{"id":4763,"date":"2025-01-06T08:00:56","date_gmt":"2025-01-06T13:00:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.shu.edu\/magazine\/?p=4763"},"modified":"2025-06-30T16:20:51","modified_gmt":"2025-06-30T20:20:51","slug":"a-man-for-others","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.shu.edu\/magazine\/2025\/01\/a-man-for-others\/","title":{"rendered":"A Man for Others"},"content":{"rendered":"

Monsignor Joseph Reilly steps into the role of Seton Hall\u2019s 22nd president \u2014 guided by faith and an open heart. <\/em><\/p>\n

Stepping down from the podium at the November 4 ceremonies marking his investiture as the University\u2019s 22nd president, Monsignor Joseph Reilly S.T.L., Ph.D., moved closer to the audience to share three aspects of his life that have made him who he is: a deep love for Jesus Christ, his vocation as a priest and an enduring passion for Seton Hall.<\/p>\n

\u201cHalf of my life has been spent here,\u201d he said, referencing his arrival as a Seton Hall Prep student in 1979. \u201cIt was here, in this place, where I discovered the passion and purpose of my life as a priest. But Seton Hall is not simply a place of three campuses.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is a community of people, with fundamental beliefs about God, the human person, the world and the values that underlie all of those things that are founded in faith. This is what sustains each one of us in our lives here at Seton Hall.\u201d<\/p>\n

As the first priest-president in 14 years, he intends to bring renewed strategic vision and Catholic spirituality to the role.<\/p>\n

The job of a university president, perhaps especially at a Catholic institution, has evolved into a labyrinth of roles and responsibilities, but he looks to bring as simplified an approach as possible, always focusing on the teachings of Jesus and the graces of God.<\/p>\n

A Guiding Faith<\/strong><\/p>\n

Monsignor Reilly asks the Holy Spirit, always, for guidance, he says, noting that it \u201chelps us in our weakness\u201d and that God always supplies what is needed in any situation. People also need to lean into their weaknesses and shortcomings, he says, and rely on the Spirit to lift and sustain them.<\/p>\n

He has been inspired by Saint Maximilian Kolbe since prep school, when he read A Man for Others: Maximilian Kolbe the \u201cSaint of Auschwitz\u201d by Patricia Treece (1982, Harper & Row). Imprisoned in a concentration camp during World War II, Father Kolbe stepped forward to take the place of a younger man with a family who was about to be sent to the gas chamber, thereby sacrificing his own life.<\/p>\n

When asked by the German camp commandant who he was and why he would stand in the condemned man\u2019s place, Kolbe said, \u201cI\u2019m a Catholic priest.\u201d<\/p>\n

This struck the teenage Joe Reilly as the essence and fundamental statement of the priestly vocation, that the Catholic priest should be \u201ca man for others.\u201d<\/p>\n

And yet, knowing that living as a minister of the Gospel and servant in the community comes at a cost, Monsignor Reilly notes that \u201cprayer, prayer, prayer to Saint Therese\u201d is a constant in his life. Therese of Lisieux, a doctor of the Church, is recognized for having said \u201cMy vocation is love,\u201d and commonly known as the Little Flower.<\/p>\n

\u201cOver and over, I have received inspiration from Saint Therese,\u201d he says. \u201cShe loves priests and supports priests as a friend in heaven.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2018God Anticipates\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\n

Since his ordination for the Archdiocese of Newark in 1991, Monsignor Reilly has walked a path that has led him and those he has served, he prays, to the ever greater fulfillment of Seton Hall\u2019s mission.<\/p>\n

He was selected as a Missionary of Mercy \u2014 much to his surprise \u2014 by Pope Francis and installed to the role in Rome during the Jubilee Year of Mercy in 2015. The assignment is one of accompaniment and spreading the mercy of God to Catholic communities around the globe.<\/p>\n

The appointment, which has been extended for a second term, brought him to two gatherings in Rome and to parish missions and churches throughout the United States and \u201cput me in ministerial situations to minister in the Lord\u2019s name.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt has benefited me as a person and a priest, manifested the depth of God\u2019s mercy in my life, and has transformed the way I experience and see the priesthood,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

The surprise of the appointment was important to him. \u201cGod anticipated what I would need in the future, in my ministry,\u201d he notes. \u201cI did not know then why I was chosen or what I would gain from the experience.\u201d<\/p>\n

Now he sees how it was part of his formation for the role of Seton Hall\u2019s president. \u201cGod anticipates,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

Leading With an \u2018Open Door\u2019 and an \u2018Open Heart\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\n

According to Monsignor Reilly, higher education is \u201ca collaborative effort.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cTrust people around you; my role is to trust and encourage,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

Members of the faculty and administrative staff who have worked closely with him cite his strong work ethic; mission-driven approach; pastoral care and concern for others; approachability and, universally, acknowledge his humor.<\/p>\n

When he became rector\/dean of Immaculate Conception Seminary School of Theology in 2012, he pledged to bring \u201ctransparency\u201d and \u201ccommunity\u201d to the job, with a policy to have an \u201copen door\u201d and an \u201copen heart.\u201d<\/p>\n

He immediately announced he would accompany the team on a seminary staff retreat, an unexpected and greatly appreciated move that demonstrated his sincere desire to be with the staff in prayer.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe invites people into prayer,\u201d says Dianne Traflet, J.D., S.T.D., associate dean of the seminary and a longtime co-worker. \u201cHe leads and speaks from the heart as well as intellect. Prayer is a means of demonstrating the transparency and fostering the spirit of community he seeks.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe loves people and thoroughly enjoys true conversations \u2014 conversations as adventure,\u201d she says. \u201cHe is a natural encourager and leads to a great degree by encouragement.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mary Meehan \u201972\/M.A. \u201974\/Ph.D. \u201901 served as Seton Hall\u2019s interim president from 2017 to 19, having been an administrator and executive vice president of the University before being appointed president of Alverno College in Milwaukee. She knew young Joe Reilly before he was ordained, and then during his tenure as rector when she was interim president.<\/p>\n

\u201cI met Monsignor Reilly in 1983 when he was a freshman at Seton Hall, and I was a member of the formation team at Saint Andrew\u2019s College Seminary,\u201d she says. \u201cAmong so many gifted and committed young men, he stood out and left a lasting impression on me. It was clear to the formation team that Joe Reilly was someone to watch in the coming years. He was smart, determined and passionate about his beliefs. Thoughtful and reserved most of the time, he was not shy in expressing his ideas about those things that were most precious to him.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am thrilled to know the University will now have the benefit of his unswerving commitment to our Catholic mission in his new role,\u201d Meehan says. \u201cI look forward to more great things to come under his leadership.\u201d<\/p>\n

Guiding Principles<\/strong><\/p>\n

Monsignor Reilly shares \u201cthree realities\u201d that have guided his thinking and actions, from his college seminary days to today:<\/p>\n

Person<\/strong> \u2014 Develop self-knowledge in order to \u201caccept and answer God\u2019s call.\u201d He says, \u201cOne\u2019s personhood is the ultimate gift of a gracious God.\u201d<\/p>\n

Passion<\/strong> \u2014 \u201cI discovered that the passion of my life is Jesus Christ,\u201d he says, \u201cwho He is for me and in me, my Lord and brother.\u201d<\/p>\n

Place<\/strong> \u2014 God chose to enter the world in a historic time and place, a critical truth of the plan for our salvation, he says, noting that Seton Hall \u201cis a critical place of encounter with God, where we hear His call.\u201d<\/p>\n

Greg Tobin, M.A. \u201906, is the author of<\/em> The Good Pope and Conclave.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Monsignor Joseph Reilly steps into the role of Seton Hall\u2019s 22nd president \u2014 guided by faith and an open heart. Stepping down from the podium at the November 4 ceremonies marking his investiture as the University\u2019s 22nd president, Monsignor Joseph Reilly S.T.L., Ph.D., moved closer to the audience to share three aspects of his life…<\/p>\n

Continue ReadingA Man for Others<\/span><\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":5749,"featured_media":4766,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[11,259,9,5,324,12,8,18],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4763","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-alumni","category-articles-2020-2024","category-catholicism","category-faculty","category-faith","category-features","category-leadership","category-university-life","entry"],"post_mailing_queue_ids":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.shu.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4763","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.shu.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.shu.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.shu.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5749"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.shu.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4763"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.shu.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4763\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4765,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.shu.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4763\/revisions\/4765"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.shu.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4766"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.shu.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4763"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.shu.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4763"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.shu.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4763"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}