Departing Faculty

ISMAEL RODRÍGUEZ JR. ’22, DIOCESE OF DALLAS

ROMAN ECHOES 25TH YEAR

NAC FACTS

The faculty of The Pontifical North American College is made up of priests and religious who leave their diocese or communities for a period of time to come to Rome to aid in the work of priestly formation. Many are alumni of the College, others are not. Currently on the faculty we have priests from the (Arch)dioceses of: Springfield in Illinois, Washington, San Francisco, Houma-Thibodaux, Brooklyn, St. Petersburg, Rockville Centre, Camden, San Jose, Costa Rica, the Ruthenian Eparchy of Passaic, Birmingham, New York, Providence, and Toledo. We also have on faculty religious priests from: the Society of Jesus, St. Vincent Archabbey, St. Meinrad Archabbey, and the Order of Preachers. Finally, we are blessed to have a Religious Sister of Mercy of Alma, Michigan, as the House Counselor. Rev. Ronald C. Barusefski Fr. Barusefski departs the College after five years of serving as the Director of Apostolic Formation as well as a formation advisor. In addition to these two roles, Fr. Barusefski also offered Byzantine liturgies for the community throughout his time here, providing students with a greater appreciation and understanding of the Byzantine Ruthenian Catholic Church. Beginning next fall, he will transfer to the Casa Santa Maria, where he will complete his doctoral dissertation in canon law.

Rev. Walter “Tad” Oxley ’03, C’09 Fr. Oxley departs the College after serving five years as an adjunct spiritual director, while working at the Holy See’s Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. His new assignment consists of returning to his home Diocese of Toledo, where he will serve as Secretary for Clergy, Consecrated Life, and Vocations along with Episcopal Vicar for Clergy.

Sr. Mary Patrice Ahearn, RSM Sr. Mary Patrice departs the College after three years of serving as the Director of Counseling Services. She joined the Religious Sisters of Mercy of Alma, Michigan in 2003. In graduate school she served as the house counselor and consultant at St. Gregory the Great Seminary in Seward, Nebraska, as part of her internship. She completed her Psy.D. at the Institute for Psychological Sciences in Arlington, Virginia, in 2013. Sr. Mary Patrice also worked as a clinical psychologist at the Sacred Heart Mercy Health Care Center in Alma, Michigan. Prior to her arrival in Rome, she was a Lecturer in Applied Psychology and Counseling at the University of Notre Dame in Sydney,

Rev. Walter "Tad" Oxley '03, C'09 (Toledo), Sr. Mary Patrice Ahearn, RSM, and Rev. Ronald Barusefski C'16 (Eparchy of Passaic) gather for a photo at the end of the Closing Banquet, at which they were recognized for their service and dedication to the College.

Australia. Beginning in July she will become the local superior of their community in Washington, D.C., and will continue to serve the Church as a psychologist back in the United States.

Rev. Joseph Kelly After three years of service as the spiritual director for the Casa Santa Maria, as well as an adjunct spiritual director at the College, Fr. Joseph Kelly departs the College and will return to the Archdiocese of New York. Prior to his arrival in Rome, Fr. Kelly served as founding board member and spiritual director at the Institute for Priestly Formation at Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska, for over twenty-five years.

The College is grateful for the invaluable work of Fr. Barusefski, Fr. Oxley, Sr. Mary Patrice, and Fr. Kelly in helping form the next generation of priests. n