Seton Hall University hired a new president in April in an effort to reverse a nasty public feud among its leadership. Yet unrest continues to grow.
According to New Jersey Politics, the latest news is that the new president, Monsignor Joseph R. Reilly, is described as the former dean of the university’s seminary with a problematic history.
Citing documents, Politico reported that an internal investigation concluded that Riley was aware of sexual abuse allegations that he did not report, and investigators recommended that he be fired as dean of the seminary.
Gannett’s repeated requests to interview Reilly — when he was hired in April, when he took office in July and when he was honored in early November — were denied by university media relations staff. This is in stark contrast to previous Seton Hall presidents, who were generally available for interviews. In November, following his appointment, Deputy Director of Media Relations Laurie Pine said Reilly was unable to speak because he was “on vacation.”
Monsignor Joseph Reilly
Reilly, a 1987 graduate of Seton Hall University, served in 1994 as pastoral secretary to Theodore McCarrick, then archbishop of the Archdiocese of Newark , Theodore McCarrick was later disgraced. Pope Francis defrocked McCarrick from the priesthood after decades of accusations that McCarrick engaged in sexual misconduct against seminarians and minors were found credible.
Reilly returned to Seton Hall Seminary in 2002 as dean and in 2012 became dean of the university’s Immaculate Conception Seminary School of Divinity.
In 2018, the Seton Hall College Board of Trustees hired an outside consultant to review McCarrick’s conduct and the seminary’s culture. The university later released a page of investigative comments that lashed out at McCarrick, who was already a public pariah, and said the school’s Title IX policy on sexual misconduct was not always followed by the seminary.
No further details were released, and in 2019, the National Catholic Register, an independent Catholic publication, asked Reilly about the situation.
“Monsignor Reilly told the Chronicle he had no comment when asked (about the seminary), his past work with McCarrick and his thoughts on an independent review of the school.
Citing an internal memo, Politico reported that in 2012, Riley “investigated a student sexual assault complaint … but failed to report it and failed to comply with school and federal Title IX policies and procedures.”
According to Politico, the seminarian was expelled from the seminary, but the university did not notice the issue and he continued to attend Seton Hall University.
It appears this history will not surprise members of the Seton Hall presidential search committee, who are tasked with moving past the ongoing embarrassment involving deposed President Joseph Nair. After Neal’s sudden departure in the summer of 2023, he and his wife, Kelly, sued the university, claiming former Board of Trustees Chairman Kevin Marino harassed and intimidated them.
Marino denounced the claim as “shameful” and a third-party investigation into the matter found no evidence to support it.
The public spat between Nair and Marino, who initially supported Nair’s appointment, stems from a dispute between the two men over how to handle the governance of Seton Hall Law School, which is embroiled in a corruption scandal. Earlier this month, a former assistant dean at the law school was sentenced to three years in prison for embezzling at least $1.3 million over more than a decade with the help of two other law school employees.
The sum of it all is the image of a leaderless university marred by infighting and misconduct. Against this backdrop, Seton Hall’s board of directors hired Reilly and touted his integrity.
Hank D’Alessandro, chairman of the board of trustees and the presidential search committee, said in April: “There is no one better qualified to lead the university at this moment in time than Seton Hall. Don Hall is on the cusp of extraordinary progress. “Bishop Reilly is an ideal choice. He has a deep faith in God and a deep commitment to preparing our students for greatness, placing us among the nation’s premier Catholic universities. “
In separate statements to Politico, both the university and D’Alessandro doubled down on those sentiments this week.
D’Alessandro is also a key figure in Seton Hall’s athletic department and has overseen athletics for the board of directors for many years.
Please contact Jerry Carino at jcarino@gannettnj.com.
This article originally appeared in the Asbury Park Press: Seton Hall University faces another turmoil involving its president
