Preparatory School

Fr. A.J. Rizzo is the second eldest of Tony and Peg Rizzo’s six children. Until he was 19, he had an older sister and a younger brother; however, when he was in college, his parents adopted his three other siblings from Ethiopia. “My siblings are my best friends, and I love to go to Philadelphia to see them as well as my nieces and nephews as often as possible,” he said.

Tony and Peg Rizzo instilled in each of their children a commitment to Catholic faith. “They both worked tirelessly to ensure that each of us had the opportunity to go to Catholic School through high school, and we all earned college degrees. My upbringing, combined with my experience with Catholic and

Jesuit Education – first as a student, and after, as an educator – was what drew me to the Jesuit Priesthood. Working with young people in an educational setting has brought meaning and purpose to my life in ways I never could have imagined. It is where I experience God most clearly,” he said.

If you had asked Fr. Rizzo ten years ago about his dream job, he would have told you it was the job he is in now! “I loved being at Scranton Prep as a part of my formation, and returning here has been a homecoming for me. The relationships I formed with students and families I worked with from 2011 until 2014 (when he taught English Theology and Latin) persist to this day. They are a huge part of what brings me joy here in Scranton,” he said.

Fr. Rizzo is also an alumnus of The University of Scranton, where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology and a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy. While at the University, he also completed the Special Jesuit Liberal Arts program. After completing his undergraduate studies he returned to his alma mater, St. Joseph’s Preparatory School in Philadelphia, where he served as a volunteer teacher in the school’s Alumni Service Corps. He continued to serve as a man for others in the Jesuit Catholic tradition by ministering at Loyola Blakefield, an all boys’ college preparatory school (grades 6-12) in Towson, Maryland, where he served as the director of Christian Service. During his time in the Baltimore area, Fr. Rizzo completed a Master of Arts in Spiritual and Pastoral Care at Loyola University Maryland.

After prayer and discernment, Fr. Rizzo entered the Society of Jesus in 2007. He earned a Master of Arts degree in Humanities with a concentration in Literature from Fordham University in 2011. After his three year faculty appointment at Scranton Prep, he was missioned to theological studies at the Jesuit School of Theology of Santa Clara University. He completed a Master of Divinity in Theology in 2017 and was ordained to the priesthood the same year. In 2018, Fr. Rizzo completed a doctorate in Catholic Educational Leadership at the University of San Francisco. His dissertation research focused on educating students with learning differences in Jesuit secondary schools. Fr. Rizzo is a member of the Board of Trustees at several Catholic Jesuit High Schools across the United States including St. Ignatius High School (CA), St. Elizabeth High School (CA), and Fairfield Preparatory School (CT), Fr. Rizzo understands the spiritual tones of mission as well as the governance issues surrounding the transformation of young men and women through education and formation in the rich Jesuit tradition. H