Ceremonies Mark the Return of a Priest-President and a New Chapter in the University’s 168-Year History
SOUTH ORANGE, N.J. – November 8, 2024 – The Seton Hall University community, together with community and government officials and representatives from colleges and universities across the nation, gathered on November 4, 2024, for a mass and ceremony to mark the investiture of Monsignor Joseph R. Reilly, S.T.L., Ph.D., as the University’s twenty-second president. Monsignor Reilly’s appointment marks the return of a priest-president to Seton Hall, which has been a hallmark of the University for 146 years of its 168-year history.
Photos and the recorded livestreams from the Investiture Ceremony and Mass can be accessed here.
“To say Monsignor Reilly understands our mission is an understatement. It is inseparable from who he is,” said Hank D’Alessandro, ’85, chair of the Board of Regents, who presided over the investiture ceremony. “He continues the tradition of the priest-president, a role he will use to instill hope and advance success for our entire community.”
In his investiture address, Monsignor Reilly said, “Half of my life has been spent here. [Seton Hall] is a place of encounter, of education, of enrichment, of empathy, edification and equity. It was here, in this place, where I discovered the passion and purpose for my life as a priest. But it is not simply a place of three campuses. Seton Hall is a community of people, with fundamental beliefs about God, the human person, the world and the values that underly all of those things that are founded in faith. This is what sustains each one of us in our lives here at Seton Hall.”
“My deep desire as I begin my service as a priest-president here at Seton Hall is that I would like to be able to, like Jesus Christ, to make a gift of myself in service to the community,” added Monsignor Reilly.
“Monsignor Reilly’s selection as Seton Hall’s leader follows decades of devoted service to the University and its students, and through them, to the world. I am confident his presidency will produce even more remarkable achievements.”
The ceremony culminated a week-long celebration of investiture-related events, including an academic symposium, “The Story of Catholic Education: Renewing Our Universities,” a Student Leaders Luncheon and a gathering with alumni and families during Homecoming and Family Weekend.
The co-chairs of the investiture committee were Paul E. Fisher, Jr., Chief Information Officer, Information Technology, and Father Joseph R. Laracy, S.T.D., Assistant Professor of Systematic Theology, Immaculate Conception Seminary School of Theology. In addition, two members of the University’s Board of Regents served as honorary chairs: Alisa Coren Norris, Corporate Director, CP Direct; Lead Independent Directory, Vitamix; Independent Director, Standard Motor Products; and Stephen Loughrey, CEO, G&L Scientific, Inc.
Additional information about the investiture and related events is available here.
ABOUT THE PRESIDENT – Read more.
ABOUT SETON HALL UNIVERSITY – Read more.
