Scooting off to San Francisco
By Ryan Groshong
After living in the dorms for 10 years, one Graham resident is moving out.
On July 31, Mario Prietto, S.J, director of campus ministry, will take the position of religious superior of the Jesuit community at the University of San Francisco.
Prietto, or "Fr. Mario" as many students call him, leaves behind a legacy of work, friendship and spirituality here.
In addition to directing Campus Ministry, he also served as a Christian life community group leader and resident minister.
"He is the epitome of what I think of when I think of a Jesuit: a very wise man," recent graduate Marshall Davidson said. "He's got a great sense of humor, and he's just someone who I really aspire to be like."
Prietto came to Santa Clara as an associate campus minister in the fall of 1995 and became director of campus ministry in the spring of 1996.
In his work, Prietto has been involved with retreat programs, Santa Clarans for Social Justice, the Catechism Program, pastoral counseling and spiritual direction for faculty and students and many other service and faith programs.
While Prietto has a multitude of memories of his time here at Santa Clara, one experience particularly stands out:
"My first CLC group, a year ago January, the first member of our group got married in Mexico, in Guadalajara, and they asked me to do the wedding," he said. "All of us managed to go down for the wedding, the original CLC group - that's really a wonderful thing."
He described the feeling on campus following the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, as another memorable experience.
"The way the community gathered to pray and support one another during that crisis time, I saw Santa Clara at its best," he said.
Prietto, a Los Angeles native, has been a Jesuit since 1962. He received his bachelor's degree from Gonzaga University, and holds a masters degrees from the University of Southern California, Fordham University and the Jesuit School of Theology at Berkeley.
One area of particular pride for Prietto is his large family, which includes 39 nieces and nephews, and 61 grand-nieces and nephews.
University President Paul Locatelli, S.J., expressed deep appreciation and gratitude for Prietto in an e-mail set out to students and faculty last week.
"Mario has served in these roles with extraordinary dedication and affection for people," he said. "He has shared his many gifts with the campus community: providing excellent leadership as the director, but more important, bringing a deep spirituality and pastoral care to students, staff, faculty, alums and friends."
Davidson likewise wished Prietto well in the future.
"I would just wish him the very best. I think the same gifts that have shined at Santa Clara will continue to go forth at San Francisco," Davidson said. "He's had a great run at Santa Clara, best wishes for his future adventures."
Prietto says that while he is excited about the future, he will miss being at Santa Clara, particularly his interaction with students.
"The quality of people that I've met here, students faculty and staff - I will miss greatly," he said. "The friendliness, the dedication, the commitment, it's just extraordinary, and I'm kind of feeling that more now that I know I'll be leaving after 10 years. This is just an exceptional community of human beings."
* Contact Ryan Groshong at (408) 554-4546 or at rgroshong@scu.edu.