Fr. Gregory Schweers was born in south Texas in 1953 and educated in Texas public schools. After attending the University of Dallas for 3 years, he began his novitiate in 1975 and took his triennial vows in 1976. He then completed his B.A. in philosophy and began his theological coursework. After studies in Dallas and Rome at the Pontifical University of Sant’Anselmo, he was ordained to the priesthood in 1981 and received his M.A. in theology. He completed his graduate work in English and world literature at the University of Texas in Arlington and received his M.A. in 1983. He was Form Master for the Classes 1990, 1998, and 2007. After more than 35 years of teaching English in the Prep School, he now teaches Art History and Renaissance Culture.
Father Gregory’s father and mother were both naval officers during WWII, where they met, got married in 1946, and raised five children. His father was a chemical engineer, and his mother was a registered nurse. His two younger siblings are doctors while his two older sisters are teachers – all of whom reside in Texas.
Father Gregory’s vocation began quietly but clearly at the age of 12. After finishing public high school, he was able to attend the University of Dallas on a scholarship. There, he found a number of priests and professors who mentored him in both his priestly vocation and his desire for a community where intellectual pursuits were taken seriously. Fr. Gilbert Hardy, O. Cist. was instrumental in his entering the abbey in 1975. Perhaps the greatest moment of vocational certitude came in 1978-79 while studying in Rome during the election of John-Paul II, and then, having the opportunity to meet him on two occasions. Having taught at the Prep School for more than 40 years, he’s also enjoyed two sabbatical years of studying Art History: in London (2013-14) and New York City (2018-19).
His philosophical and theological studies have made Fr. Gregory an avid reader of Athanasius, Thomas Aquinas, Thomas More, the English Metaphysical Poets, Dostoevsky, Henri Bergson, and Flannery O’Connor. When not working in the Prep School or doing parish work in the diocese of Dallas, Father Gregory enjoys swimming, Italian opera, classical films, and the art of Cinquecento Italy.