FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Kathryn Cody, kcody@sjcme.edu
STANDISH, ME – The Saint Joseph’s College community welcomed Father Gabriel Muteru as the new College Chaplain in September. As part of the first few weeks of the fall semester, he has been introducing himself to students, parents, and staff, and celebrating the Mass on weekdays and on Sunday nights. As the Chaplain, Fr. Gabriel serves as a staff member of the Mercy Center, a department centered around ministry, social justice, and community engagement. He will play an active role in a variety of service and social justice initiatives, liturgies, retreats, and will provide an active pastoral presence on campus.
Fr. Gabriel said: “I was very happy to meet with Bishop Deeley and was comforted by his fatherliness, kindness, and good counsel. I am very happy and confident to work within the Diocese of Portland.”
Father Gabriel in Xavier Hall
Fr. Gabriel shared his initial impressions of the first few weeks at Saint Joseph’s College, “I am also grateful for President Dlugos and his leadership and for the opportunity to work at Saint Joseph’s. It has been a great welcome. I’m happy to be here at the College and in Maine. I love the Mercy tradition; it’s so full of compassion. I see compassion everywhere here on campus. I like how the students are being made conscious of the needs of the poor and how they are encouraged to take compassionate action.”
Mercy Center Director Kathryn Cody said, "We are very happy to have Fr. Gabriel join our Mercy Center team and college community. He brings with him prior experience as a chaplain, a positive attitude, and a great sense of humor. The College Chaplain is an important part of our college ministry team and we are very fortunate to have Fr. Gabriel serve in this role."
Fr. Gabriel holds a Ph.D. in Philosophy from The New School of Social Research in New York City. A native of Kenya, he was ordained as a priest and served in the Archdiocese of Nyeri, Kenya. He also served as Vice Rector and Dean of Students at Christ the King Major Seminary in Nyeri until 1994 when he came to the United States. There, Fr. Gabriel celebrated mass in several parishes in the New York metropolitan area and worked as an adjunct faculty member at Dowling College and Saint John’s University, and as a chaplain at Molloy College. He is well versed in higher education, having studied at several institutes in Kenya, Spain, and the United States.
About Saint Joseph’s College of Maine
Founded in 1912 by the Sisters of Mercy in Portland, Maine, Saint Joseph’s College is Maine’s Catholic liberal arts College. The 474-acre campus, located on the shore of Sebago Lake in Standish, Maine offers more than 40 undergraduate programs and a Division III athletic program to a population of approximately 1,000 on-campus students. In 2015 the College was selected by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching to receive its Community Engagement Classification, highlighting the College’s focus on community service throughout its mission and daily interactions on campus and within local, regional, and global communities. In addition, Saint Joseph’s College provides certificates and undergraduate and advanced degrees for thousands more working adults who reside throughout the United States and in more than 20 other countries through an online learning program. Learn more at www.sjcme.edu
