From Bogotá, Colombia to Arlington Heights: Br. Jhobany Orduz, CSV

Out of all the new faculty and staff members who have joined Saint Viator High School this year, Br. Jhobany Orduz, CSV, may have come the furthest. 

He is working part-time in Campus Ministry as he completes his ministry practicum as part of his Master’s in Divinity degree at Catholic Theological Union in Chicago.

“I’m nervous and excited at the same time,” says Br. Jhobany, a native of Cúcuta, Colombia, a city right on the border with Venezuela. “I have a lot of experience teaching, but this is a different ministry to me, with a new population, and a new language.”

As part of his assignment, he will be helping to organize retreats, school liturgies, and service opportunities that animate the Viatorian identity.

“We want to work in a new perspective of Campus Ministry that communicates what the Viatorian identity is,” says Br. Jhobany, who has been involved with the Viatorians since 2010 and is preparing for the priesthood. 

If Br. Jhobany feels nervous about his new assignment, some of the Saint Viator students have his back. In preparation for joining the high school staff, he attended the Viatorian Youth Congress last month in Bourbonnais. Br. Jhobany accompanied the Saint Viator High School delegation, which included students actively involved in Campus Ministry.

“After VYC, some students wrote me notes saying they will help me to feel comfortable once I start in Campus Ministry,” Br. Jhobany says. “They were really welcoming.”

Br. Jhobany came to the Viatorians as a trained civil engineer with degrees in roads and infrastructure, education administration, management, and finance. 

Prior to joining the community, Br. Jhobany taught engineering students at the Corporación Universitaria Minuto de Dios Uniminuto, in Bogotá and then at Universidad Católica de Colombia, where he served as Director of the Civil Engineering School. Before coming to start his seminary studies this year, he taught math and physics at the Viatorians’ school in Bogotá, Colegio San Viator, and he also worked as the administrative manager of the school.

“As part of my practicum, I should be getting practical experience in ministry,” Br. Jhobany says, “learning new skills as I prepare for the priesthood.” 

He feels the importance of serving others with openness and inclusion. 

“Coming from Colombia to help in the US is a challenge that I want to live,” he says. “I know closely the issues that the society lives, mainly with migrants, poverty, environment, and people on the periphery, whom Pope Francis is inviting us to go to.”

 Ultimately, Br. Jhobany believes this experience will help him transmit sensitivity to the students regarding these social issues. 
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Located in Arlington Heights, IL, Saint Viator High School is a private, co-ed, Catholic school for grades 9-12. Students benefit from a challenging academic program, fine and performing arts, competitive athletics, and a wide selection of extracurricular activities.