West Pittston native Msgr. John Jordan will be honored at the 2021 NativityMiguel Tribute Dinner on Thursday, Oct. 28, at the DeNaples Center at the University of Scranton.
Tony Callaio | For Sunday Dispatch
Msgr. John Jordan will be honored at the 2021 NativityMiguel School of Scranton on Thursday, Oct. 28, at the DeNaples Center at the University of Scranton. Left is the event chair, Sandy Insalaco.
Tony Callaio | For Sunday Dispatch
PITTSTON – West Pittston native Msgr. John Jordan, a retired Jesuit priest, is being honored at the 2021 NativityMiguel Tribute Dinner on Thursday, Oct. 28 at the University of Scranton’s DeNaples Center. Sandy Insalaco serves at chairman of the event.
NativityMiguel, formed in 1971, is a school system made up from two separate entities, Nativity by the Jesuits and Miguel by the Christian Brothers, to educate predominately immigrant underserved children.
While serving with the National Catholic Educational Association in Washington, D.C., Msgr. Jordan was asked to serve as the executive director of the NativityMiguel foundation. After discussing the position with the bishop, it was decided he would serve as executive director of more than 60 schools in the country.
Upon retiring, Jordan, now 79 years old, relocated back to Northeastern Pennsylvania when he was once again approached to start a school for the under served. He agreed and the NativityMiguel School of Scranton began to form in 2012.
“We met with the four (regional) colleges, the medical school people and said, what can we do,” Jordan explained. “The colleges and university put money in to the beginning, and we did a study we decided a need was there.”
The first school was started in 2015 at Temple Hesed, Jewish synagogue, near Lake Scranton, followed by relocating to Marywood University and remains there to today. The school caters to children from grade five through grade eight.
“We’ve now had five classes graduate and these kids who finish have been accepted to Holy Cross, Scranton Prep and Wyoming Seminary,” Jordan said. “After leaving NativityMiguel, we have a graduate support mentor in our program that follows each student checking on their progress.”
In addition to Prep, Seminary and Holy Cross, students have been accepted in Milton Hershey School and Episcopal High School, Virginia.
Jordan is proud of the success of the school and the progress it made in such a short time, and now he is being honored for his work in education, in particular the NativityMiguel network of schools as well as the school in Scranton.
Graduates of NativityMiguel have been awarded more than $3 million in scholarships and financial aid over their four-years of high school.
Jordan said he is honored by the acknowledgement, but he also aware the dinner is a big fundraiser for the NativityMiguel program. He knew there was only one person that could chair the event to make it a success and that was Sandy Insalaco.
Insalaco, a highly successful businessman, along with his brothers, were hugely successful in the supermarket business operating 12 stores in Northeastern Pennsylvania before selling their chain in 1993. Since then, the 82-year-old Insalaco is still very active in business with real estate, a water company and other business holdings.
Insalaco, a philanthropist in his own right and former Misericordia University trustee, set a goal as chairman of the NativityMiguel Tribute Dinner at $225,000.
According to Ariel Bzdick, NativityMiguel business office manager, the goal is within reach.
For further information on the school or the dinner, contact Bzdick at 570-955-5176 or to purchase tickets for the dinner go to https://tinyurl.com/3ahx3az3.
Past NativityMiguel Dinner Tribute honorees have been David and Ann Hawk (Gertrude Hawk Chocolates), PA Sen. Bob Casey and Rev. Herbert B. Keller, S.J. (former University of Scranton president).
