Counselor and Confidant

Teacher, counselor and spiritual guide for St. Mary’s students, staff and faculty for more than 35 years – that was Father John G. Leies. He arrived on campus in 1960 to teach theology, and in the classroom he was known as a demanding teacher but one who was always dynamic, humorous and engaging. His graduate students remember him for his courses on the Old Testament, in which he brought the pages of Sacred Scripture to life.

But “Father John G” (as he was known) was more than a great teacher. He was a great counselor and confidant. Daily he could be found in the University Quadrangle engaged in conversation with students or around the coffee urn at the law school when he was chaplain there.

To his office or to the parlor of the Marianist Residence came many to seek his advice. Those with heavy hearts left with smiles on their faces for he had an inexhaustible supply of humorous stories, jokes, and puns. (The pun is the lowest form of humor but Father John G used it as an art form.)

Also known for his ecumenical endeavors in San Antonio, Father John was one of the most respected men in the city in the early days of ecumenism. And, together with Rabbi David Jacobsen, he established the Fund for Judeo-Christian Studies at St. Mary’s University, which continues to send students to study in the Holy Land today.

His name (and that of his brother) is deservedly enshrined in the latest residence hall on campus, the Father John G. and Brother Herbert Leies Residence Hall.

The Rev. John G. Leies, S.M., died May 19, 1999, at the age of 90. He was a Marianist for 73 years.