Days after Easter
Eight Days after Easter

By The Rev. Doug Leonhardt, S.J.

The apostle Thomas was not in the barricaded room with the other apostles when Jesus appeared to them on Easter Sunday. So, when they told Thomas they had seen the Lord, he refused to believe. He said that “unless I see the marks of the nails in Jesus’s hands and put my finger into the wounds and my hand into the wound in his side, I will not believe.”

Read More about Eight Days after Easter

resources related to the Catholic Church, Ignatian Spirituality, Social Justice, Faith and Service