Grace Regan Missioned as President of Boston College High School

May 10, 2018 – On May 3, Fr. John Cecero, SJ, provincial of the USA Northeast Province of the Society of Jesus officially missioned Grace Regan as president Boston College High School. More than 40 Jesuits attended the missioning mass, which celebrated Regan as the first female lay leader for the historic Jesuit school in Boston, which serves boys from grades 7-12.

Regan has had a lifelong connection to BC High, beginning with her father, Jim Cotter, who was a member of the school’s Class of 1955 and went on to a lengthy tenure as a well-known football coach at the school. Her son, Bartley, is also a graduate of the Class of 2012.

In her remarks, Regan referenced several verses from Homer’s Iliad, where Boston College’s motto, Ever to Excel, is derived from. She connected the calling to strive toward success with the mission of Jesuit education.

“We are a Jesuit school, so when you hear the words of the Illiad calling you to do “better than others” I want you to hear “do more than others.” I want you to understand that “better,” the metric of your success in this community, will always be your ability to seek and find the magis,” Regan said. “Can you do more, can you give more? Not for yourself, but for your community.”

Regan has served as head of school at St. Mary’s in Lynn, Mass., since 2012 and was previously the provincial assistant and executive director of advancement for the New England Province of Jesuits. She has served in leadership roles in advancement and alumni at Boston College and the College of the Holy Cross. She holds master’s degrees in pastoral ministry, student affairs and higher education administration from Boston College and the University of Vermont and has completed Catholic leadership development programs at Boston College’s Lynch School and the University of Notre Dame.

“[Grace’s] love for the Society of Jesus and our mission in education is unequivocal, and I am confident that her collaborative and inspirational leadership will ensure the Jesuit and Catholic identity of our cherished school for years to come,” Fr. Cecero said, when Regan’s appointment was announced.