Caldwell
College Welcomes Father Al Berner as New Chaplain
Campus Ministry plans great programs for 2007-2008
Caldwell College is delighted to welcome Father Albert J. Berner as its
new Chaplain of Campus Ministry.
Father Al has spent many years in college and high school campus ministry work as chaplain, campus minister and teacher. At Montclair State University he was campus minister and chaplain from 1996 to 2007. At Roselle Catholic High School in Roselle, NJ, he was Chaplain, teacher and campus minister from 1978 to 1994.
“I’m happy and honored to be joining the Caldwell College staff,” Father Al said. “I look forward to working with the entire Caldwell College family—from the students, to the faculty and staff, to the alumni.” Father Al is responsible for the sacramental and spiritual life on Caldwell’s campus. He also sees importance in being a “presence on campus” and “being available to listen and walk with the college community, as we support one another on our journey.”
Sister Kathleen Tuite, O.P., Caldwell College’s Assistant to the President for Mission and Ministry, said the college is very happy with the experience and the person of Father Al. “He is a faithful man of God and has much to offer our students and the entire Caldwell College community.”
Father Al was Associate Pastor of Blessed Sacrament Church in Franklin Lakes, NJ from 1984 to 1994 and he was also previously Associate Pastor at St. Henry’s in Bayonne.
Ordained in 1968, Father Al’s first assignment was to Immaculate Conception Church in Elizabeth, NJ where he served as associate pastor for ten years. He was in charge of youth ministry, the Elizabeth School of Religion, which encompassed ten parishes of the city and he was also involved with the Coalition for United Elizabeth, which was comprised of over 50 churches, synagogues and other houses of worship. The Coalition focused on addressing the many issues facing the poor and needy at that time in Elizabeth. He was dean of the city’s 10 parishes and was involved with the Union County CYO and retreat and service programs.
Father Al holds a Bachelor’s degree in Theology from Catholic University of America and a Master’s in Pastoral Counseling from Iona College.
In the spirit of the Catholic Dominican tradition, the Campus Ministry Office seeks to foster the spiritual, moral, liturgical and sacramental growth of each member of the Caldwell College Community. During the school year, Mass is celebrated at 8 p.m. on Sunday evenings in the chapel at Mother Joseph Residence Hall and daily liturgy is celebrated at 12 noon in the chapel in the Motherhouse.
Retreat experiences are offered for the both the spiritual and social outreach development of each person.
Members of the Caldwell College community are invited to explore their faith with God, self and others by participating in retreats offered through Campus Ministry. These retreat experiences take place for a day or longer and are offered both on and off campus.
Local service projects take place on a regular basis during the school year. Students are invited to serve the homeless in Newark at St. Augustine’s church, tutor students at Our Lady Help of Christians in East Orange, work with the sick and elderly at St. Catherine’s Covent and Health Care Facility or volunteer in prison ministry. Once a month, students, faculty and staff are invited travel to New York City for Midnight Run, a program aimed at reaching out to the homeless.
Students are invited to take part in Retreats that Work, which are travel service projects. From October 5 to October 9, 2007 students can take part in a Columbus Day Alternative Break Weekend. They will travel to Stella Maris Retreat Center at the New Jersey shore and then go to Camden, NJ to take part in The Urban Challenge at the Romero Center, a retreat and social justice center in Camden. There they will renovate homes for the homeless. A Winter Alternative Break experience where students will help build homes in Appalachia will be offered from January 5 to January 12, 2008 in Salem, West Virginia. During Spring Break, from March 23 to March 29, 2008, students can take part in an Alternative Spring Break experience by helping re-build homes for the impoverished in Flat Gap, Kentucky.
The Campus Ministry office also offers students, faculty and staff who are interested in learning more about faith and receiving the sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation or First Eucharist in the Catholic Church to Come and See meetings for the RCIA (The Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults) process.
For more information on any of the above activities, please contact Fr.
Al or Deacon Greg in the Campus Ministry office at extension 3302 or 3660
or
gquinn@caldwell.edu or aberner@caldwell.edu.