New school presidents named for Providence Cristo Rey, Brebeuf

Criterion staff report

New presidents have recently been named for two private Catholic high schools in Indianapolis.

Margie Crooks has already begun serving as the president of Providence Cristo Rey High School, while Jesuit Father William Verbryke will become president of Brebeuf Jesuit Preparatory School on July 1.

Crooks has previously served in the Archdiocese of Detroit as the director of the department of evangelization, catechesis and schools, overseeing several areas of archdiocesan restructuring, which included 125 schools and 270 parishes.

She also guided these schools and parishes through the development, alignment and implementation of strategic goals for quality Catholic education, according to a press release from Providence Cristo Rey.

A Purdue University graduate, Crooks most recently served as the director of mission and discipleship for Church of the Blessed Sacrament Parish in West Lafayette, Ind., in the Lafayette Diocese.

“I am excited to be joining the Providence Cristo Rey High School team in their mission-driven, innovative work for high school students in Indianapolis,” said Crooks, who has a master’s degree in theology and a doctorate in pastoral ministry.

“To be able to assist in making dreams a reality for these youths is an amazing opportunity. I look forward to continuing, and building upon, the strong faith, academic and professional foundation that makes the Cristo Rey Network model transformative and successful.”

Father Verbryke will become the 12th president of Brebeuf, succeeding Jesuit Father Jack Dennis who plans to return to work for the Jesuits’ Maryland Province in his hometown of Baltimore.

Father William currently serves as Brebeuf’s vice president of mission and Jesuit identity, and as a member of the school’s board of trustees. He has been a part of the school’s leadership team since October 2016.

Ordained a priest in 1983, he served 10 years as the president of St. Xavier High School in Cincinnati.

“I look forward to working with the exceptional leadership team, faculty and staff to continue Brebeuf’s history of excellence, which includes ensuring continuation of the academic and formational standards that are hallmarks of a Jesuit education,” Father Verbryke said in a press release from the school.
 

(For more information about Providence Cristo Rey High School, visit www.cristoreyindy.org. For more information about Brebeuf Jesuit Preparatory School, visit brebeuf.org.) †