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FATHER JOHN MAN ON A MISSION | Faith Leader and Friend
I have been welcomed by the students and faculty, and it has been a great year!
Since July 2023, Rev. Msgr. John J. Enzler ’65 has been busy enlivening the faith of St. John’s students and faculty with his on-campus presence. SJC is blessed to have a new chaplain who has remained closely connected to the school over the years. “In my first year at St. John’s, it has been an immense blessing to have Father John as our chaplain. As the newly retired CEO of DC Catholic Charities, I wanted to respect his time commitment and workload—however, I soon realized he had no intention of slowing down. His ‘part-time’ presence has been anything but, being fully involved in the spiritual lives of the students, faculty, and staff. Father John has been creative and intentional with many new initiatives at St. John’s, and he embraces everyone in this community,” said Abby Michels, director of mission and ministry.
Broadening Catholic Opportunities
Fr. John offers an early morning Mass Monday through Thursday, as well as once a week during homeroom on either Tuesday or Wednesday. (Friday morning Masses are led by Fr. Kenneth Letoile, OP.) With the peer ministry team supporting this effort, the average homeroom attendance is 20 to 50 students. He also offers the Opening School Mass, Founder’s Day Mass, commencement Mass, and each class Mass.
He enlisted the help of Assistant Chaplain Fr. Alex Wyvill, who sometimes offers the homeroom Mass and is available almost every Tuesday for appointments with students.
Fr. John recruited several priests to hear confessions during class retreats and throughout the Advent and Lenten seasons.
He launched the Order of Christian Initiation for Adults “OCIA” program (formerly RCIA) for those who are not baptized or confirmed but eager to grow in their faith in the Catholic tradition. He met weekly with five individuals on this journey, including one faculty member and four students.
Many students have seized the opportunity to meet with Fr. John Monday through Thursday during his morning office hours—7:45 to 10:30 a.m.
Fr. John empowered students to serve as a liturgy team, incorporating their suggestions into the liturgical celebrations and increasing lay ministry participation.
Enhancing Class Retreats
Fr. John addressed the freshman class at each of the freshman retreats from an alumnus perspective of the Lasallian Core Principles. He spoke about how the Lasallian core values were the common thread connecting his time at SJC with their experience.
He led a “teaching Mass” at each of the sophomore retreats, so students could learn about the Order of Mass and meaning behind each aspect of the ritual.
Fr. John offered reconciliation, benediction, a blessing of holy water, and Mass at each of the junior retreats.
He supported and blessed the seniors making their Kairos retreat.
Building Charity Connections
Fr. John strengthened SJC’s connection with Catholic Charities. With his help, St. John’s sent students and staff to the Catholic Charities gathering of Catholic high school service coordinators and student leaders during Lasallian Social Justice Week. They heard from a Catholic Charities speaker, assembled more than 300 kindness kits, and attended Mass led by Fr. John with the intention of social justice.
Fostering Interfaith Relations
In July 2023, Fr. John was a team member of the Faith and Leadership Institute led by SJC faculty, which also included a rabbi, protestant minister, and Imam. Each clergy member led one day of teaching about their faith tradition.
