University Heights, OH— For Br. Matthew Wooters ’09, the path from John Carroll University graduate to Jesuit brother has been one of faith, growth and a willingness to step outside his comfort zone. He returns to his alma mater with a beaming smile and open door, hoping to inspire others to explore their faith and live a life of service. His journey reflects a deep connection to community, spirituality and finding God’s presence in everyday life.

Growing up in Silver Spring, MD, faith has been a part of Wooters’ life since the beginning. “Every big part of my life involved going to church and having a party. It felt like God [was] always the backdrop to my life.” His childhood was full of activity and happy chaos as Wooters, the third of four brothers, remarked, “The circus was already going when I came on the scene.”

The Wooters brothers attended Georgetown Preparatory School, an all-boys Jesuit high school near his home. “In high school, I was very much figuring out who I was. I was all over the place.” He participated in everything, from theater and retreats to the wrestling and swim team. However, he would advise his younger self to “take it easy” because “nothing’s as serious as you think it is.”

When he first visited JCU in the mid-2000s, two things stuck out to him: the people and the beautiful campus. On his campus tour, a student he met early on remembered his name when they crossed paths later. This experience helped Wooters realize that he “wanted to be part of a community where we hold doors for each other. We remember each other’s names.”

Starting his first semester at JCU, Wooters said he “loved the sense of freedom” that JCU gave him. “It’s a place where you can try and fail or try and love it. So I tried a lot of stuff.”

He graduated from JCU in 2009 with a bachelor’s degree in political science. He was involved in campus ministry, worked as a tour guide and helped start Beta Theta Pi fraternity— this 2010 video from the fraternity includes Wooters talking about his role as a member educator.

At college, faith was still the backdrop of his life, from leading retreats to participating in immersions and attending Mass. “I liked that it was part of [my friend groups’] social structure, that going to Mass and then going to hang out was part of our week. It felt very integrated into my life,” said Wooters.

His favorite professor was Mindy Peden, Ph.D, and a professor in the Political Science Department. She said “Matt is the kind of student you never forget; he was always curious and engaged. We spent many office hours discussing ideas and plans for the future.”

“I’m so happy he is back in the JCU community doing what he does best: building social bridges,” said Peden.

After graduating, Wooters spent two years with the Jesuit Volunteer Corps, serving youth at a parish in Punta Gorda, Belize. This experience “was well outside” his comfort zone. Pushed to his limits, he found both new gifts and challenges.

“I think God’s constantly inviting us outside of our comfort zone. We’re all invited to be outside of where we want to stay,” he said.

Wooters joined the Jesuits in 2012 and took vows as a brother in 2014. Then he was missioned to Saint Louis University to get a master’s in social work. After this, he was sent to the Jesuit School of Theology of Santa Clara University for a master’s degree in theological studies. During his education journey, Wooters served as an educator and school counselor.

Wooters explained that “the role of a Brother is to accompany God’s people exactly where they are.” Referencing the teaching of St. Ignatius of Loyola, he said “God works through our deepest desires. So how do we know God’s will? It’s by tapping into our own deepest desires at the heart level.”

“One of my big draws to the Jesuits was the amount of bandwidth I could give to relationships,” he said “Our Jesuit work is never for us, it’s always for everyone else,” because “your life’s not about you. So how do you want to give your love and your life away?”

“And I have found my path that I’m really happy in, and I love coming to work, and I love being with students, and I love what I do,” said Wooters. When he found out he would be returning to JCU he said “it felt kind of crazy to be sent back to a place I love.”

Wooters said, “I want everyone on this campus to feel known, seen and loved and celebrated. So invite me to your stuff, students, if you’re reading this, invite me!”

Outside his work, Wooters feels the most alive and full of joy when “swimming in a body of water at sunrise.” He takes in “the wonder and awe that comes with feeling very small in nature.” In 2021, he swam eight miles in Lake Michigan, starting near Loyola University Chicago and finishing at the Navy Pier to celebrate the founding of the Cristo Rey School and attempt to raise at least $25,000 for it. Over $27,000 was donated before he even touched the water.

For all that makes Wooters such a remarkably disciplined and positive individual, he is not without struggle. “I think the loss of friendship is one of the most challenging things. Friendship is a choice and it’s a gift, and as you get older, [sometimes] the trails go in different directions,” he said. Yet in the face of hardship, his cure is community: his Jesuit brothers, family and friends. These people are his “anchors.”

As he walks the campus again, Wooters hopes to inspire students to explore their faith, step out of their comfort zones, embrace their deepest desires and live lives filled with purpose, connection and joy.