Missionary, farmer, principal: Gesu's new leader brings lifetime of experience

From South America to Mexico, Chicago's west side to a farm in Chelsea, Brian O'Rourke gives everything he has to everything he does

DETROIT — Step into the office of Gesu School’s new principal, Brian O’Rourke, and prominently displayed you’ll see his favorite quote from George MacDonald, a 19th century writer and father of fantasy fiction: “You must throw yourself in: There is no other way.”

MacDonald’s words have informed the life of this Illinois-born accountant-turned-teacher-turned-principal.

“Looking at things I’ve done in my life, I’m attracted to different things, but the common denominator is trying to do good work,” said O’Rourke, who comes to Gesu with 12 years of classroom experience and eight years in school administration.

Raised in River Forest, Ill., a west suburb of Chicago, O’Rourke graduated from St. Luke Catholic School and Fenwick High School. He attended Marquette University and earned his accounting degree from Dominican University in River Forest, where he also received a master’s degree in business.

“In my family, there are seven children, and five of us are accountants. My father was an accountant, and I kind of just got in line and did what made sense,” O’Rourke said.

A period of discernment took him to South America. “I was working with the Maryknoll missionaries. I had some friends who were Jesuits, and they’d gone through the Spanish school the Maryknolls offer down in Bolivia,” O’Rourke said. “They generally instruct those who have a vocation — priests and sisters who go out to serve. But given my connections with the Jesuits, I was able to go down there as a layperson and be a part of that program. In conjunction with that school, I ended up volunteering at an orphanage. That was wonderful. It allowed me to understand what I wanted to do with my life.”

O’Rourke then “threw himself in,” working for the late Fr. Don McNeill, CSC, in inner-city Chicago. At the priest's urging, he interviewed and was hired to teach sixth and seventh grade at nearby St. Ann's School in Pilsen.

"Working there, I realized I really wanted to pursue teaching and being an educator," O'Rourke said. "Counting widgets and thinking in a cubicle is not how I wanted to experience life.”

O’Rourke enrolled in a master's in education program for career changers at Northwestern University in Evanston, Ill.

“I always felt the call to be a teacher, and I’m glad I made that jump,” he said. After three years at St. Ann’s, O’Rourke moved on to St. Procopius, also in Pilsen. “I taught eighth grade for five years and then served as principal for five years. St. Procopius' distinction is that it is the only dual-language Catholic school in the state of Illinois. Students receive half their instruction in English and half in Spanish.”

Adventurous spirit

While in Chicago, O’Rourke met and married his wife, Heidi, also an educator. The couple has four children: Cecilia, 11, Oliver, 9, Joseph, 7, and Elizabeth, 5.

“We always said if we were blessed enough to have children, we’d like to go somewhere overseas to have an experience; an adventure. So we moved to Mexico and lived there for three years,” he said. “It was wonderful. We were in the Yucatan peninsula. I was the middle-school principal of an international school. Heidi taught fourth grade. My children went to school where both Heidi and I worked as educators.”

When COVID-19 hit, the family planned to return to the States. “Instead of going to Chicago where some of my network is, we thought, ‘For the kids’ benefit, we’re going to make a run at staying in Michigan,’” O’Rourke said. “My wife is originally from Ypsilanti. She’s a farm girl.”

The O’Rourkes settled on the family farm in Chelsea, west of Ann Arbor. “We have horses, sheep, ducks, nine cats, a bunch of other critters running around, and a garden. My mother-in-law appreciates all the help, because there’s a lot of work. But I’m excited. I’m glad we made that decision.”

One can’t help but admire O’Rourke's work ethic. He rises at 4 a.m. to do farm chores and arrives at Gesu before 6 a.m. On the way home, it’s a two-hour drive to Chelsea. He passes the time by telephoning Gesu teachers and listening to his Bible app.

“It allows me to have some unwinding time. I just made it into the New Testament and the Gospel of Matthew. When I get home, I work with my family,” he said. “We need to do chores. We have all these animals. The walnut tree rains down walnuts that have to be picked up. Last Saturday, we picked up five wheelbarrows full. Then a storm came through. My son Oliver, who is resistant to work, said, ‘Did we even pick up any walnuts?’ We picked up five more wheelbarrows’ full. The tree yields about 30 wheelbarrows over the course of a year. There’s a lot of work to be done.”

The upside?

“It’s really nice living on the farm and having that closeness to animals and nature,” O’Rourke said. “We have a bunch of corn. It’s great going on our little walks through the corn. I love it. I’m a city guy; I lived in Chicago for 25 years. It’s definitely different for me.”

Going the extra mile

While Chelsea is more than 50 miles from Detroit, O’Rourke relishes the opportunity he has to experience both places.

“When I learned about this job (at Gesu), I was very interested in it and in renewing my commitment to Catholic education and doing good service work on behalf of students. In my parting letter to St. Procopius, I said ‘I don’t think I’ll ever be able to find work that has as much purpose and meaning as I’ve experienced here.’ But certainly, there is a lot of purpose and meaning in the work I am doing here now,” O'Rourke said. ”And I’m back in a Jesuit parish. St. Procopius was formerly a Jesuit parish.”

O’Rourke said his mission at Gesu is “to get to know and understand the community, and to develop relationships with the community, which includes teachers, staff, students and the parents.”

"I really believe sincerely in Catholic education and things it can and does do for students who come through a program like this," O'Rourke said. "There are lots of challenges, but many opportunities to do some good work and serve some students who really deserve to be served in this way. I’m pretty honored and humbled to be a part of it in the way that I am.”

Gesu Parish will celebrate its centennial on March 19, the feast of St. Joseph, but the community is planning to host a celebration July 30, the weekend of St. Ignatius' feast day, given the parish's Jesuit roots. The school, founded in 1925, is 97 years old.

Enrollment at Gesu is 248, up from 188 last year. It's a trend consistent with enrollment increases in Catholic schools across the Archdiocese of Detroit since the pandemic began.

O’Rourke credits the dedication of Gesu’s long-serving teachers and staff; assistant principal Shawn Kaley, newcomers from the Alliance for Catholic Education and Sam Riede of the Jesuit Volunteer Corps, as well as seniors from University of Detroit Jesuit High School, who volunteer weekly helping with robotics, classroom duties and groundskeeping.

“It just points to the fact that many families really want and desire to have their children in this Catholic environment," O'Rourke said. "Looking to next year, we’re going to try to find more students and families who want this education for their children. They may not have the means to pay for it, yet we want to be able to help them out.”

The pandemic continues to present hurdles.

“It’s not behind us," O'Rourke said. “Last year, half our students were home and half were here. Now everyone is here. We’re trying to hold it together, making sure everyone stays. We have a wonderful teaching staff who are committed to making it happen for their students."

An autumn highlight was Gesu's first all-school Mass since the pandemic began.

"It was so awesome. It was great, just to be in church, celebrating with Fr. Phil (Cooke) and Fr. Jeff (Dorr)," O'Rourke said. "The kids were excited about it. It is so nice to be able to go to church, gather and pray together and understand that we are all in it together."

Gesu can be glad Brian O’Rourke threw himself in.

Story reprinted courtesy of Gesu Alumni & Friends Newsletter.