He’s known as many things – musician, teacher, preacher, composer, Jesuit, liturgist, leader – but you can just call him Roc.

The Rev. Robert “Roc” O’Connor, S.J., is just over two years into his term as rector of the Creighton Jesuit Community, where he is charged with the spiritual and physical care of Creighton’s 52 Jesuits.

“It’s a very complex entity – we’re very complex people!” O’Connor said of the Jesuits.

“There’s so many different wonderful and brilliant temperaments and personalities with these guys – it’s like herding cats, in that sense,” he said. “We’re trained to be independent types, which is a part what Ignatius wanted – someone who can go anywhere at any time and make stuff happen for the good of people and the glory of God.”

O’Connor said his duties as rector have cut into the amount of time he can spend teaching and working with Campus Ministry, but he continues to be active in both, as well as his role as associate pastor of St. John’s Parish.

And somehow he finds time to play guitar on-stage at the Holland Performing Arts Center in front of nearly 2,000 fans. O’Connor, 60, is an original member of the popular Catholic musical collaboration, the St. Louis Jesuits, who are performing at the Holland at 3 p.m. Sunday.

O’Connor recalled playing guitar with his fellow Jesuit novices, Dan Schutte and Bob Dufford, in the late 1960s while they were Jesuit novices at Saint Bonifacius, Minn. Later they moved to St. Louis to continue their studies at St. Louis University, and there they met John Foley and Tim Manion.

“I remember one night we just ended up playing guitar together – just a bunch of people playing and singing together,” O’Connor said. “We used to do that a lot.”

Those five – Bob Dufford, S.J., John Foley, S.J., Tim Manion, Dan Schutte and O’Connor – later became known as the St. Louis Jesuits, releasing 10 albums and penning such liturgical hits as “Be Not Afraid,” “Here I Am Lord,” “Come To The Water,” and “Let Heaven Rejoice.” “We didn’t function as a group then, nor did we function as a group ever,” O’Connor said.

“We were kind of a consortium. We had a working relationship as composers inspired by a similar vision.”

From late April through June of 1973, they recorded 57 songs on four records with a book of lyrics, melodies and guitar chords. In 1974, those recordings were published by North American Liturgy Resources and quickly gained popularity around the world.

“We all still just stand in amazement that this went anywhere. We saw that 1973 as a final project. That was it.”

In the beginning, O’Connor was a supporting musician, adding color and depth to the others’ pieces with his 12-string guitar – the same guitar he uses today. Then in 1974, Schutte, Manion, Foley, Dufford and O’Connor spent about six weeks in Berkley, Calif., working on their music and writing new tunes.

That’s when O’Connor began songwriting. It was a “miraculous surprise,” he said.

“I always wanted to write; I just didn’t know how to do it,” O’Connor said. “Initial inspiration kind of gave way to learning about the hard work of composition and the discipline of it – the discipline you need to compose.”

O’Connor said he can’t rely solely on inspiration when he writes.

“I’ve written 100 songs or more, and very, very few – maybe two or three – have been ‘given.’ For the most part, I take time to slowly work out the implications of a phrase or something.”

He said his favorite songs he’s written are two slower pieces: “Jesus the Lord,” from the late 70s and “Oh Beauty Ever Ancient” from 2004.

“What I always try to get across to other musicians in playing quiet songs: Don’t lose the sense of passion or ‘pathos.’ Always leave room for that somehow.”

Tony Ward, director of Music Ministry, has worked with O’Connor for six years. Ward described O’Connor as passionate, creative and reflective.

“When he’s in a discussion about music or liturgy, there’s no doubt whatsoever that he’s fully engaged in that discussion and that his engagement is coming from a place that’s very spiritual, very respectful,” Ward said. “There’s a lot of energy and a lot of passion in there.”

O’Connor said he tries to always maintain that sense of passion when he’s playing, and he tries to show other musicians how to do the same.

“With the joyful songs, leave the door open for anguish and for sorrow at the same time,” he explained. “It’s a more complete experience. It’s more true to reality and the human experience.”