70 Years a Jesuit in 2024

Pastoral Ministry – St. Charles College, Grand Coteau, Louisiana

Father William Snyders, SJ, has dedicated seven decades to Jesuit education and pastoral ministry in St. Louis and abroad. He served for more than 30 years in the Central American country of Belize, where he worked in parishes, the Jesuit St. John’s College and prison ministry.

Born in St. Louis, Fr. Snyders entered the St. Stanislaus Seminary in Florissant, the novitiate of the former Missouri Province of the Society of Jesus, in 1954. He completed his studies at Saint Louis University and his regency at Rockhurst High School in Kansas City, Missouri, earning a master’s degree in education as well as counseling certification. Father Snyders was ordained a priest by Cardinal Joseph Ritter in St. Louis in 1966.

Father Snyders was a teacher and counselor at De Smet Jesuit High School for almost twenty years, from 1968 to 1981 and 1996 to 2002. While at De Smet, he founded the guidance department, serving as its director from 1970-1981. He also advised students on college admissions as a college counselor. Father Snyders pronounced his final vows in the Society of Jesus in 1972 and served as rector of the Jesuit community from 1975 to 1981.

In 1981, Fr. Snyders was missioned to Belize for the first time, to teach English and math at St. John’s College in Belize City and serve as pastor on the island of Caye Caulker. During his time in Belize, Fr. Snyders would serve as a counselor and teacher at St. John’s College (1992-1996), as a pastoral minister (1981-1996, 2002-2019), and as a prison minister at Belize Central Prison (2004-2019).

Since 2019, Fr. Snyders has been engaged in pastoral ministry at St. Charles College in Grand Coteau, Louisiana, a Jesuit community and retreat center.

Read more about Fr. Snyders and his ministry here.