This year, Strake Jesuit welcomes a new Jesuit Father into its community, Father Tony Rauschuber, SJ. Picking up where Father Flavio Bravo left off, Father Rauschuber has assumed the role of Chaplain.

Ordained at the same time as Father Bravo, Father Rauschuber has been a Jesuit for 20 years and previously worked at a retreat house in Convent, Louisiana. At the retreat house, Father “gave spiritual exercises in the preach retreat format,” as he told me, and was the superior of the Jesuit community. Throughout this job, Father Rauschuber’s favorite experiences include seeing how the men who came to such retreats were renewed in their faith both during and after their their visits to the retreat house.

At Strake Jesuit, Father Rauschuber will continue to be involved in the retreat process, and will be in charge of all events related to the Sacraments within the school community. This includes performing the Sacrament of Reconciliation at school and on retreats and coordinating the school liturgies. He said he looks forward to watching the students “grow in their sense of God and relationship with God” throughout their years at Strake Jesuit. Father also believes that his favorite retreat will be the Father-Son Retreat for sophomores because all of the participants seem to really enjoy the experience, especially the dads.

Additionally, Father is thankful for the friendly welcome that he’s received from the community since his arrival. He enjoys Strake Jesuit’s unified student body and qualified faculty and staff  and appreciates that all of the students and teachers have great respect for prayer, whether it be the Examen in the afternoons or the daily prayer on SJET.

Finally, Father Rauschuber recollected something he’s remembered since arriving at Strake Jesuit. “Teenage boys can be very loud,” he noted with a smile.

I hope you’ve learned a little more about Father Rauschuber. Please extend a warm welcome to the newest spiritual leader of the Strake Jesuit community.