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Fr. Bob Welsh, S.J.
My name is Fr. Bob Welsh. I have been a Jesuit for 54 years and a priest for 41 of those years. I came from a very strong Catholic family. I was the youngest of six children. I turned 72 years old this June and I have to say, I am certainly one of the happiest guys I know. I have been given so many great gifts from God. My brothers and sisters have meant a great deal to me and my Mom and Dad loved us unconditionally. Not long ago, I was telling another Jesuit that my Dad was the finest man I had ever met. Now, I have come to know some great men in my life. Living in a Jesuit community for as long as I have makes it inevitable that I would meet and live with more than my share of great men. But no one could touch my Dad. Isn't that a great thing to be able to say? I knew this to be so even when I was a young man. My Dad sent me to St. Ignatius High School in Cleveland even though I did not want to go. I grew to have a tremendous respect for the Jesuits who taught me. What I liked most about the Jesuits was the fact that they seemed to be having a good time. They enjoyed what they were doing and they enjoyed being with one another. I thought that I would like to have a life like that. Immediately after I graduated from St. Ignatius in 1954, I entered the Jesuit novitiate in Milford, Ohio. I followed the ordinary course of studies in the Society and received the usual academic degrees. I was ordained in 1967. I spent three years (regency) teaching Latin, history, and speech at the University of Detroit High School. I think I had the best time in my life at that wonderful school. Once ordained, I was sent to Cleveland St. Ignatius to teach theology to seniors and freshmen. I had a great time there, also. I thought that I would be doing that for the rest of my days, but after four years of teaching, I went to Wales for my last official year of Jesuit formation. Something truly wonderful happened to me there. I made the complete Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius (30 days) and I found that I fell more deeply in love with the Lord Jesus. He filled my life in a way that had not happened before.
When I came home, I was sent to St. Ignatius again, but this time, I was asked to move into administration--a move I did not really want to make. I knew that if I were not teaching, I would never be as close to my students as I felt I was when I was teaching. But I did what I was asked. I became the development director at St. Ignatius and five years later I became the president of the school. I remained in that position for twenty-one years. I left St. Ignatius in 2000 when I was sent to Gesu parish in Toledo as the pastor. I became ill there after two years and returned to Cleveland. I was privileged to help begin a Cristo Rey school in Cleveland, St. Martin de Porres. I became ill again and left St. Martin and returned to St. Ignatius to help these marvelous young men as I could. My health has improved to the extent that I can work in campus ministry offering Mass, hearing confessions. Since my health did improve, the Society of Jesus, never slow to take advantage of a situation, sent me to become the superior of the twelve Jesuits living at St. Ignatius. Further, I was asked to be involved in Cleveland's Jesuit retreat house. With all of these wonderful experiences and opportunities to serve the Lord, It is plain to see why I feel so richly blessed.
My vocation is a fairly simple story:
1. I had a loving and strong Catholic family.
2. I was blessed with extraordinarily wonderful brother Jesuits.
3. I grew to know and love holy Jesuits--both men I knew and saints I grew to know largely through reading and celebrating their lives through their feast days.
4. Finally, and most important I grew to love the Lord Jesus and wished to follow Him.
You can see now why I consider myself so fortunate, and the recipient of so many wonderful gifts. My life is summed up in the words of St. John, 1:16 "From his fullness we have all received, love following upon love."
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