Chaplains
- Fr. Peter R. Cebulka, C.O., Director
- Fr. Kevin Kelly, C.O.
- Br. Ken Apuzzo
- Br. Adam Neri
- Annette Miller
Office Administrator
Fr. Peter Cebulka, C.O., Director
I am a native New Jerseyan,
having grown
up in rural Chesterfield Township in Burlington County. After
graduating college with a degree in religion, I entered the Fransican
Order as a brother, during which time I completed a Master of
Liturgical Music degree at Catholic University. After leaving the
Franciscans, I worked in nearby St. Joesph Church in Bound Brook as
director of music and as
a faculty member at the parish school where I also served for several
years as vice-principal. In addition to the M.L.M. degree, I hold an
M.A. in
Elementary Education from Seton Hall University and have done graduate
studies in liturgy and church history. Teaching is one of my deepest
passions
and it was no easy decision to give up the classroom when I began to
discern
the Lord calling me to priestly service.
I entered the seminary in September of 1990,
persuing theological studies at Immaculate Conception Seminary, Seton
Hall. Ordination was in May of 1993 at which point I was assigned
to St. Bartholomew Church in East Brunswick where I served as associate
pastor and, for three years, as principal of the parish school.
In September of 1998, Fr. Tom & I became two of the founding
members of the Metuchen Congregation of the Oratory of St. Philip Neri
and since that time I have served the community as Provost (superior).
St. Philip Neri, the founder of the Congregation of
the Oratory, had a great love for young people and enjoyed being in
their company. Ministry with college students is a work that is
truly in keeping with the spirit of St. Philip and the tradition of
the Oratory. My entire adult life has been spent in working with young
people in one way or another and I have been greatly enriched by the
experience. I am grateful to the Lord for giving me the grace to work
in
campus ministry and to be of service to the student community here at
Rutgers.
I was born in Silver Springs,
Maryland in
1964 but have lived most of my life in New Jersey. After graduating
from high
school, I attended the School of Visual Arts in New York City where I
received
a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree with a concentration in painting. I have
made
my living as an artist since that time. Aside from painting, I played
guitar
in a band for about 6 years. We recorded several records and toured
both
the United States and Europe. At the same time, I spent 5 years working
(on
and off) with the Bread and Puppet Theatre of Vermont. It was there
that
I learned about the power of art and its ability to convey the deeper
meaning
of the human struggle/experience.
In April of 2005, I was ordained to the priesthood,
serving in the Congregation of the Oratory, along with Fr. Peter
and
Fr. Tom. It is here that I continue to grow in our common life of
prayer,
charity, humility, and joy. It is both a challenge and a
blessing...filled
with great hope and unending possibility.
Included in my responsibilities is the coordination of Community
Service here at the Catholic Center, and am excited to be working
with the students
at Rutgers. I believe that we are called to assist one another in our
journey
of faith and to realize that everyone has something positive to offer.
The
students that I have met so far have been a source of tremendous
enthusiasm
and joy. I pray that the coming years will be filled with God’s grace.
Br. Ken Apuzzo
My name is Br. Ken Apuzzo and I was born in the Bronx, New York City. I have two brothers and two sisters. My family moved to Northern New Jersey (a small town called New Milford) when I was in 3rd grade but it took awhile for “the city kid” to wear off. I changed from a Public N.Y. school to a Catholic school. The nuns were not impressed by my “street smarts” and I failed every class that year. One Sister had mercy on me and actually gave me an F+.
Barely surviving Catholic grammar school, I attended public high school and became really involved in sports. I played football, basketball and ran track. In the long run, (get the pun) , I excelled at long distance running and was ranked in the State.
After high school I arrived here “On the Banks”. If you ever need someone to counsel you in how to survive the RU screw, I am your guy. I was tripled on Livingston even though all my classes were at College Ave. I had no meal card or I.D. card for the first few days of the semester. I took 21 credits (yes-be amazed) my 1st semester even though I had never read a book before in my life. I also racked up quite a few parking tickets in my day. I could swear that RU parking had secret agents that swooped in on you with “stealth technology”. You never saw them the tickets just magically appeared!
I joined a frat called “Squamish” had my share of suds and parties and got bored of it all. That’s when I finally decided to figure out what my Catholic faith was about. I went on a student retreat and got blown away by God’s love. It was amazing but by my senior year most of my closest friends had all re-discovered their Catholic faith and God’s love. The impact of God’s love in my life and on my friends was so awesome that I wanted to give something back to God and the Church in gratitude. I got to know the Brotherhood of Hope, a Catholic order of religious brothers, whose mission was to help college students get closer to God.
Well, here I am a Brother and one of your Catholic Chaplains at RU.(The Sisters I had in grammar school now believe in God more than ever). I have been a chaplain at Florida State University, Boston University and the University of Massachusetts. My favorite thing to do as a chaplain is to meet with students on a one to one basis. If you ever want to talk just give me a call or drop me an e-mail.
Br. Adam Neri
Hi folks…Few things are better in life than hockey, a good baseball game and good eating! Before my life as a religious brother and chaplain, that about summed up what my life revolved around. I was born in Teaneck, New Jersey, but my family moved down to Berkeley Heights, in good old Union County. I have a large family, and by that I mean there are lots of us. Eleven siblings, in fact. I love my family immensely. It’s kinda hard not to when there’s seven guys and four girls to rumble around with. Never a dull moment!This is not my first time on the Banks, as I graduated class of 2000 from RU, then again in 2001 with my Master’s Degree in Education. I am well acquainted with the joys and sufferings of being an RU student. After spending time doing mission work in various parts of the world, including Africa, Mexico, and Central America, I taught high school English and Spanish for a time and loved it. I met a group of radical and fun-loving religious brothers from the Brotherhood of Hope, and began to experience an increasing desire to do something great for God. I became a Brother of Hope in July of 2005. Through my vocation as a religious brother I now have many opportunities to do just that: attempt great things for God. It’s an awesome life!
I’m available to help you out in whatever way I can. Some of my favorite things to do are sports (hockey, of course!) and talking one on one with students. Whether you just need an ear to talk to, a voice to challenge you, a guide to help you, or an opponent to try and beat on the court, please don’t hesitate to contact me.
Colleen Donahue
I am a native of New Jersey, born and
raised in East Brunswick. I attended Corpus Christi Elementary School,
East Brunswick High School, and took some courses at Middlesex County
College, but then elected to go out into the working world. I worked
for several years, met and married my husband, and then moved to
Hillsborough and
started a family. I stayed home for 12 years, raising our boys.
God has blessed my husband and I
with two wonderful sons. My oldest, Ryan, recenlly graduated from
Rochester Institute of Technology, with a degree in Information
Technology. He is employed by the George Eastman House in Rochester as
their Webmaster.. My younger son,
Matt, is a junior at Fordham University majoring in Business
Administration, and is a D-back for the Fordham Rams football
team.
My husband and I were always very active
in whatever our son's were involved in, particularly sports. Whenever
they were on the field, either for practice or games, we were there!
Pat coached, and I was either the Team Mom or, in the case of youth
football, was the team's Trainer. When the boys started high
school, were were active members of their sport's booster clubs.
I am a Eucharistic Minister, love Eucharistic
Adoration, and was a catechist for 12 years, getting my Certification
as a Master Catechist in the Diocese of Metuchen from Felician College.
I also served on my parish's Pastoral Council, was active in Renew, and
taught Adult Education.
I love football, reading, both fiction and
non-fiction, watching "vintage" TV shows , being by the ocean,
and SNOW!
I always had a great love of my Catholic
faith and was always active in ministry, so when my boys got older
and it was time for me to head back to the workforce, a job at
The Catholic Center seemed like a perfect fit for me! I'm in my
10th year at the Center and love working here. I am continually
impressed
with the caliber of students who grace us with their presence,
their ministry, their affection, and their wonderful faith. Stop in the
back office and say hello when you come by!
Chaplain Annette Miller
Although I was born in Wisconsin, I spent most of
my life growing up in Middletown, NJ. After graduating from Red
Bank Catholic High School, I attended Saint Mary's College in Notre
Dame, Indiana where I majored in History. While at St. Mary's, I became
involved in their Campus Ministry program. As a result of that
experience, I chose to attend Seton Hall University's School of
Theology. During my time at Seton Hall, I earned my Masters Degree in
Pastoral Ministry while gaining expereince as a Graduate Assistant in
Campus Ministry. While there, I helped
facilitate retreats, small faith sharing groups, as well as their
annual
Stations of the Cross.
Since graduation, I've been fortunate to minister
with high school students in both a parish and school setting. While I
worked with these students, I helped organize a wide variety of
community service events and retreats as a way of helping them grow
deeper in their fatih.
Some of my hobbies include reading, sports and
traveling. A few years ago, I was able to spend time in Rome and loved
the experience!
I'm very excited to be here at Rutgers and to
have the opportunity to minister with the students. Our Catholic faith
is something that is so important and I'm happy to share that with
others.