Fr. John Pisors, CSV, arrived at Colegio San Viator in 1967, or four years after it opened and one year before the first students would graduate. Over the next four decades, he served in many capacities at the school, teaching religion, math and English; as an administrator and in pastoral ministry.
Fr. John Pisors teaching at Colegio San Viator
In the other 15 intervening years in Colombia, he drew valuable experiences from his ministry in several other schools and in two parishes. Now retired, he continues to help faculty members at the Colegio with English translation.
Through it all, he maintained a relationship with school families and the wider Viatorian community through his writings. Now, Fr. John has pulled together a collection of his writings, calling it, “For the Wise Person Who Wants to Think.”
Administrators at Colegio San Viator are promoting his writing on the school’s website, inviting school families to “explore the great collection of writings by Fr. John Pisors.” The collection is 800 pages and all in Spanish. They contain rich detail and wise advice from the only one of 18 American Viatorians who served in Bogotá, and stayed.
Here is the introduction that Fr. Pisors provides readers:
Fr. John Pisors, CSV
“Maybe you are one of my students or teachers in my advisory to the English Department, or a parent, that remembers one of my writings from the time I was principal and I would send monthly a leaflet of ‘Family Apostolate.’ Well, as the 40 years or so went by in the Colegio and the more than 50 years as a priest, I have written nine books and 45 pocket size booklets, frequently with titles such as ‘For the Young Person.’ or ‘For the Catholic,’ or ‘For the Religious,’ or ‘For the Young Couples that Want to Think.’
“And finally I accepted the very good advice of the printer to summarize all my writings in form of a compendium and that is what I offer you all now: FOR THE WISE PERSON WHO WANTS TO THINK.
“Use it as you wish, as you think best if you want to think. But in any case, check first the general index at the beginning to know what catches your attention, and simply skip over the repetitions you will find in some booklets. Enjoy your reading during this 60th anniversary of our Colegio.”
Find a copy of Fr. John’s collection, here.