In honor of Fr. Tony’s great dedication to the Gonzaga-in-Florence program, the Fr. Tony Lehmenn, S.J. Scholarship was established for students pursuing studies in Florence.
Lehmann spent 16 years in Carthusian monasteries in Switzerland and Italy hidden away in a walled, mountain hermitage. He lived in a small cottage, saw others only at church, and didn’t speak except during once-a-week outings into the mountains. He was ordained a priest on Aug. 24, 1959. On a trip to Florence to renew his passport a decade later, Lehmann stopped by Gonzaga’s school in the Italian city to visit the late Rev. Clement Regimbal, a Jesuit who headed the Gonzaga-in-Florence program. Regimbal asked Lehmann to become a chaplain and treasurer for the program, and after receiving permission from his Carthusian superiors, Lehmann stayed with the Gonzaga-in-Florence program until 1972.
Father Lehmann served as coordinator of Campus Ministry at Gonzaga University in Spokane from September 1974 until May 1976, then returned to Florence as dean of students from 1976 to 1982, when he returned to Spokane and began his work as Gonzaga’s alumni chaplain and assistant alumni director. Some knew Father Tony as the Gonzaga men’s basketball priest, as he occupied a special spot at the end of the bulldog bench for the past 20 years. He was a man of all occasions-weddings, funerals, wakes, baptisms; he did them all for Gonzaga alumni, their family and friends-literally anyone who asked. Father Tony’s life was a testament to his zest for living. And as he prepared for his death and entrance into God’s kingdom, he was at peace, rock-solid in his belief of a greater destiny and warmed by the relationships that have nurtured his life. “Relationships are not ending,” Father Tony said. “Just changing.”
The Fr. Tony Lehmann, S.J. Scholarship ensures that students who work hard in school (students who receive this scholarship must maintain a 3.0 GPA or higher) will have the opportunity to partake in the life-changing journey of Gonzaga-in-Florence.
If you would like to support the Fr. Tony Lehmann, S.J. Scholarship visit www.gonzaga.edu/makeagift. To learn more about Gonzaga-in-Florence visit www.gonzaga.edu/gif.