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Canisius High School Today
His Canisius connection . . .
I was a student at Canisius from
1972 to 1976. During the time be-
tween my theological and philosophi-
cal studies, from 1981 to 1985, I was a
Jesuit scholastic there teachingEnglish.
From 1997 to 2002, I was principal of
the school.
What he’s doing today . . .
A week after the 2002 graduation, I
moved to St. Luke’sMission ofMercy in
Buffalo. I’ve lived there at the residence
for men in recovery, and I’ve been the
chaplain for missionaries and for peo-
plewho come to themission. For about
five years, I was also the Catholic chap-
lain for Roswell Park Cancer Institute.
After that, the Provincial asked me to
take a job working with Jesuit Refugee
Services (JRS) at the Buffalo Federal
Detention Facility in Batavia. Jesuits in
JRS serve around the world, but in the
United States, we work with men who
are being deported. I did that until this
past January. I’ve also said Masses each
of Sunday for 14 years at St. Mary’s
Parish in Swormville, N.Y.
I promised myself a long time ago I
would do something different every
five years. So, next, I’mgoing to Christo
Rey High School in Baltimore, a five-
year-old co-ed high school that pro-
vides a Jesuit education for students
fromdisadvantaged neighborhoods, to
teach freshmen English. I had planned
on going to Ethiopia to work in a ref-
ugee camp, but it turned out I had a
heart condition, and I had to stay here.
Medicine treats it, so I’mdoing okay.
Why students remember
him fondly . . .
If you force me to say it, I’m a good
guy. I have a good sense of humor and
always tried to make classes fun and
educational. I always enjoyed being
with young people; I took an inter-
est in them and vice versa. I’ve even
done weddings for alumni, especially
the class of ’02. We left the school to-
gether, and I feel very close to them. In
fact, I started with Facebook this year,
and I ended up hearing from people I
went to school with, people I taught
and others who knewme as principal.
What he misses about Canisius . . .
I miss working with students, miss
that daily interaction. I always wanted
to teach freshmen and sophomores, so
that I would always know the whole
student body. You would see fresh-
men go from scared 14-year-olds to
articulate young men. So many of the
kids who were at Canisius when I was
principal are back [working] at the
school now. That’s very rewarding. I
knew them as freshman, and knowing
that they’re helping run the school is
tremendous.
His favorite Canisius memories . . .
First, all the great teachers. Second, I
taught in three different Jesuit schools,
and I was always given the same name:
Blackjack. Kids always thought they
were so clever, but I’d heard it before!
What he would like you to know . . .
Coming to St. Luke’s, where I’mwith
and among the poor, has opened my
heart all the more to knowing how
important every individual is. I used
to be quick about making judgments
based on appearance. But when you
get to talk to people, you realize what
they’re like. We have to be there for
people in need. Through service trips
in and out of the country, Canisius has
instilled that sense of “to whom much
is given much is expected,” which is
a wonderful part of Jesuit education
today. When I was a student, I didn’t
hear that.
✠
Fr. Jack Mattimore, S.J.
‘76