Remembering Gregory Moon Goethals; he was full of life
By Jack Dennis, S.J.
Fr. Gregory Moen Goethals, S.J., was a larger-than-life character. Greg lived and breathed Los Angeles, Loyola High School, his Goethals family, and his priestly vocation to the Jesuit Order.
Having known and loved Greg Goethals for over 45 years, I came to admire the amazing person he evolved into over the decades and the incredible leadership he showed managing Loyola High School Los Angeles. Greg cared deeply about every aspect of Loyola, from the most timid new freshman, to building facilities and programs to accommodate and meet the needs of all.
Greg’s contagious laughter and great sense of humor could extinguish a multitude of dilemmas, and his brilliance leading Loyola for 20 years is unmatched. His sensitivity and care for sister institutions, like Verbum Dei Jesuit High School, is what characterized Greg most perfectly. He was a “Man for Others” in the most definitive ways.
FATHER GREGORY MOEN GOETHALS (left) and Father Jack Dennis of the Jesuit Order.
Since I had the joy of being a close friend of his for decades, I will forever savor the love that we shared and all the memories of days gone by. Greg brought a rich texture of commitment and concern to everything he set his mind to, and his legacy will live on forever.
Gregory Moen Goethals touched the lives and hearts of countless people in the Los Angeles community and beyond. His educational expertise reached far and wide, as the many academic and civic boards of which he was a member will attest.
But, far and away, it was Greg’s personality and character that mattered most. Our world will be a little less without him, but his family, his friends, his students, and their parents will pass on the lessons they learned from Greg and that will help them to be a little bit more compassionate, forgiving, just, inclusive, and loving. And, if I know Gregory Moen Goethals, S.J., that is exactly what he wanted his life to bear.
Editor’s note: Father Goethals died Nov. 24, 2025, in New York at the age of 70 after being hospitalized from a massive heart attack. He had recently retired after 20 years as president of Loyola High School. He attended St. Brendan School and Loyola High School (class of ’73) and grew up in Windsor Square. Fr. Jack Dennis, S.J., is a Baltimore, Maryland, native.
Category: People
