Joseph Lorenz: From the USA to Beirut

My name is Joseph (Joe) Lorenz, SJ, from the USA-East Province. I am currently a third-year regent living at the Saint Grégoire Community and working at Collège Saint Grégoire (CSG) and Collège Notre Dame de Jamhour (CNDJ). I spent my first two years of regency teaching at Fordham Preparatory School in the Bronx, New York before coming to Lebanon. At CSG and CNDJ, I am covering for an English teacher currently on maternity leave.

I’m originally from Takoma Park, Maryland, near Washington, D.C. I grew up in a Protestant family and entered the Catholic Church when I was in college. I studied at Williams College in western Massachusetts, where I majored in Arabic and religious studies. Before entering the Society, I worked at a legal center for immigrants and refugees and received a Masters in Islamic Studies from Harvard Divinity School. This is my second time in the Near East as a Jesuit: in 2018, I spent the summer in Taanayel working with JRS. I am delighted to be back and to get better acquainted with the Near East province.

My background with Arabic and Father General’s 2016 letter calling for Jesuits to consider coming to the Near East were major motivations for wanting to come here. Though of course I wish it were under better circumstances, I’m very happy to be in Beirut and to have the opportunity to teach. I’ve been struck so far by how multilingual many Lebanese people are (including students and colleagues), and how resilient people have been in the face of hardship and uncertainty. It’s a privilege to get to know students, colleagues, and fellow Jesuits better, especially in the midst of the country’s difficult situation.

Joseph (Joe) Lorenz SJ