The story of how Br. Rob Robertson, CSV, came to join the Viatorians is a bit different from that of many other professed Viatorians – Br. Rob wasn’t taught by Viatorians and didn’t get to know them at his local parish because he wasn’t even Catholic. He first encountered the Viatorians in his 20s, when the late Fr. Robert Erickson, CSV, called Rob, inviting him to apply for a teaching job at Griffin High School in Springfield, IL.
Fr. Robert Erickson and then novice, Br. Rob Robertson
At the time, Br. Rob says he wasn’t sure about his future career path. Yet, that fateful call would lead not only to a career in education, but also conversion to Catholicism and then God’s invitation to religious life. He has never looked back. In nearly four decades of ministry, he has positively impacted the lives of thousands of young people.
Since he professed first vows in 1987, Br. Rob has worked in Catholic schools. He first ministered as a theology teacher and campus minister before returning to school to earn a master’s in counseling and shifting into ministry as a school counselor. Br. Rob has served at Bishop Gorman High School and St. Viator Parish School in Las Vegas, Cristo Rey St. Viator in North Las Vegas, and Saint Viator High School in Arlington Heights, IL.
During his first stint at Saint Viator High School, Br. Rob is credited with being one of the faculty leaders who introduced the Kairos retreat program to the school – in 1992 – and it has spread to nearly all the places where Viatorians minister to young people.
Br. Rob Robertson, bottom right, with teens from the St. Viator Catholic Community delegation at the VYC 2016.
After returning to Las Vegas in the 2010s, Br. Rob contributed to the preparations by the Viatorian Community to found Cristo Rey St. Viator in 2019. For the school’s first two years, he served as a school counselor there.
Over the years, he has also often served in leadership of the congregation and on regional committees. In 2017, he was elected to serve on the Provincial Council with Fr. Dan Hall, CSV, Provincial, from 2018 to 2022.
He has been back at Saint Viator serving as a school counselor again since 2021. Following the renovations at the Province Center that were completed in 2024, he became the house director for the new community on the improved second floor. In 2025, when two pre-novices began religious formation, Br. Rob stepped in as Director of Pre-Novitiate for the two men as they moved into the PC community.
To this day, he connects this whole journey back to when he answered the call from Fr. Erickson. “It changed my life,” he says, “and has been more rewarding than I ever could have thought. I certainly had no idea that God had a plan of a religious vocation for me. God certainly does work in mysterious ways.”
More on Br. Rob from Viatorians.com:
- Discernment Lightning Round (2025 – Viatorian Voices podcast appearance): Br. Rob joined Associate Ann Perez and Viatorian Young Adult Madeline Denk in offering some brief insights on discernment and vocation for National Vocations Awareness Week.
- Viatorians Welcome Two Pre-Novices into Formation (2025): Pre-Novices Tony and Sal began their formation year with a prayer service with Br. Rob and several other Viatorians. After beginning their year with Fr. John, the pre-novitiate direction shifted to Br. Rob who supervises their formation experience.
- Saint Viator High School Rallies Around Coach K (2025): Br. Rob helped arrange a day of prayer, fellowship, and fundraising for his friend Chris Kirkpatrick, a former SVHS varsity head football coach and dean, and his family, as Chris faces ALS.
- FEATURE: SVHS Kairos at 100 – The Wide-Reaching Impact of One Retreat (2025): Br. Rob was a big force behind establishing Kairos at SVHS, which seeded sibling programs around the province and grew to become a 100-retreats-and-counting tradition at SVHS.
- My Religious Life in 3 Photos: Br. Rob Robertson, CSV (2025): In a video series by Vocation Ministry, five men shared insights into their religious lives through three favorite photos – this is Br. Rob’s reflection.
- Four Testimonials about Commitment (2024 – Viatorian Voices podcast appearance): Sitting down for a roundtable with Fr. Jhobany Orduz, CSV, Br. Peter Lamick, CSV, and Fr. John Eustice, CSV, Br. Rob contributed reflections about discerning commitment, to religious life, to first vows, and then to perpetual vows.
- Viatorian Retreat Offers Immersion Experience (2024): Along with the Vocation Ministry Team, Br. Rob helped lead an immersion retreat for young men, mixing hiking, recreation, service, and prayer and faith-sharing on a weekend around Las Vegas.
In addition to ministering as a school counselor, Br. Rob is often helping out with campus ministries, such as this day of reflection for sophomores, where Br. Rob is supporting student leaders in an activity.
- No Matter Where They Are, Viatorians Find Each Other (2024): While traveling in Europe before the 2024 General Chapter, Br. Rob, Fr. Jhobany, and Br. Peter ran into Associate Brigette Brankin in Rome, where she was traveling with her family.
- On the Road Again Talking Vocations (2023): Along with Br. Peter and then-Br. Jhobany, Br. Rob made a few vocations presentations to young people all around Las Vegas.
- Roundtable on Viatorian Religious Life (2022 – Viatorian Voices podcast appearance): In this video episode, we convened a young member, a middle-aged member, and an elder member to discuss their experience of Viatorian religious life.
- These Brothers Live Their Vocation (2022): As the pandemic abated, Br. Rob and his brothers got regular direct service going again with Saint Viator HS students.
- Serving Others Starts Early with this Camp (2022): Br. Rob often helps out with Saint Viator HS Service & Song, and he was out there as a team lead in 2022.
- Religious Brothers Day (2022 – Viatorian Voices podcast appearance): To mark Religious Brothers Day, Br. Rob and Br. Peter sat down for a roundtable chat on the vocation and ministry of religious brothers, especially in Viatorian religious life.
- This Viatorian Tradition Continues (2022): Saint Viator High School hosts an annual vocations fair, where religious come to share about their communities with theology class students, who make the rounds on a conversational scavenger hunt. Br. Rob assisted fellow Viatorians at the community’s table.
- Exploring God’s Invitation with Br. Rob (2021 – Viatorian Voices podcast appearance): In this 15-minute interview, Br. Rob tells a basic version of his vocation story and how began and dove into Viatorian religious life.
- Viatorians Make Residence Their Home (2021): Upon moving back to Arlington Heights, Br. Rob spearheaded some improvements in the community house, including fresh paint in the common spaces.
- How to Center Yourself in the Pandemic (2020): Working as a counselor during the pandemic meant trying to support students remotely, so Br. Rob made this video of tips for teens.
- Talk Vocations with Las Vegas Teens (2018): While working in Las Vegas, Br. Rob hosted then-Br. John to present on vocations to Bishop Gorman High School students.
- Viatorian Brother Returns to School Roots (2017): After a few years at an elementary school, Br. Rob flipped back to high school work, returning to Bishop Gorman for another stint.
- Kairos Retreat and the Viatorians Reach 25 Years Together (2017): This article looks back 25 years to Br. Rob’s part in the start of Kairos, which hit this big milestone in 2017.
- Thinking Outside the Box to Empower Students (2017): As a counselor at St. Viator Parish School, Br. Rob helped coordinate a tutoring program to support students.
- New Beginnings for Br. Rob (2015): When Br. Rob last left Illinois, it was bittersweet yet exciting to head to Nevada once again.
- Making the Viator Connection (2013): Br. Rob went to an education conference in Las Vegas with Saint Viator colleagues and visited our namesake parish to show the Illinois folks a Nevada ministry.
Updated on November 19, 2025 by Associate Dan Masterton.