Seton Hall Announces Inaugural Recipient of the Monsignor Edward Ciuba Fellowship

The Center for Catholic Studies at Seton Hall University is proud to announce the inaugural recipient of the Monsignor Edward Ciuba Fellowship: Mary Landriau, senior faculty associate and director of Practicum in the Bachelor of Social Work (B.S.W.) Program.

The fellowship was created in honor of Monsignor Edward J. Ciuba ’55, a cherished priest of the Archdiocese of Newark and former seminary rector and professor at the Immaculate Conception Seminary School of Theology. Designed to support innovative projects by Seton Hall faculty and graduate students, the fellowship strengthens the bond between the University and the surrounding community by encouraging creative partnerships with local parishes, schools, ministries and organizations.

Honoring Monsignor Ciuba’s Legacy
Monsignor Ciuba, who passed away on January 19, 2024, was widely regarded as both a scholar and a pastor. Ordained in 1959, he served as seminary rector, professor, parish priest, and advocate for faith-sharing initiatives. Known affectionately as “Father Ed,” he inspired countless students, colleagues, and parishioners with his love of Scripture, his pastoral heart, and his ability to bridge the intellectual and spiritual life of the Church. Monsignor Richard Liddy, Ph.D., founding director of the Center for Catholic Studies and long-time friend of Monsignor Ciuba, remarked, “Monsignor Ciuba was a dynamic leader, intent on bringing people together wherever he served.”

Through the generosity of friends, parishioners, and colleagues, nearly $100,000 has already been raised to endow the fellowship, ensuring that Monsignor Ciuba’s legacy of faith, intellect and service will endure for years to come.

About Mary Landriau
Landriau joined Seton Hall in 2012 and today serves as Senior Faculty Associate and Director of Practicum in the B.S.W. Program. She has more than 32 years of experience in social work practice and supervision, with expertise in substance use, mental health and child welfare. Prior to her time at Seton Hall, she served as the Clinical Supervisor at the Raymond Lesniak Recovery High School, the first public high school in New Jersey for students in recovery from substance use. She also serves as Campus Academic Coordinator for the Baccalaureate Child Welfare Educational Program (BCWEP), a consortium working to strengthen the state’s child welfare system. Currently, she is pursuing her M.A. in Pastoral Ministry at the Immaculate Conception Seminary School of Theology.

Patrick Manning, Ph.D., director of the Center for Catholic Studies, remarked,

We are thrilled that Mary Landriau has been selected as our first Monsignor Ciuba Fellow. Mary embodies many of the values that made Monsignor Ciuba so beloved, including her care for people and capacity for deep relationships and the way that she generously shares her gifts and expertise with her students, colleagues, clients and community members. We are excited to see the impact of Mary’s project this year and the model she will establish for future fellows.

Mary’s Fellowship Project
As the inaugural Ciuba Fellow, Landriau will lead a year-long initiative to reestablish a parish women’s group ministry at St. Bernard of Clairvaux and St. Stanislaus Kostka Church in Plainfield, NJ. The project will focus on empowering women, fostering intergenerational mentorship, promoting social connectedness and encouraging active service and outreach. She noted that these churches host a diverse array of cultures, with large Polish, Latino and African American populations, so she hopes to create a space that fosters intersectional connection. Landriau highlighted the importance of this group fostering community, stating “Together, we discover that we are not alone, and that through our stories, prayers and support, we become more fully alive in our faith.”

The group will also partner with the Carmen Hernandez Center for Life, a local nonprofit that supports disadvantaged youth, families and women. Through this collaboration, parish women will have opportunities for meaningful community service while strengthening their own leadership and fellowship. By drawing on her pastoral ministry knowledge and social work background, Landriau hopes to plant seeds to create a sustainable, ongoing ministry that will continue enriching parish life beyond the fellowship year.

A Fellowship for the Future
Manning emphasized the significance of the fellowship,

We are honored that the Center for Catholic Studies has been entrusted with preserving the legacy of Monsignor Ed Ciuba in this way. Father Ed embodied many of the values that inspire our work at the Center—bringing people together, integrating learning in different areas and wedding the academic and the pastoral. We are excited to see what creative new initiatives our future faculty fellows will develop and what fruit they will bear for Seton Hall and the local church.

The Monsignor Edward Ciuba Fellowship will be awarded annually, supporting projects that bring Seton Hall faculty and graduate students into deeper collaboration with the Catholic community. The Center for Catholic Studies will begin accepting applications for the next Ciuba Fellowship in the Spring 2026 semester.

Categories: Education, Faith and Service