For a community founded on collaboration between professed religious and lay people, it’s fitting that Viatorians first crossed paths with future associate Jason Kuffel through the outreach and leadership of a lay person. When Jason was a youth basketball player, Saint Viator High School feeder basketball coach Jim Bristol (SVHS ’73) drew Jason to play for the team as a middle school athlete.
Jason went on to attend Saint Viator, where he had Fr. George Harris, CSV as a teacher and Fr. Charlie Bolser, CSV as school president. He graduated in 1999, and his sister followed in 2002. Jason would go on to marry the daughter of Saint Viator and Sacred Heart of Mary grads, and his sister married a classmate from Saint Viator.
As an adult, Jason returned to Saint Viator as a coach for baseball, boys’ basketball, and boys’ lacrosse. At that time, his full-time job was at nearby Notre Dame College Prep, where he worked as Director of College and Career Counseling for seven years.
As Saint Viator High School Athletic Director, Jason led a massive, growing slate of programs for girls and boys athletics and represented the school at special events like this school hall of fame induction ceremony in 2023.
After Fr. Corey Brost, CSV became president of Saint Viator High School, he got to know Jason went on to the Viatorian outreach to Jason that Jim, Fr. Harris, and Fr. Bolser had started. “I developed a close relationship with Fr. Corey, and he invited me to ‘come home’ as a full-time employee, serving as Director of Enrollment,” Jason said.
Jason was honored to take on this work, always highlighting the school’s mission as he helped sustain enrollment and expanded the Saint Viator footprint into new communities. After four years, Jason was asked to become Athletic Director. “I was charged with bringing the Viatorian mission to life among our student-athletes, families, and coaches,” Jason said. “I remained in that position for six incredible years, during which we grew The Viator Way and S.T.R.I.V.E. (Sacrifice Intentionally, Thrive Spiritually, Rise Above Negativity, Value Adversity, and Embrace Gratitude) to the point where they were being implemented beyond athletics, influencing the broader school culture.”
Jason began visiting the Viatorian Youth Congress to interact with teen delegates in summers, and he started to converse more intentionally with Viatorians about joining the community. “Through prayer, reflection, and honest conversation with Fr. Corey, Fr. Charlie, and Associates Brian Liedlich and Cathy Abrahamian, I felt affirmed in my calling. Over time, I was also shaped and supported by Br. Michael Gosch, CSV, Br. Peter Lamick, CSV, Br. Rob Robertson, CSV, Fr. John Eustice, CSV, Fr. Dan Lydon, CSV, Fr. Dan Hall, CSV, and Associates Ann Perez and Brigette Brankin,” Jason said, acknowledging the “village” of Viatorians who supported him. “These individuals have walked beside me both in moments of great success and times of deep challenge, and their witness has profoundly shaped me into the leader I am today.”
Viatorians often trace our vocations to “Viatorian nudges” that invited us to further involvement. For Jason, Fr. Corey got to know him as a coach, invited him to full-time work at his alma mater high school, and then helped form him in preparation for committed lay association. Here, Jason (left) and Fr. Corey (middle) celebrate Jason’s commitment at the Provincial Assembly in 2022.
After his two years of formation and discernment, Jason made his initial commitment as a Viatorian associate in 2022 at the Provincial Assembly in Bourbonnais. In 2024, Jason recommitted for another three years. “For me, association is both a commitment and a continuation of my lifelong journey, one that is still nurtured today particularly through the ongoing mentorship and wisdom of Fr. Charlie, Fr. Corey, and Br. Michael,” Jason said.
Jason is now the Executive Director of a set of three YMCA camps in Illinois and Michigan, and in no way has he set the Viatorian charism aside as he tackles this work. “The Viator Way and S.T.R.I.V.E. principles are rooted in the words and teachings of Fr. Louis Querbes and the Viatorians. At the YMCA, these same values align seamlessly with our mission to put Christian principles into practice through programs that build a healthy spirit, mind, and body for all,” Jason said. “Much like the Viatorians’ call to serve those accounted of little importance, our camps welcome children and families of every background, offering scholarships, specialty medical camps, and programs for children with diverse needs.”
In addition to camps for youth with diabetes, spina bifida, Tourette’s Syndrome, special education needs, and more, Camp Duncan has also hosted Cristo Rey St. Martin – the Waukegan, Illinois high school Viatorians co-endorse – for student retreats, where Jason has bumped into Viatorians assisting with this ministry.
“What excites me most is that every single encounter, whether at Duncan, Independence, or Pinewood, is an opportunity to instill the same values I learned from the Viatorians – from hosting transformative retreats to preparing for a large-scale partnership event this fall that will welcome thousands to our campus,” Jason said.
That event is Harry Potter: A Forbidden Forest Experience, a special event staged by Warner Bros. Discovery Experiences that debuts in the Midwest at Camp Duncan in Fall 2025. It will showcase the YMCA facility to huge crowds of visitors over the course of several weeks, offering an immersive experience into this beloved story-world by using the trails and environs of the camp.
As Jason continues this work, he remains fueled by the Viatorian mission and nourished by our community life. “I stay especially close with Cathy, Brian, Fr. Charlie, Fr. Corey, and Br. Michael. Their friendship, mentorship, and encouragement have been steady anchors in my life,” Jason said. “At the same time, one of the beautiful aspects of the Viatorian community is that whenever I see any of my Viatorian brothers and sisters – whether in person, by email, by text, or on the phone – we can pick up right where we left off. That sense of shared mission and mutual support has been a gift throughout my journey.”
More on Jason from Viatorians.com:
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Associate Jason Kuffel monitors the course for the cross country meet he coordinated, where the route spanned the adjoining properties of both Saint Viator High School and the Viatorian Province Center.
Getting a Jump on Advent through Lessons and Carols (2024): At this regional Advent Prayer Service, Jason made his three-year recommitment to continue as an associate.
- Viatorian Community Giving Garden Opens New Season (2024): In this article for the opening of garden season, Jason’s family garden is pictured.
- This Associate Incorporates the Viatorian Mission into Athletics (2023): While serving as Saint Viator Athletic Director, Jason celebrated how the Viatorian mission overlaps with student-athletes’ experience and success.
- Viatorians Help Distinguish Million Dollar Classic Golf Outing (2023): For this major fundraiser that year, Jason hosted SVHS alumnus and NFL player Cole Kmet as well as Fr. Dan Lydon, CSV, then president, and Fr. Charlie Bolser, CSV, a former school president.
- Viatorian Youth Congress: Surrounding Young People with Viatorians (2023): Jason was one of many Viatorians who sat for interview conversations with teen delegates at VYC.
- Cross-Country Runners Take in Beauty of Province Center Grounds (2022): Jason was instrumental in coordinating a cross-country course for school-hosted meets that stretched across both the school campus and the Province Center grounds next door.
- Associates Continue to Add Vibrancy to Viatorian Community (2022): Jason started formation and discernment during the height of the pandemic, and then he made his initial commitment at Viatorian Assembly in 2022.
- Viatorian Athletics with Jason and Br. Peter (Viatorian Voices podcast appearance – 2021): Jason articulated a vision for high school athletics that made intentional space for mission and spirituality, working intentionally with professed Viatorians such as Br. Peter Lamick, CSV, who coached for him. They share a bit more of the vision in this podcast episode.
Posted by Associate Dan Masterton on September 3, 2025.