By Maggie Downs
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Brother Joseph Kamis stops to adjust the picture that hangs outside his new office at the Archdiocese of Cincinnati.

Brother Joseph Kamis shares a laugh with Sister Matthias Sterner, assistant director at the Dayton, Ohio office of religious education. (Brandi Stafford photos) | ZOOM |

If the frame is crooked, it's invisible to the common eye. But Brother Kamis tilts the image right, then left, then right again. He takes a few steps backward and scrutinizes the wall before giving the frame another slight tweak.

"I just can't seem to get this thing straight," he said. "It's been driving me crazy."

The new director of educational services for the Archdiocese of Cincinnati has an eye for order - and he plans to apply his organizational skills to running the ninth-largest Catholic school system in the nation. He is also a brother in the Society of Mary, an order devoted to education, a perfect fit for a man who has combined faith and teaching as his life's work.

Having taken up his new job Monday, Brother Kamis, 56, is now the authority for more than 55,000 children who attend 111 elementary schools and 22 secondary schools in 19 Southwest Ohio counties. He is the superintendent for this sprawling district, directing the education and evangelization of students and working with school faculty and parents.

Anne Battes Kirby, deputy superintendent for the archdiocese, asks Brother Kamis for a blessing. | ZOOM |

Among his first tasks, Brother Kamis will have to find a way to increase financial support for the district, even as tuition has gone up. In the last year, annual tuition has been raised an average of $124 for elementary schools and almost $300 for secondary schools.

"In Catholic education, money has always been a concern, and in all justice, we need to start paying our teachers more," he said. "They will never get paid as much as teachers in a public system, but we can help lessen the gap."

Also, student enrollment has been dropping slowly the past few years, down 1,353 this year to 55,162 students. Archdiocese officials say the decline is due to shifting demographics and the sluggish economy.

"My goal right now?" Brother Kamis said, puffing his cheeks to make a heavy exhalation. "Survive."

He replaces Sister Kathryn Ann Connelly, who retired as superintendent last spring after 18 years. A nationwide search drew applications from around the country. The search committee decided on Brother Kamis, a Cleveland native and former principal at Archbishop Moeller High School for six years.

"Am I nervous? Yeah, I'm a little nervous," Brother Kamis said. "But I've learned now that you just rely on other people. There's no me here - it's us."

Deep faith

Catholicism isn't just one aspect of Brother Kamis' life. It is his life.

BROTHER JOSEPH KAMIS

Age: 56 (born Christmas day). Residence: St. Francis de Sales Church, Walnut Hills. Education: Bachelor's degree in education from the University of Dayton; master's degree in administration from John Carroll University in Cleveland. Career: Provincial, Society of Mary - Cincinnati province (1997-2002); Assistant provincial/director of education, Society of Mary - Cincinnati province (1991-97); Principal, Archbishop Moeller High School - Cincinnati (August 1986-December 1991) Assistant Principal, St. Joseph High School - Cleveland (August 1985 to December 1986); Principal, St. Laurence College - Dublin, Ireland (December 1979 to December 1984). Last book read: Truman, by David McCullough Favorite music: John Denver Leisure activities: Racquetball, biking, hiking, walking, reading, backgammon Junk food: Buttered popcorn. Last movie watched: Die Another Day, the latest James Bond movie.

ARCHDIOCESE OF CINCINNATI

Size: The archdiocese covers 19 countiesin Southwest Ohio with a total enrollment of 55,162 students (39,688 in Greater Cincinnati). It is the ninth-largest system of Catholic schools in the U.S. Number of schools: 111 elementary schools (76 in Greater Cincinnati); 22 secondary schools (17 in Greater Cincinnati). Diversity: 88 percent of students are Catholic, 12 percent are of other faiths; 90 percent are Caucasian, 10 percent are minorities. Graduation rate: 80 percent of Catholic elementary students enter a Catholic high school. 98 percent of Class of 2002 Catholic high school students graduated; of those, 97 percent went on to college. School personnel: Total professional staff is 3,692 (2,709 in Greater Cincinnati); 97 percent are lay teachers; 3 percent are religious. Source: Archdiocese of Cincinnati

"The spirit has moved me," he said. "That's where I found my vocation. That's where I found myself."

As the youngest child in a large Catholic family, Brother Kamis said faith carried him through tough times during the sixth grade, when his mother died.

"This was the 1950s, when the Catholic church was our life," he said. "Our parish was the church and the school was the church, so it was this really close-knit Catholic community." The desire to educate is the other passion in his life.

"As far back as I can remember in grade school and elementary school, I wanted to be a teacher," Brother Kamis said. "I had a lot of admiration for them and wanted to follow in their footsteps."

An uncle who was a priest led Brother Kamis to consider the ministry. Brothers of the Society of Mary finalized that decision.

"When I went to cathedral at school, it was run by the Marianists. And they were all so youthful and educated and full of energy, they grabbed me. I said, `Yeah, I want to be like that,'" Brother Kamis said.

The Society of Mary, or Marianists, is a Roman Catholic congregation comprising priests and brothers who try to live according to the Biblical mother of Jesus. In their ministry, members focus on missionary work and educating others.

Taking vows in 1966, Brother Kamis moved quickly through the Marianist ranks, winning administration positions, eventually becoming the head of the Dayton-based Cincinnati Province for the Society of Mary, formerly one of four provinces in the country. His position was eliminated last summer when the provinces combined to become one, based in St. Louis, Mo.

Now Brother Kamis is starting a new chapter, one that again combines faith and education.

"I think the parents will see a strong leader, someone who will bring Catholicism to the forefront in our schools," said Cheryl Sucher, search committee member and principal of McAuley High School in College Hill, an all-girls' Catholic school that is not owned by the archdiocese.

Getting started

Peering into his office, it seems as though Brother Kamis has always had a home in the archdiocese. On his first day, files were already in place. Books and folders stood like rigid soldiers guarding the sparse shelves. And the few decorations that hung on the walls were precise and level. It's typical, his friends said.

"The secretary he had here said he was the most organized person she'd ever worked for - and she had worked with many people," said Father Richard Knuge, S.M., superior of property at Mount St. John in Dayton, the grounds where Brother Kamis was director of the Bergamo center.

The neatness extends to the brother himself. His blue shirt is pressed. His tie is knotted just so. His wire-rimmed glasses shine. And every so often, a shy smile peppers the polite conversation.

The tidiness is a way of keeping his life in order, he explained.

"For me, it's helpful to be organized to know what's going on," Brother Kamis said. "Organization helps me know where things are, so I'm a more competent administrator and can stay on top of things. I'm not a good off-the-cuff person."

The new superintendent is a "hands-on leader," according to Moeller Principal Dan Ledford, who was the assistant principal under Brother Kamis.

Anne Battes Kirby, deputy superintendent for the archdiocese, served for six months as interim superintendent before Brother Kamis arrived. She said the job will be a "dynamic and challenging journey," one that requires a person to "be a good listener, be a team player and be collaborative with others."

A friend and colleague, Brother Jack Somerville, said Brother Kamis has the right experience.

"When you're a provincial, you have to deal with people of all different sizes, heights, weights, educational backgrounds," Brother Somerville said. "He was scholarly and serious, but then we could go out and have a beer."

In the archdiocese school system, 50 percent of the students in the city of Cincinnati are non-Catholic and 51 percent are minorities. Systemwide, 13 percent of the students are non-Catholic and 10 percent are minorities.

The diversity in Cincinnati, Brother Kamis said, "is a learning opportunity. I think what non-Catholics will bring to us is a diversity of life and beliefs, which is what we need, so we won't have a narrow viewpoint."

Before he announces any plans for archdiocese schools, Brother Kamis wants to get to know the people and hear what they have to say.

"I have a lot of listening to do. Because before you can make an agenda, you really need to know what the issues are," he said. "It's different from being the CEO of a company. These really aren't all my decisions to make.

"It's just too big for one person. So I depend heavily on the team here, because they know what they're doing."

Being organized, his friends say, should not be confused with perfectionism.

"Joe knows that he is not a perfect human being," said Brother Somerville. "And therefore when other people become less than perfect, he can deal with that. He's been on that street."

And when organizational skills aren't enough, Brother Kamis said he knows where to turn.

"Every morning when I wake up, I look forward to a time of prayer. And at the end of the day, I take the good and the bad and thank God for everything, and I hand it all off to Him.

"After you hand off that burden, then you can sleep."

E-mail mdowns@enquirer.com