Monsignor Gerard McCarren has been named rector and dean of Immaculate Conception Seminary School of Theology, according to a Monday announcement from Seton Hall University.
McCarren has been serving as interim rector and dean since July 1, and, prior to that time, he was associate professor of systematic theology and the seminary’s spiritual director.
“Monsignor McCarren is a well-respected priest, theologian and spiritual director, with a depth of pastoral experience that will allow him to continue our vital mission of supporting the seminarians from the Archdiocese and other dioceses as they discern God’s call to the priesthood,” Cardinal Joseph Tobin, archbishop, Archdiocese of Newark, said.
Seton Hall said that, after a national search, McCarren’s multifaceted experiences in priestly formation, deep knowledge of theology and esteemed reputation among priests and seminarians made him a clear choice for this appointment.
Monsignor McCarren is a well-known scholar of Seton Hall’s Saint John Henry Newman and was a member of the Newman Association of America’s board of directors from 2001 to 2016. In addition to his work at Seton Hall, he has taught and provided spiritual direction over many summers at the Institute for Priestly Formation in Omaha, Nebraska.
“We are grateful to Monsignor McCarren for his leadership, spiritual service and devotion to preparing men for the priesthood with the support of an outstanding formation and academic faculty,” Joseph Nyre, president of Seton Hall, said. “Nothing is more important for Immaculate Conception Seminary School of Theology than helping seminarians affirm the Lord’s call to a priestly vocation. With Monsignor McCarren as rector and dean, the school will inspire seminarians, religious men and women, priests, lay students and others in their devotion to the kingdom of God, as they face society’s opportunities and challenges guided by the wisdom of the Church.”
