Father Swope ready for new role

As the first president of the new Cristo Rey Jesuit High School in Baltimore, Father John W. Swope, S.J. will be heavily involved in reaching out to the wider community.
“I’ll be very involved in fundraising and establishing strong relationships with corporate Baltimore,” said Father Swope. “It’s absolutely key to the success of the school.”
Cristo Rey is part of a network of schools that incorporates a work study component as part of the program. There are already 28 corporate sponsors of Cristo Rey in Baltimore, according to Father Swope.
“As a startup high school in Baltimore City, we’re eager to consolidate our college preparatory academic program as quickly as possible and ensure that all of our students are working well in their corporate work placements,” he said.
Cristo Rey will open with 120 freshmen students and add future classes a year at a time.
Father Swope is the former executive assistant to the provincial superior of the Maryland Province of the Society of Jesus. He was also the executive director of the Secretariat for the Church in Latin America of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. He previously served as director of the Center for Research and Development for Education in Santiago, Chile.
Father Swope holds a bachelor’s degree in French and English literature from King’s College in Pennsylvania, a master’s degree in theology from the Weston School of Theology and a doctorate in sociology from the University of London.
The Pennsylvania native taught high school in Chile and directed doctoral students at a Catholic university in Chile.