Announcing our Founding Headmaster
The Board of Chesterton Academy of St. Benedict is pleased to announce the hiring of Ismael Rodríguez as our Founding Headmaster.
Ismael received his Baccalaureate in Sacred Theology (S.T.B.) from the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome. Since returning from Rome, he has taught theology at a Catholic high school in Dallas, Texas, and served as an adjunct instructor of theology at Saint Louis University.
“I am devoted to the mission that Chesterton Academy has laid out to create a new generation of saints through the intellectual tradition of the Church. Ultimately, in a culture in need of authentic friendship, intellectual rigor, and a deeper encounter with Truth, who is Jesus Christ, I truly believe in Chesterton’s classical approach as an avenue for the formation of the whole human person.”
Ismael is a native of Dallas. Following undergraduate studies in history and psychology at Stephen F. Austin University, Ismael received an M.A. in History from the University of North Texas and spent two years as a FOCUS missionary working with college students at campuses in Minnesota. During his time as a FOCUS missionary, he discerned a call to enter seminary.
As a seminarian of the Diocese of Dallas, he studied Philosophy at St. Paul Seminary in St. Paul, Minnesota before beginning his theology work at the Pontifical Gregorian University. After leaving seminary, he completed his degree at the Pontifical Gregorian University and spent a further year living and working in Rome.
Ismael will be moving to Columbus this summer with his wife, Ali, and son, Ignatius. He and his family are excited to join the Catholic community in the Diocese of Columbus.