Since he arrived at Mount Carmel as a freshman in the fall of ’88, Fr. Tony Mazurkiewicz ’92 O. Carm, always has maintained the same mantra: “Let the spirit guide you.” This particular saying has carried Fr. Tony from a student (class of ’92),  to a faculty member, to a Carmelite, and finally to serving as president.

As he concludes his fifth year as head of the school, Fr. Tony will be ending his term on June 30, and will be succeeded by Ned Hughes ’70, who will be the first layman and non-Carmelite to lead the school.

After his ordination in 2008, Fr. Tony served at a parish in south central Los Angeles for two years before returning to Mount Carmel as a theology teacher in 2010.  Within a year he was asked to succeed Fr. Carl Markelz as president in 2011.  Throughout Fr. Tony’s service as president, he has been “grateful for the opportunity to lead the school,” and as he hands over leadership to Hughes, he is confident Mount Carmel is heading in the right direction, and that “the Spirit will continue to guide the leader of the school.”

As Fr. Tony closes one chapter, he will be taking some time to rest before beginning the next chapter of his life. One possibility is to attend graduate school to earn a doctorate degree in spirituality, although he is considering several options.  But wherever the spirit takes him next on his journey, Fr. Tony always will call Mount Carmel his home.  “It (has been) a gift to be a part of this community.”

For the school community, Fr. Tony’s presence will be deeply missed.  Sophomore Alec Fedyk calls him a very “inspirational” leader, and freshman Carlton Lee believes his “guidance” made the school community better.

For Principal John Stimler, Fr. Tony’s “presence as a young dynamic Carmelite” is what stands out the most from his five years of leadership.  Stimler also appreciates all the hard work and dedication Fr. Tony has put into securing the school’s future.  “He sees the importance of insuring that Mount Carmel continue to thrive in the next decades.”