Seton Hall ushered in a new era with the investiture of its 22nd president, Msgr. Joseph Reilly, on Monday, Nov. 4.
After four lay presidents, the university is returning to its priest-president tradition, which has been a hallmark of the university for 146 years of its 168-year history.
The day started with a mass in the University Center Event Room, featuring Msgr. Reilly’s family in reader and gift bearer roles. His Eminence, Cardinal Joseph Tobin, Archbishop of Newark, presided over the mass. As celebrant and homilist, Cardinal Tobin discussed what Msgr. Reilly will bring to his role as president.
“Sheep learn to follow the voice of their shepherd, and the shepherd knows his sheep,” Cardinal Tobin said. “Msgr. Reilly, in his policies, people may recognize another voice—the voice of a shepherd.”
Msgr. Reilly was appointed president by the Board of Regents in April and took office on July 1. He has a long history at Seton Hall, attending Seton Hall Prep, graduating from SHU in 1987, returning to the Prep in 1995 to work as a faculty member and chaplain, being named rector/dean of Immaculate Conception Seminary School of Theology in 2012, and serving in his most recent role as vice provost of academics and Catholic identity.
In an email to The Setonian, Msgr. Reilly discussed what he wants to bring to the SHU community in his time as president.
“Because humans are made in God’s image and likeness, there’s value in developing the whole person so that he or she, as an individual, can contribute to society as God would have it,” Msgr. Reilly said. “I seek to more fully cultivate that experience, which has always been at the heart of a Seton Hall education.”
Following the investiture mass, attendees traveled to Walsh Gymnasium to witness the presidential investiture ceremony. Guests entered in full regalia, with the procession marked by plenty of pomp and circumstance. The ceremony began with an academic procession led by Dr. Nathaniel Knight, professor of history and chair of the faculty senate.
Dr. Knight discussed what he hopes to see out of Msgr. Reilly’s tenure as president.
“We obviously respond to everything that’s going on in our society, but I think we have to balance between being responsive and being proactive about changes that are taking place and also maintaining a sense of our identity,” Dr. Knight said. “I think this president is well-positioned to strike that balance.”
The processional continued with more introductions of SHU representatives, such as the student body, parents, and benefactors, before “honored guests” entered. These delegates included presidents and representatives of other universities and colleges, such as Lyon Catholic University of France, Columbia University, The College of New Jersey, and many more.
A particularly striking moment of the ceremony came when the executive cabinet of the university was introduced, which included SHU’s past presidents. The group was made up of Msgr. Dennis Mahon, Msgr. Richard Liddy, Msgr. Robert Sheeran, Dr. Gabriel Esteban, and Dr. Mary Meehan. Dr. Katia Passerini, who led the executive cabinet processional and called the investiture to order, also served as president in an interim capacity from 2023-2024. She currently serves as provost and senior executive vice president at SHU.
These guests represented SHU’s presidents starting from 1988, excluding the late Rev. Thomas Peterson, who served as chancellor and president from 1990-1995 and chancellor from 1995-2000, and Dr. Joseph Nyre, who served as president from 2019-2023.
Kai Hansen, senior chemistry, philosophy, and business administration major and the president of the Student Government Association, served as a student representative at the ceremony. During his speech, he said that Msgr. Reilly makes SHU “feel more welcoming,” and that he “embodies leadership that is both visionary and approachable.”
“For me, what stands out most about Msgr. Reilly is his approachability,” Hansen said. “If I were maybe 10 years older, he’s someone I’d want to be good friends with…As he steps into this role, I am so pumped to see how he will continue to strengthen the student experience and support our university’s mission.”
Michael Reuter, the director emeritus at the Buccino Leadership Institute and special advisor to the Division of Continuing Education and Professional Studies, explained how Msgr. Reilly has become a close friend to him.
“As the Cardinal said, Msgr. Reilly’s the good shepherd,” Reuter said. “When I first met him, it was after he sent [his introduction] out to the university…I sent a note back to him and said, ‘Your deep caring and your love, it comes through.’ A couple of weeks later, I got a call from him saying he’d like to have dinner with me. Ask people around him…He’s making us family again.”
Msgr. Reilly began his address during the ceremony on stage before stepping out from behind the podium and moving to stand on the same level as the crowd, not wanting “anything in between us.” He shared an experience he first had about 18 months ago that now happens quite often as he walks from his home to Presidents Hall, preparing to celebrate morning mass.
“I grab the glass door, and I was stopped in my tracks,” Msgr. Reilly said. “There I was…and in that reflection, I saw myself as I am, and as I’ve become at Seton Hall…I saw a Pirate, part of a community of people with similar desires who come here for the same reasons that I came here.”
Msgr. Reilly added that this experience will continue to occur, but now, as he opens the door to Presidents Hall, he won’t just see himself—he will see “all of us.”
Msgr. Reilly’s favorite part of the day, “other than speaking with as many attendees as possible,” was delivering the investiture address, he told The Setonian. He said that the address allowed him to introduce himself formally to the university and share what makes him who he is.
“I feel it is important for our Seton Hall family to understand their president, what Jesus Christ means to me, and how much I love the priesthood and Seton Hall,” Msgr. Reilly said. “I was tremendously humbled by the outpouring of support I heard from so many people on that day.”
With SHU’s return to having a priest as president, Msgr. Reilly wants people to understand why Seton Hall is here and what it seeks to accomplish in terms of its relationship with the Catholic Church.
“Certainly we are here to help young people get an education and prepare them for the rest of their lives,” Msgr. Reilly said to The Setonian. “Certainly we work to help improve society…There’s a richness to the Catholic perspective, which—as a priest-president—I try to articulate in a nuanced way that is reasonable and meaningful to Setonians from every spiritual background.”
Fr. Nicholas Sertich, the director of Campus Ministry, expanded upon the benefits of having a priest lead the university, highlighting Msgr. Reilly’s “storied connection” with SHU.
“What I think we need now more than anything else is a leader with real heart and real love for our university and for our students, and Msgr. Reilly is that person,” Fr. Sertich said. “He’s been here long enough, he was in our shoes, you know, years ago. And so he’s a man who’s definitely the right choice at the right time. It adds to our Catholic mission.”
Fr. Sertich added that he has known Msgr. Reilly since his time running the seminary, and that he “transformed” a lot of people’s lives “simply by giving them hope.”
“It’s just [the monsignor’s] heart and his love and his care, and I think that goes a long way,” Fr. Sertich said. “You can’t put a price on that, and that goes beyond a strategic goal or a plan. That’s just being a genuinely good human being, and that’s exactly what I think our world needs right now.”
Msgr. Reilly’s short-term goals include SHU’s next strategic plan, which will guide the university’s decision-making over the coming years, he said. The plan will include priorities that are “important to all Setonians,” like increasing access and affordability and expanding opportunities for students to travel and study abroad.
“Over the long-term, we will continue to invest in our academic offerings to make them even more attractive to students,” Msgr. Reilly said. “We will build and renovate our campuses, pursue strategic partnerships that result in more meaningful student experiences, and fundraise with an eye toward lowering costs and enhancing the Seton Hall experience.”
Cardinal Tobin concluded the ceremony with his remarks. Speaking on behalf of the Board of Trustees at the investiture, which he is chair of, he said Msgr. Reilly “knows that faith is the bedrock in which everything rests.”
“If you’ll permit me, Joe, I have no doubt that you’re the right person at the right time for Seton Hall,” Cardinal Tobin said.
At the end of his own address to the SHU community, Msgr. Reilly said that he was grateful for the opportunity to serve as president.
“I know that, not just because of me, but because of all of us who are reflected in that glass, we will make Seton Hall even better every day.
Jacqueline Litowinsky is the head editor for The Setonian’s News section. She can be reached at jacqueline.litowinsky@student.shu.edu.
