Saint Peter’s University celebrated as ‘special place’ for 150th birthday

Hardly a seat was left empty in the sizable capacity of St. Aeden’s: The Saint Peter’s University Church this past Sunday. The university kickstarted its Sesquicentennial Celebration, commemorating its 150-year anniversary, with Founders’ Day Mass led by Cardinal Joseph W. Tobin, C.Ss.R., archbishop of Newark.

The Mass was held shortly after the historic run of Saint Peter’s men’s basketball in the NCAA March Madness tournament, during which the university captured the attention of the nation. And while the narrative has been largely about what this attention will do for the university, Cardinal Tobin addressed what the university offered to the nation.

The question people have been asking of Saint Peter’s: “How can a university be so diverse yet so unified?” How does that work? And the answer, Cardinal Tobin said in his homily, begins with Chapter 8 in John’s Gospel, in which Jesus stops the Pharisees from stoning a woman accused of adultery. He shows her mercy and offers her a new opportunity: to sin no more.

Christians, Cardinal Tobin noted, hopefully have all had that private opportunity to discover Jesus. But Christians are also ambassadors of that reconciliation, which begins with how they treat each other. So when the whole nation was looking at Saint Peter’s and marveled at the team’s unity, they wanted in. Enrollment for the school has gone up, but there is also a deeper, more spiritual meaning to be found.

Cardinal Tobin expounded upon this: “People looked at what the Peacocks were offering and said, ‘I want a piece of that.’ And that’s what we are called to do as disciples of mercy, for people to look at what we do (not so much what we say) and say, ‘I want a piece of that.’”

“Thank you, Peacocks,” the cardinal concluded, “for reminding us to walk the talk so that people can say, ‘I want what He is offering.’”

Saint Peter’s University president, Eugene J. Cornacchia, had a front row seat and reflected on the procession: “It was absolutely extraordinary. Not only was the church packed, the words resonated so well with me. It brought tears to my eyes when he started to talk about Saint Peter’s mission and the way that he spoke from the heart about what we do, our diversity, and how we brought everyone together. Such a perfect message for this time of the year.”

Current university members were joined by a number of alumni in attendance. Among them were Steven Llanes (Class of 2002) and Anthony L. Romano (Class of 1977).

Llanes, general counsel of the Archdiocese of Newark and vice chair of Saint Peter’s Board of Regents, felt a strong, personal connection to the ceremony: “I’m thankful that my family could be a part of such a historic moment for the Saint Peter’s community. In many ways, I believe that the energy and spirit around our NCAA run, which led into and was also present at the anniversary celebration, captured the essence of Saint Peter’s as a special place that provides students – many of them, like me, the children of immigrants – with the educational and spiritual foundation to be ‘men and women for others,’ for whom anything is possible with faith, hard work, and opportunity.”

Romano, who is the commissioner of Hudson County’s 5th District and former captain of the Hoboken Police Department, noted the link between the cardinal’s homily and public outreach.

“I think it’s important that both institutions are recognized for being part of the community for so long,” he said. “That recognition, and today’s Mass by the cardinal, gives it stature and the respect it deserves. He’s a great cardinal, he reaches the people, and we saw that today.”

After Mass had ended and with the maximum-capacity crowd still in its seats, Cornacchia and Llanes were joined by Michael A. Gomez, president of Saint Peter’s Prep, to confer Cardinal Tobin with an honorary doctorate from the university.

“It’s fitting that now he, too, is officially a member of Peacock Nation” Llanes said. “His leadership and ministry are very much reflective of Saint Peter’s mission.”

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Featured image: Cardinal Tobin celebrates Founders’ Day Mass at St. Aedan’s: The Saint Peter’s University Church on April 3, 2022. (Photos by Joe Jordan/Archdiocese of Newark)