REGIS

Fr. McClain
Regis
and
Regis High School President
To the Regis Community
1997 - 2004
As I take leave of Regis, I would like to give you an accounting of my stewardship of your school over these past eight years. They have
been years of great blessing for the school, but also of challenges. I believe I leave a school that in many ways is stronger than when I
came, but facing still new demands to be faithful to the mission it has.
Regis: the Catholic and
Jesuit Community
For the students who come to Regis, their school becomes
a significant experience of “Church” for them. This has
been consistent through my time at Regis. Rich school-wide
liturgies, a faith-challenging retreat program, theological
instruction and reflection in the classrooms, and ever increasing
opportunities to give Christian service are together a healthy
and inspiring training in what it can mean to be a part of a livegiving
Christian Community – the Church. The community at
once both supports but challenges each member.
To strengthen this dimension over these years, we have added
the position of a Chaplain for the Faculty and Staff, so as to
afford the opportunities in our adult community to be more
informed about the religious dimensions and Ignatian traditions
– for their own spiritual growth and to build an awareness
of our school’s spirit. For our students we have increased
expectations of Christian Service to all four years, and have
offered to some the opportunity to serve in less fortunate areas
of our country or the world (service trips to Ecuador, Haiti,
Dominican Republic, and “urban plunges” to the poor areas of
Camden, New Jersey).
A concern from my first days has been the economic diversity
among our students. As the Catholic Church has become more
affluent over the past 90 years so have the families who have
applied to Regis. To make sure that the school is equally
available to those who have as well as to those who have not,
the REACH program was established two years ago to prepare
qualified young boys from families at or below the poverty
level for the Regis exam three years hence. That first class will
sit for the Regis exam this coming November 2004. As I have
said so often, this program is not an “add-on” project, but is an