A son of the Mount son has returned to join the history department and enrich First-Year Symposium classes, which have been provided with additional support by Raphael Della Ratta, C’92, who is funding the Climb the Mount initiative. John-Paul Heil, Ph.D., C’15, began his higher education journey at the Mount studying history, Italian and philosophy, before going on to obtain his master’s and doctorate degrees in history from the University of Chicago.
As indicated by his triple major during his undergraduate years, Heil has always had diverse interests, but he believes the highest calling is teaching and has pursued it in many forms. While at the University of Chicago, he helped restructure the Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults (RCIA) curriculum at the Calvert House. Appreciating the Catholic community at the Calvert House and recalling his time at the Mount, he decided to return to be part of both the intellectual and Catholic community on campus.
The dynamism of teaching at the university level suits Heil, and he reflects on his lessons daily. “You never know how [what you are teaching] is going to bear fruit. Some seeds will flourish and some will wither. You can’t control how these seeds will blossom, but it is my responsibility to sow them,” he noted. He still recalls lessons from Mount faculty members Greg Murry, Ph.D., Mike Miller, Ph.D., and Marco Roman, Ph.D., who shared various kernels of wisdom that Heil has carried since.
When he takes a moment to step away from academia, he is diving into all kinds of literature, from short stories by Katy Carl to “Kristin Lavransdatter,” a novel trilogy published in the 1920s about the lives of a 14th-century Norwegian family. He is the recently appointed book editor for “Dappled Things,” a quarterly publication out of the University of Pennsylvania Collegium Institute. He is a prolific writer and has been published in Time Magazine, Smithsonian, The Week and beyond.
Ironically, the one thing Heil advised his students to avoid is spreading themselves too thin. There are endless campus groups to be involved with, but you can lose sight of the beauty that is right in front of you. “Take time to stop and see what is happening. Reality is great!” he exclaimed. He grounds himself in prayer and adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, believing the best way to live in the world is to give yourself wholly to it by offering love wherever you go. The Mount community is thrilled to welcome Heil back.