Fr. John Brown, S.J. was determined to relocate a possum that had sought refuge in a small tree in the Traditions Courtyard. When Morning Assembly was over on Friday, Oct. 11, Fr. Brown coaxed the critter out of the tree and chased it all the way to the front entrance of the auditorium on S. Solomon Street. There, the lumbering 20-pound nocturnal animal did what it is best known for — it played possum. This gave Fr. Brown an opportunity to grasp the only native North American marsupial by its tail and move it from harm’s way. “We released a happy and healthy male possom in a much larger tree where he will be safe,” said Fr. Brown, a native of Patasá, a town of some 250 Cajuns just south of Eunice, LA. Growing up on a crawfish/ rice/ wheat farm with his parents and 11 siblings, Fr. Brown learned at an early age to catch all sorts of God’s creatures.

(Photo courtesy of Mr. Matt Orillion ’98, Jesuit’s director of student activities.)