Click here if you are interested in playing in this year’s Friends of the Jesuits Golf Outing or serving as a sponsor.
James Power first met the Jesuits as a 14-year-old student at Regis High School in Manhattan. “I was intimidated —the school had a deserved reputation of being tough, and if you didn’t measure up, you were out,” recalled Power. After Regis, he attended Fordham University and then went on to work at Deloitte & Touche from 1961 until 2002, when he retired.
Once Power was able to do so, he wanted to give back to the Jesuits who formed him. “I don’t remember any Latin declensions or geometric theorems, but I did learn how to write and to reason, and most importantly, they gave me a moral compass.” Although wanting to donate to Regis, alumni were unable to do so at the time. As a result, Power became a donor of what was then the New York Jesuit Province and would go on to become a member of the province’s finance and investment committee for 20 years.
“A lot of what the province does is below the radar screen. When most people donate to the Jesuits, they donate to their schools and retreat houses, but the province is really the foundation. It’s responsible for the formation of new Jesuits, new apostolic missions, and the care of the old and infirm men,” said Power.
When it comes to the need for the Society of Jesus in today’s world, Power points to their emphasis on youth. “Education is probably the most important mission, and it’s something I think goes back to the very roots of the Society for hundreds and hundreds of years. Young people are our salvation.”
It was during Power’s time on the committee that Gary Goodenough, then chair of the province investment committee, suggested they start an annual golf outing to raise money. Power was recruited as a member of the initial golf committee, which he continued for about 10 years.
“I and a lot of the other people who attend the golf outing all owe a great debt to the Jesuits. Certainly, for me it was transformative, particularly starting in high school. They woke me up academically and morally.”
A golfer for more than 50 years, Power has golfed with a number of Jesuits, but if he could play the game with any Jesuit, he would pick Fr. Peter Schineller, SJ. “He was a Regis High School classmate of mine.” Fr. Schineller is currently living in Murray Weigel Hall in the Bronx, a Jesuit health care center supported by the province. “He’s the epitome of a great Jesuit and a great man. I’d love to play with him again even though he’d beat the hell out of me!”
