At 18 years old, Seton Hall University President Monsignor Joseph Reilly said he faced the biggest hardship of his life when his mother passed away from cancer.
But for Msgr. Reilly, what powered him through this moment was love, faith, and community—motivators that stay true to his core values to this day as he nears completion of his second year as president.
“Facing hardships or whatever the circumstances life might be…my faith in Jesus Christ is something that really is the heart of who I am and who I want to be,” Msgr. Reilly told The Setonian.
The Mountainside, New Jersey native has SHU in his bloodline as a legacy student, having graduated from Seton Hall Prep (SHP) and SHU in 1987 with a bachelor’s in psychology.
His path to priesthood was inspired by ordained family members and a priest from his home parish of Bayonne, St. Andrews.
Ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of Newark in 1991, he served in parish roles before joining SHP in 1995 as a faculty member and chaplain. His path took him back to SHU, where he served as rector of the College Seminary and then as dean of Immaculate Conception Seminary School of Theology (ICS) from 2012 to 2022.
He was appointed president by the Board of Regents in April 2024, took office on July 1 and was installed as SHU’s 22nd president in November. The stars aligned and that initial April 2024 announcement landed on Holy Thursday, while Msgr. Reilly was at a dinner.
“The fact [that] that happened on Holy Thursday when Jesus established a priesthood, I think, was a beautiful sign for me,” Msgr. Reilly said.
In his leadership role, Msgr. Reilly defined his approach as “people-centered.”
“I try to be someone who listens to other people, and I think that that’s an important perspective in leadership,” Msgr. Reilly said.
Entering a leadership role comes with its challenges, and Msgr. Reilly came face-to-face with one less than five months into his presidency. Politico published an article claiming Msgr. Reilly had been allegedly implicated in Cardinal Theodore McCarrick’s sexual abuse scandal.
Msgr. Reilly served as McCarrick’s secretary in 1994, allegedly aware of misconduct rumors and subsequently taking precautions to avoid inappropriate situations. Politico also claimed that Msgr. Reilly failed to report multiple sexual abuse and harassment allegations in ICS when he served as dean.
Announced in February 2025 by Cardinal Joseph Tobin, Newark’s archbishop, there is an ongoing third-party review of both Msgr. Reilly’s actions and the original investigations into the claim. Documents regarding the claims were ordered to be released by a judge in November 2025 as part of the New Jersey Superior Court’s probe into alleged sexual abuse in the Archdiocese of Newark. Now, SHU has until December to produce relevant documents.
“I have no control over the actions of other people or the things that people say or do,” Msgr. Reilly said. “What I do have a certain amount of influence upon is the clarity of the purpose of the way I live today, and the things I’m going to try to do today and tomorrow are directing the university.”
In a time of controversy, Msgr. Reilly said he turns to his relationship with the Lord to ground himself.
He said there’s a “quiet confidence” in who he is, and he is not “looking to show off to people.”
“But when there’s things being said about me or about things that I’ve been involved in, I know what the truth is in a confident way, and so I just trust in the power of the truth about myself, about the university, about the circumstances that are there,” Msgr. Reilly said.
“I think just allowing the truth ultimately to prevail, which is what’s happening,” Msgr. Reilly added.
As the face of the university, Msgr. Reilly said he doesn’t see himself as someone in the hot seat, but rather in a “privileged place” of “working with the community.”
“I can’t do anything about changing the hot seat,” Msgr. Reilly said. “It’s always going to be hot, but the reality is that some of the temperature can be lowered if I look around and try to get help from people around me.”
He said he finds the Lord, who is “affirming,” “challenging,” or “encouraging.”
“I find that’s something that helps me to keep perspective, firstly, but also to kind of maintain the strength and resolve even in difficult situations,” Msgr. Reilly said. “Sometimes it can seem like something is overwhelming us, but we’re able to step back and see it in perspective. It’s one voice among the many voices.”
Pressure often becomes a proving ground for leadership, and Msgr. Reilly found strength in the support around him.
“The lessons I learned from the hot seat is that while I might be the only one sitting in it, I’m never by myself,” Msgr. Reilly said. “And that’s something that’s been a great consolation for me: a level of faith that the Lord’s with me, and a level of human living, that there’s people there.”
Upon reflection, Msgr. Reilly also noted that, throughout his time as president, he’s never been alone.
“There’s never been a time ever since I’ve had this job that I felt like I haven’t felt supported or encouraged or inspired by the people that are around me, and some of them I work with regularly,” Msgr. Reilly said.
Grounded in a sense of privilege and community, he said he is grateful and “overwhelmed by the generosity of God.”
“I try to be…someone who appreciates all that has happened to me and all that I am, the opportunity to have family that I came from, the faith that I’m able to share,” Msgr. Reilly said.
Inside the brownstone walls of Presidents Hall—a place many students may not step into—sits Msgr. Reilly, surrounded by colleagues, religious mementos, art, and SHU history. It’s where he can most often be found. He said he thinks people need to feel like they can approach and challenge him.
“I’m not here for Joe Reilly, I’m here for the students,” he said.
Msgr. Reilly said he carries scripture, which he pulled from his pocket during his interview with The Setonian. He joked that the scripture says these words, “better than Joe Reilly.” The first, from Philippians 3:10: I wish to know Christ and the power flowing from his resurrection.
“So that’s the desire of my life, all my life. And so is to know Jesus and the power that he gives to people,” Msgr. Reilly said.
He then pointed to another passage, this one from St. John’s Gospel 2:24: Unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains just a grain of wheat. But if it dies, it produces much fruit.
“It’s sometimes through the challenges that we have, that I’ve had, or whatever, in my own particular situation, that have helped me to kind of grow into the person that I am,” Msgr. Reilly added.
Looking ahead, no matter the challenge, Msgr. Reilly is maintaining “clarity of purpose,” focusing on the present.
“The more we can keep ourselves focused on the reasons why I’m here, the reasons why we’re part of this community, and the particular gifts that Joe Reilly, who happens to be a priest, who happens to be serving here as president, can try to help build in the community,” Msgr. Reilly said. “I think I'm going to feel part of something greater than myself.”
Dominique Mercadante is the Editor-in-Chief of The Setonian. She can be reached at dominique.mercadante@student.shu.edu.
Sofia Kasbo is the Managing Editor of The Setonian. She can be reached at sofia.kasbo@student.shu.edu.
