In December, Father Bob Jones, S.M. ’98, was named assistant provincial of the Marianist Province of the United States, appointed by Marianist leadership in Rome. He will officially step into the position this summer.

For the past four years, “Father Bob,” as he’s known around campus, has served as chaplain in UD’s Campus Ministry, where he has been a steady presence in the spiritual life of the University.

“I’m going to miss the work I get to do with students,” he said of leaving UD. “But I am looking forward to my new role, walking with the brothers, walking with the institutions as we further the mission of the Marianists.”

Jones has been a familiar and welcoming face to many in the Flyer community, celebrating Sunday Mass and accompanying students in their faith journeys. As he prepares to take this next step, here are three things to know about “Father Bob,” beyond the collar.

1. He's a math nerd.

Jones started at UD as a civil engineering major but switched to mathematics, a subject he said he’s always been drawn to. “It was my favorite subject in high school — it just made sense to me.” He worked for years as a high school math teacher across the country before getting his call from God to do something “different in life dedicated to faith and spirituality,” he said.

2. He's lived all over.

Growing up in Fort Wayne, Indiana, Jones came to Dayton to attend UD but found himself called back several times throughout his career. He’s lived in Indianapolis, Cincinnati, St. Louis and San Antonio (twice). In between, he returned to Dayton three times to prepare for the priesthood, teach and join the UD community. He studied pastoral ministry at Boston College for graduate school and lived in Rome for three years to attend the Marianist International Seminary. His new position will take him back to St. Louis. Home, it turns out, has been wherever the work — and the call — has led him. 

3. He loves Mass. A lot. 

Attending Mass on Sundays at the chapel, one thing becomes very clear — Jones is excited. “Mass really is a prayer of the community and being able to lead the community in prayer is something really special,” he said. What he loves most about Mass is who attends — people who are great with God, people who are having difficulties with God, people who are having the best day of their life and people who are really struggling — and they are all coming together, he said. “I just think there’s something really beautiful about that. That realization reshaped my calling and led me to my current mission.”

A version of this article appears in print in the Spring 2026 University of Dayton Magazine, Page 16. EXPLORE THE ISSUE — MORE ONLINE