A changing of the presidential guard officially occurs on June 1, 2014 at Jesuit High School. That is the date when Fr. Anthony McGinn, S.J. becomes Jesuit’s president — again.

The change was precipitated when Fr. Raymond Fitzgerald, S.J., who has served as Jesuit’s president since May 2011, announced last January that he had been diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease) and would relinquish the school’s top leadership post at the conclusion of the 2013 – 2014 year.

Fr. McGinn, a 1966 Jesuit alumnus, is no stranger to Carrollton and Banks, having served as its president for 19 years (1992 – 2011) before moving to St. Louis in 2011 to oversee a special assignment pertaining to the impending merger of the New Orleans and Missouri Provinces of the Society of Jesus (the Jesuits).

Fr. Fitzgerald said he is extremely grateful for the opportunity, albeit brief, to have served as Jesuit’s president for the past three years.

“It is a blessing to have worked with so many talented and good students, teachers, and staff,” he said. “I am also grateful to Fr. McGinn for his willingness to return and serve as president during the 2014 – 2015 academic year while Jesuit’s Board of Directors continues its search for the school’s next president.”

Fr. Fitzgerald will remain in residence at Jesuit High School and serve as special assistant to the president. He will also work in the campus ministry office assisting with the school’s spiritual development and formation programs.