Father Timothy Howe, SJ, a Jesuit of the USA Midwest Province, this year celebrates 25 years as a priest. He currently serves as the president of Colegio San Ignacio de Loyola in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Father Howe began his active Jesuit ministry teaching Spanish at St. Xavier High School in Cincinnati. He later served as pastor at St. Procopius Parish in Chicago for ten years and then returned to Cincinnati as president of St. Xavier High School for nine years. Since 2016, Fr. Howe has been president of Colegio San Ignacio de Loyola and a active board member of Universidad del Sagrado Corazon in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Father Howe also currently acts as the superior for the Jesuits of Puerto Rico.

Father Howe studied Spanish at Loyola University Chicago, where he earned a master’s degree. After completing the first phase of his theological studies in Granada, Spain, he received a Licentiate in Sacred Theology from Weston Jesuit School of Theology and then a master’s in education administration from Harvard University. Before entering the Society of Jesus, he also earned a bachelor’s in philosophy from the University of California Berkeley.

Father Howe’s Reflection on 25 Years as a Priest

As I look back, I see the fabric of my Jesuit life as knit from two main threads, my privileged immersion in various Latino cultures and my experience in secondary education. So, my goal now is to continue that process: to take all that I learned at St. Xavier High School in Cincinnati and knit it together with what I am learning and have yet to learn about the warm Puerto Rican culture that is lived out in Colegio San Ignacio. The students, families, faculty, staff and alumni all know that this is a special place.

After Hurricanes Irma and María and with the current economic crisis on the island, our work at the Colegio is more important than ever. Though I was still in Cincinnati when the hurricanes hit, I was so impressed by the resilience of the San Ignacio community. Father Flavio Bravo, SJ, and his team restarted classes – even if they had to meet in hallways or common rooms in the Jesuit residence – a mere two weeks later. And 97% of the students returned! So many people reached out to help us; I’m overwhelmed with gratitude. We are constantly looking for ways to grow and improve, always building on the solid foundation of decades of good work by so many – Jesuits and lay. I’m very confident about our future. May God who has begun the good work in us, bring it to completion! (Philippians 1:6)

~ from Fr. Howe’s article: “God Writes Straight with Crooked Lines”