HR0448 98TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0448 LRB098 12369 MST 46704 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives are pleased to recognize Reverend Christopher J. Devron as he leaves Christ the King Jesuit College Prep; and

WHEREAS, A Chicago native, Rev. Christopher Devron is the founding president of Christ the King Jesuit College Prep.; and

WHEREAS, Rev. Christopher Devron earned a bachelors of arts in philosophy and government from the University of Notre Dame in 1989 and entered the Society of Jesus in 1991; he earned a masters of arts in the history of philosophy from Loyola University in Chicago, a masters of divinity from the Weston Jesuit School of Theology, and a masters of arts in theology with a concentration in African-American religious experience through coursework at Harvard Divinity School and the Institute for Black Catholic Studies at Xavier University in New Orleans; and

WHEREAS, From 1995 to 1996, Rev. Christopher Devron was executive director of the Inner-City Teaching Corps in Chicago, which recruits recent college graduates to teach in inner-city schools throughout the city; he taught for a year at the Gonzaga Middle School program in Harlem, and created a scholarship program to assist Gonzaga graduates attend private high schools; afterwards he was assigned as director of the Loyola Youth Center in Crown Heights, Brooklyn; and

WHEREAS, Following his ordination in 2001, Rev. Christopher Devron worked as the founding director of Recruiting Excellence for Academics in Catholic High Schools (REACH), to identify, recruit, and financially assist academically gifted middle school boys to attend Regis and other top Jesuit high schools in New York; he has also taught theology and worked as a campus minister and chair of the committee on diversity at Regis, served as a weekend associate at the Church of St. Joseph in Harlem, and published articles in America, The Tablet, the Journal of Popular Culture, and BustedHalo.com; and

WHEREAS, Rev. Christopher Devron is listed in Who's Who of American Teachers and Educators; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-EIGHTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we recognize Reverend Christopher J. Devron founding president of Christ the King Jesuit College Prep as he leaves the school; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to Rev. Christopher Devron as an expression of our esteem and respect.