Fr. Glover Appointed President of KCFS

Nov 17, 2017 | KCFS News

Dear Kennedy Catholic Families:

On June 1st, 2016, Bishop Persico appointed me Interim President of the Kennedy Catholic Family of Schools, while continuing my full-time assignment at Gannon University.  Few can imagine the numerous difficulties managing both assignments has been for me over the past year and a half.  I want to truly thank everyone for your patience with me during this time, especially if certain things with our school system have been neglected, overlooked, or not addressed by me within a timely matter.

This past Spring, it was becoming quite evident to me that the responsibilities and demands of these two assignments simply could not be sustained by a single individual – me.  Consequently, I met with Bishop Persico about six months ago to discuss the burdens of balancing both assignments.  At that same meeting, I asked the Bishop if I could be relieved from my obligations at Gannon in order to serve Kennedy Catholic on a full-time basis.  Thankfully, he agreed (with some caveats), and was very appreciative of my willingness to leave an assignment that I cherish and that has been very rewarding over the past eleven years of my priesthood in order to assume the presidency of Kennedy Catholic.  Therefore, effective January 1st, 2018, Bishop Persico has appointed me President of the Kennedy Catholic Family of Schools – removing the prefix “Interim.”

This announcement has already been made to the Board of Directors, the Administration, and the Faculty of our school system, as well as to the necessary parties at Gannon University.  Before going public with the local media, it seemed most appropriate to me that all of our families and affiliates should be notified first.  A press release will be made on Monday; click here to read this release.  Feel free to share this information with your student(s), though a more formal announcement will be made to them at a future time.

Neither the Bishop nor Gannon want me to completely sever my ties with the university; herein lies the caveats I alluded to earlier that the Bishop attached to this new assignment.  First, I was asked to continue teaching through the conclusion of the Fall 2017 semester – that is, until December 15, 2017 – at which time my course load would be reduced to one class, one day a week.  Beginning with the Spring 2018 semester, I will teach one course on Monday evenings from 6PM until 9PM, allowing me to be at Kennedy from Tuesday through Friday.  Second, I will continue as Head Coach of the Gannon University Hockey Team until the conclusion of the 2017-18 season, which will end in late-February, 2018.  At that time, a new Head Coach will be appointed.  I was asked to continue working with Gannon’s hockey team in an administrative capacity (e.g., managing their finances, scheduling games, booking travel, completing conference and league paperwork, etc.), as there is a tremendous amount of behind-the-scenes work necessary to operate a nationally recognized hockey team.  Third, I will continue to serve my fraternity brothers of Delta Sigma Phi as their faculty-advisor, as the liaison to their Alumni Control Board, and their representative to the national office based in Indianapolis.

While leaving Gannon comes with some degree of heartbreak, I am glad that these caveats are in place that will enable me to maintain my relationship with the university and, most especially, with my colleagues, students, players, and fraternity brothers, who have become so much a part of my life.  At the same time, I am very eager to begin focusing greater attention to the needs of the Kennedy Catholic Family of Schools.  Even with me living at a distance, we have managed to accomplish some pretty incredible things in a short period of time and I want to send a special word of thanks to my administrators and faculty for making much of this happen.  I’m looking forward with great anticipation to how much more we will be able to do together as we continue to move forward into a bright and promising future for the Kennedy Catholic Family of Schools.

I want to thank everyone for your support and encouragement during this time of my Interim Presidency.  The dedication, commitment, and enthusiasm I have witnessed in our families, our faculty, and our administrators has been inspiring and infectious; it has, in part, led to my decision to request this new assignment.  Mostly, however, my prayerful discernment led me to recognize God’s voice calling me to this unique ministry of service.  I ask that you pray for me daily, as I have done for our families, our students, and our school system.  Ask the Lord to grant me an abundance of the Holy Spirit’s gifts of understanding, wisdom, prudence, and right-judgment.

Christo Servire,

Fr. Jason A. Glover, S.T.L.,
President