Midwest Jesuits | Chicago-Detroit Province

St. Ignatius High School in Cleveland has awarded its 2011 Distinguished Alumnus Award to Fr. James Gartland, SJ (class of 1976).  Click here to view a short video on Fr. Gartland and his influence on the students of Cristo Rey Jesuit High School, where he has served as president since 2004.

About The Honorable John V. Corrigan ’38 Distinguished Alumnus Award

In 1994, the Saint Ignatius-Loyola Alumni Association inaugurated the Distinguished Alumnus Award. In 2005, this award was renamed to pay tribute to one of its own distinguished recipients, the late Hon. John V. Corrigan ’38.

The award honors an alumnus who

• has distinguished himself through outstanding achievements in his chosen field or profession

• uses his talents and skills for those in need, consistent with the theme, “Men for Others”

• serves as a positive role model for Saint Ignatius High School students through consistent application of high moral and ethical standards.

About Fr. James Gartland, SJ

Fr. Gartland was ordained a Jesuit in 1993. A member of the team that founded Cristo Rey Jesuit High School in 1996, he taught theology at the school from 2000 until 2004, when he was appointed to his current role as president. From 1994 to 1999, Fr. Gartland was pastor of St. Procopius Church, a Mexican immigrant parish in Chicago. After teaching theology at Loyola Academy in Wilmette, Illinois, he entered the Society of Jesus in 1983. During his training, he taught in Peru for three years. He earned his bachelor’s degree from Xavier University, master’s degrees in philosophy and religious education from Loyola University Chicago, and a master’s in divinity from the Jesuit School of Theology at Berkeley. He was elected to the Marquette University Board of Trustees in 2006.