Seton Hall University Celebrates the Investiture of Monsignor Joseph R. Reilly as its Twenty-Second President

The Seton Hall University community, together with community and government officials and representatives from colleges and universities across the nation, gathered on Monday, November 4, 2024 for a mass and ceremony to mark the Investiture of the University’s twenty-second president, Monsignor Joseph R. Reilly, S.T.L., Ph.D.

A leader who has been deeply involved with the University since his arrival as a student in 1979, Monsignor Reilly was appointed by the Board of Regents in April and took office on July 1. His appointment marked 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.

“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.”

Monsignor Reilly began his Investiture address by stepping down from the podium and moving closer to the audience. In deeply personal and reflective remarks, Monsignor Reilly shared a ‘trifecta’ of loves both foundational and formative to his identity and leadership: a deep love for Jesus Christ, his vocation as a priest and an enduring passion for Seton Hall.

He elaborated on these three pillars, recounting moments such as his desire to serve as a priest and a love of Christ that grew from a young age to when he learned of his appointment on Holy Thursday.

“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 the 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,” said Monsignor Reilly.

“My deep desire as I begin my service as a priest-president is [to be able to], like Jesus Christ, make a gift of myself in service to the community,” reflected Monsignor Reilly.   

In closing his address, Monsignor Reilly described a recent experience of seeing his reflection in the glass doors of President’s Hall—a moment where he saw not only a priest or a president, but “a person with gifts and talents, strengths and weaknesses, ups and downs” like others within the Seton Hall community. 

This reflection, he said, became a lens through which he views himself and in turn, a lens to help guide and inspire students to embrace their gifts, challenges and callings throughout their journey at Seton Hall.

His Eminence, Cardinal Joseph W. Tobin, C.Ss.R., chair of the Board of Trustees, president of the Board of Regents and Archbishop of Newark, served as Celebrant and Homilist at the investiture mass celebrated earlier in the day and also addressed the investiture ceremony. 

“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,” remarked Cardinal Tobin.

The ceremony integrated various investiture traditions, opening with a grand academic procession of various representatives from the University and beyond including faculty, staff, administrators, students, parents, alumni and local dignitaries.

Symbolic items central to the University and the Office of the President were presented to Monsignor Reilly, including the presidential medallion, the symbol of the office; the Charter of Seton Hall University; the Resolution of the Board of Regents; and the Sacred Scriptures, the foundation of the Catholic identity and the Catholic mission of the University. 

Additionally, representatives from many parts of the University’s community stepped forward to present Monsignor Reilly with key items reflective of the student, parent, alumni, staff, administrators, benefactor and faculty communities. These included the academic catalogues, matricula of students, alumni directory, faculty guides and the pledge to students, among others.

The ceremony culminated a series of investiture-related celebrations and 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 from the Board of Regents: Alissa Coren Norris, corporate director, CP Direct; lead independent director, Vitamix; independent director, Standard Motor Products; and Stephen Loughrey, chief executive officer, G&L Scientific Inc.

Additional information about the event, including photos and recorded livestreams, can be found on the Presidential Investiture website.

Categories: Campus Life