Monsignor Joseph Reilly, Past Director
Reilly's Rome Retreat with College Seminarians Makes the Evening News
by Catherine Memory
by Catherine Memory
In January 2005, Reverend Joseph Reilly '87, S.T.L., Ph.D., rector of
the College Seminary - St. Andrew's Hall at Seton Hall University, also
assumed the role of director of Seton Hall's International Institute for
Clergy Formation. Founded in 1987 by the late Monsignor Andrew Cusack,
Ph.D, the institute has grown to become one of the largest programs of
clergy formation with more than 10,000 priest alumni from around the
world. Following closely the guidance of Pope John Paul II's hallmark
pastoral Pastores Dabo Vobis [I Will Send You Shepherds], the
institute organizes two annual conferences for priests, a four week program
June and July and a week-long conference in January.
"A lot of our conference participants are solo parish priests who appreciate this unique opportunity to reconnect with their fellow priests within a graduate-level, university teaching and learning environment," explains Father Reilly. "I feel privileged to help my fellow priests renew and reinvigorate themselves and their commitment to the priesthood," he says.
As director, Reilly plans to build upon Monsignor Cusack's successful initiatives and reach more young priests, specifically those ordained for 10 years or less. Toward that end, a special invitation mailing for the summer Institute has already been sent to this new target audience.
A Seton Hall alumnus, Father Reilly also earned an S.T.B degree from the Gregorian University in Rome, an S.T.L degree from the Pontificio Instituto Teresianum in Rome and a Ph.D. in educational administration from Fordham University. He taught at Seton Hall Preparatory School for seven years prior to accepting the position of rector of the College Seminary in 2002.
In his role as rector, Father Reilly recently accompanied Seton Hall's
college seminarians on an eight-day retreat to Rome during spring break.
An audience with Pope John Paul II had been on their itinerary; however,
it was canceled due to the Pope's illness. In fact, the group departed
Newark Liberty International Airport for Rome the day after Pope John
Paul II's most recent hospitalization and met two Vatican-bound
television news crews on their flight. The reporters from WABC and WCBS
were sympathetic to the young seminarians' concerns for the Pope's
health, and once in Rome the college seminarians were among the faithful
interviewed for several evening and morning news segments broadcast in
New York that weekend. "Many of our college seminarians attribute their
call to the priesthood to Pope John Paul II," explains Father Reilly.
"This is the only Pope they know."