Strake Jesuit Receives $750,000 Gift Supporting New Jesuit Residence

Strake Jesuit College Preparatory has received a $750,000 gift from long-time benefactor John O’Shea to support the construction of a new Jesuit residence on campus. Made in honor of his parents, the gift reflects O’Shea’s gratitude for the Jesuit education they made possible and his desire to support the Jesuits who have helped shape our community.

O’Shea’s parents raised their four children in the Catholic faith, instilling in them a deep belief in God. Through O’Shea and his brother’s experiences at Jesuit high schools, his parents also developed a lasting appreciation for the Jesuits, whom they have considered friends since the mid 1970’s.

“They gave me a gift of a Jesuit education,” O’Shea said. “And I know that they would always want them to be taken care of.”

The new residence provides a home for the twelve Jesuits who serve Strake Jesuit and other Jesuit apostolates in Houston, and strengthens the relationship between the school and the Society of Jesus for generations to come. Mr. O’Shea’s generosity also reflects his confidence in the future of the Society of Jesus and his belief that young men will continue to answer God’s call to become Jesuits. The new residence will help ensure Strake Jesuit is ready to welcome them to the Strake Jesuit.

The kind of hospitality Mr. O’Shea has helped the Strake Jesuit community provide has long been an important part of the Jesuit tradition. St. Alphonsus Rodriguez, whose feast day is October 30th, was a Jesuit who served as a porter at a Jesuit college in Majorca, Spain. He showed the importance of welcoming others with humility, warmth, and compassion. His role there involved greeting visitors, assisting those who came seeking help, and offering encouragement to students and members of his community. He approached each person who knocked at the door as an opportunity to encounter Christ, making hospitality a central expression of his faith. In that same spirit, the new residence will offer the Jesuits a place to live, pray, and build community as they carry out the works they are missioned to.

O’Shea’s connection to Strake Jesuit has continued through his two sons, Christopher O’Shea ’08 and James O’Shea ’12, who experienced the school’s Jesuit education firsthand. “What I like is the Men for Others philosophy; we need to leave this world a better place,” O’Shea said. He also values Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam (AMDG), meaning “For the Greater Glory of God,” and the example set by Strake Jesuit’s faculty and staff in instilling these principles in their students.

Strake Jesuit remains committed to forming young men in the Catholic faith and Jesuit tradition, preparing them to become Men for Others. The new residence will help sustain the presence of the Jesuits on campus and support their continued mission of faith, service, and hospitality.