Students watch Father Thomas Piro give a presentation on his life and vocation. (Catholic Campus Ministry via Instagram)
At the Newman House in downtown Glassboro, dozens of Catholic students and alumni gathered to hear Father Thomas Piro give a presentation on his life and work.
Initially, students flowed in at 6 p.m. on Oct. 1, settling at tables and eating free food.
“We always start with a free dinner at 6 o’clock on Wednesdays and then have our meeting after,” Campus Minister Kari Janisse said.
The meeting started properly an hour later, with Janisse recapping the Catholic Campus Ministry’s schedule for the week. After about ten minutes, Father Thomas Piro started his presentation, where he discussed, in great detail, his early life, upbringing, and journey through religion and priesthood.
“Hopefully we’ll have some questions, but before we’ll get to hearing about who I am and my vocation,” Piro said.
A question and answer session was held afterward, wherein eleven students asked a mixture of deeply personal and broader, theological questions. Some students asked about Piro’s life and time in the church; others asked for advice.
“I have students asking these very deep questions and really seeking to know why … It’s been a great blessing,” Piro said.
Piro is Rowan’s Parish Parochial Vicar, a Catholic priest assisting the main pastor. He started at Rowan in July, and this is his first assignment since graduating from seminary. He’s popular for his youth, energy, and relatability.
“You don’t see a lot of young priests; we’re used to seeing older men…[he’s] very relatable in that sense … Students can understand [him] because it’s part of their generation as well. Working with him since July … has been super joyful,” Janisse said.
Events like this one happen weekly, often featuring presentations from relevant speakers with a focus on faith and vocation. Last week, they had a couple discuss the adoption process, another Catholic vocation.
“There is usually a speaker every Wednesday … Like last week, we had a married couple from the parish come and give us their story,” Janisse said.
Students enjoyed the presentation, finding it insightful and helpful for their own spiritual or religious lives.
“A lot of us have anxiety about something, like other people … I think [presentations like this] do a lot of good,” said James Scalice, a sophomore history major.
Students from the surrounding area attended, as well, like Dae Miller, a sophomore liberal arts major from Rowan College of South Jersey. Like Scalice, he considers this to be a sort of “home away from home,” though he’d appreciate more student presentations.
“I think we’re very lucky to have a Catholic community right here on a public university campus … [but] I think they could incorporate some more speeches from students … I don’t get to hear from Rowan University students as much; it’s usually a lot of older people,” Miller said.
While the event ended around 8:15 p.m., students lingered for hours afterward, as the Newman House remained open until 11 p.m. the same night. The Catholic Campus Ministry’s next meeting will be on Wednesday, Oct. 15.
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