Back to the main Media page Searching for Something Joliet man finds spiritual fulfillment by helping others The Herald News, by Jean Tyrell, 12/22/05 Dan Rohan is a person who could have the luxury of a lucrative job in business with his computer savvy. Instead he is working at two schools in Chicago's toughest neighborhoods. Rohan, 24, formerly of Joliet, said his search for spiritual meaning has shaped his life's work, work he hopes will make a difference in someone's life. His developing faith led him to believe that peace is a solution to many problems, and with that message, he traveled, last February, with a Christian group to the Middle East. His quest for understanding his spiritual needs has been an ongoing development. It led him to reject traditional church as a teen, to embrace a Christian faith community as a young man and to look to the poor at this stage in his life. A few years ago, Rohan got a disconcerting message. "When the Iraqi War started, a minister from whom I was seeking guidance told me that it was the Christian thing to do - to take out this evil dictator, Saddam - but I couldn't buy that. I realized that there were different levels of Christian spirituality, and I couldn't embrace any level that endorsed violence as a way of solving problems. "That's about the time when I started to volunteer on the West Side (of Chicago). I started meeting homeless people who were using crack cocaine, people that had babies at age 14, poeple that lived next door to the person that raped them. But I was shocked by the one thing that they did have; it was a deep faith, and I was drawn to that." San Miguel Schools At that point, Rohan became a volunteer on the staff of the San Miguel Schools, a school started with 18 students in a convent dining room in 1995. The schools' philosophy has been that character and opportunity are the determining factors in a person's life. The school also holds the belief that the development of the child cannot happen without the impact and interest of the family and the community, said Rohan. Now, he is San Miguel's Director of Information Technology. The San Miguel Schools - there are two - serve children in the Back of the Yards and in Austin, which are two of Chicago's crime-ridden neighborhoods. Rohan said at one point, he thought there were more casualties in a certain week in these areas than there were in military action in Iraq. He has chosen to live in the Brighton Park neighborhood, not far from where he works, on the South Side of Chicago. Feeling of false spirituality In eighth grade, Rohan, raised a Catholic by parents John and Ruth of Joliet, blurted out to a priest at a Confirmation interview that he wasn't sure he believed in God. The priest encouraged him to make his Confirmation anyway, "for his parent's sake." Rohan said he felt betrayed by the obligatory action of the process. "Spirituality struck me as being entirely false. After I was confirmed, I refused to go to mass," Rohan said. In high school, he skipped class, got suspended frequently and tried marijuana and drank. His parents were beside themselves trying to figure out their son. Rohan knows now, in hindsight, what was going on with him. "I was looking for something and couldn't find it," he said. A turning point in his life was when his supposed friends jumped him on his way to work. Two of the guys, however, stuck up for him. They were into less harmful activities, simply skateboarding and hanging out. Those friendships provided a safe haven for Rohan. By now, he was working in the computer field, pretty much as a self-taught computer administrator and an employee at Argonne National Laboratory, working his way through school. He started to study computer science at DePaul University but found he really hated studying about computers. "Computer science lacked the human component. The most feedback you ever got was when something went wrong. I realized I would love to be a counselor, like my mom, or a teacher, like dad." He eventually graduated with a degree in psychology and sociology. Making a connection His spiritual and personal life choices also were making him consider where his life was going. He joined a Christian church in Oak Park because he was interested in dating a girl who was Christian. Eventually, she moved away. "The only thing I found myself with (then) was a faith community and a belief in things greater than myself," he said. "I started reading the Bible. It changed my life entirely. I saw Jesus as a radical outlaw troublemaker. The fact that he was hated by people for who he was and what he stood for truly resonated with me because I felt rather disconnected from my peers and the larger society. "Previously, I had always had this impression that Christians were the 'good' people who never questioned, never did anything to piss anyone off, and never did anything risky. Suddenly, I found a connection with this man, and it gave me hope and courage that I could begin to stand for something greater than my own selfish desires." On any given day now, Rohan might be dealing with computer issues at one of the San Miguel Schools, whether it be working with the telecommunications system, setting up a computer lab or working with the schools' development team to get grants for equipment. He's dating the girl who got him going back to church. From this own Catholic background, he's found a comfort level with the faith practices at San Miguel. The school is operated by the Christian Brothers, although he has chosen to attend a Mennonite Church. The Mennonites have a strong commitment for peaceful resolution of disputes and an antiwar component that drew in Rohan. By working with and challenging the students academically and personally, the San Miguel School model hopes to make a difference in the lives of the children who go there. Rohan is part of that effort to provide an accessible education and to boost the school skills as well as the self-image of the students. Rohan said the school continues to work with its graduates as they continue into high school by providing study sessions and monthly retreats. Christian Peacemaker Teams On another front, two years ago, he joined an organization called Christian Peacemaker Teams. The Peacemakers, like the Mennonite Church, aim, through nonviolence, to work for peace. Last February, he traveled to the West Bank in Palestine to observe the efforts of the Peacemaker Teams. In Hebron, he escorted children who were being harassed to school. He met with Palestinian men who, for years, had not been able to leave their compound because of minor curfew violations, and he met with parents whose children were killed by suicide bombers. He was able to meet with Israeli and Palestinian peacemakers who are actively working to seek a solution for the conflict. Rohan is living his faith journey, walking with people whom others would shun. "In the San Miguel School, we believe the students will succeed when they have healthy families and that families will succeed when they have healthy communities," Rohan said. "Through education, our dream is to make an impact and change the world for the better."