Fr. Pat Lee, S.J. New Provincial For The Oregon Province

Fr. Lee appointed Provincial Superior
Ryan Mace
Issue date: 3/7/08 Section: News
Fr. Pat Lee, S.J., vice president of mission at Gonzaga, has been named provincial superior of the Oregon Province for a renewable three-year term.The provincial superior leads about 300 Jesuits in Washington, Idaho, Montana, Oregon and Alaska and represents the Oregon Province. The position, among other things, requires meeting individually with all Jesuits in the province once a year. Typically, the three-year term is extended for an additional three years.The newly elected superior general, the worldwide leader of the Society of Jesus, Fr. Adolfo Nicolas, S.J., appointed Lee. He will assume the position July 31, 2008, the Feast of St. Ignatius.The appointment was not unexpected. Lee has been in Rome since January for the General Congregation, representing the Oregon Province, along with the current provincial, Fr. John Whitney, S.J."This reflects the esteem the province holds him in," said Fr. Brad Reynolds, S.J., a fellow Jesuit at Gonzaga.Lee entered the Jesuit order in 1969. Reynolds was his designated "guardian angel brother," a Jesuit novice who mentors a younger Jesuit.Before coming to Gonzaga in 2005 as vice president of mission, Lee was the novice director for the Oregon Province. In that capacity, Lee "would have known intimately the incoming Jesuits for the last 12 years," said Fr. Michael Moynahan, rector of the Jesuit Community at Gonzaga.The director of the University Ministry, Fr. Rick Ganz, S.J., spoke highly of Lee's works as vice president of mission. "Communication within departments can sometimes get blocked in the rumble and tumble of campus life," Ganz said. "But Lee, with his gentle spirit, worked to open up the communication lines across the departments, and in this he was immensely successful."Lee's duties included promoting the mission of the University and ensuring it was being addressed in all aspects of the community." Fr. Lee has served the Gonzaga community so well," said Gonzaga president, Fr. Robert Spitzer, S.J. "He served as a great reconciler bringing people together. He would literally be counseling a person one minute and doing something completely different for the school the next. Simply put, he is a very talented person.""He will be missed," said Sr. Laura Michels, S.N.J.M., coordinator of liturgy. "He has been a wonderful advocate for the Jesuit mission and will make a very gifted provincial. We are sad to see him go, though.""His leaving will serve the greater good for he will be able to do a lot of good, for the whole province," Moynahan said. "He has a great care of people and a great vision of the Society, not just for the province but for the Jesuit order internationally." We are going to miss him very, very much around here, and personally, I'm going to miss him," Spitzer said. "He moved the mission of Gonzaga forward in his time as vice president and he will be sorely missed."

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