Regis College is delighted to welcome back Michael Kolarcik, SJ, as the new Rector of the Regis Jesuit Community. After more than a decade guiding renowned scholars at the Pontifical Biblical Institute in Rome, Kolarcik returns to Regis with both his international vision and his deeply pastoral touch.

In 2014, Pope Francis appointed him Rector of the Pontifical Biblical Institute in Rome, where he served for eleven years. There, he was known for building bridges at the global crossroads of cultures, traditions, and institutions.

Under his leadership, the Institute hired its first women faculty and welcomed visiting scholars from universities like Harvard and Notre Dame. “The Biblical Institute is a fine place for gathering professors from other areas,” he recalled. Its open-stacks library, beloved by visiting professors, became a hub for research and collaboration.

Now returning to Regis, Kolarcik looks forward to fostering this same spirit of collaboration and growth among our diverse Jesuit students. “I want to be sympathetic to the international students that make up our community,” noting that Jesuit students at Regis hail from Africa, Asia, Europe, North and South America—five of the world`s seven continents. “They’re really great guys. You know, I’m really impressed with them.”

As a long-time faculty member, Kolarcik values the role the larger Regis St. Michael’s community plays in preparing for both lay and ordained ministry in the Church. Friendships within this diverse community enhance intercultural sensitivity and the ability to accompany others with insight and respect. Students and faculty share the responsibility of hosting as we build a welcoming community that celebrates enriching differences.

Throughout his Roman years, Kolarcik’s activities placed him closer to home than one might realize. In his tenure there, Kolarcik helped lead the integration of the Pontifical Biblical Institute, the Pontifical Oriental Institute, and the Gregorian University—a collaborative venture not unlike Regis St. Michael’s. Looking back, Kolarcik noted with pride that all three rectors guiding the process were graduates of Regis College.

Yet even while in an academic setting, his pastoral heart remained close to the people he served. He led Ignatian retreats for Jesuits, priests, and bishops, including the Czech and Slovak bishops during the height of the pandemic—adapting creatively to Zoom when travel was impossible. “It was tough in 2020,” he recalled, but “very edifying.”

At the center of his ministry, he says, is the Ignatian framework of the Spiritual Exercises. “All I know is the Bible,” he reflected. “I look at Scripture through the Spiritual Exercises, and I look at the Spiritual Exercises through Scripture. … [They] are something that binds Jesuits together.” That integration grounds his pastoral approach, whether guiding bishops or mentoring students.

Now, back at Regis, Kolarcik sees his mission clearly: to accompany Jesuit students in their formation. “It’s really hands on. You do a lot of talking, a lot of meeting with the students,” he explained. For Kolarcik, this is the heart of his new role as Rector: listening, accompanying, and helping Jesuits grow in their vocation. “What I’m committed to,” he said, “is giving myself to the formation of the Jesuits here at Regis.”