Rev. Gerard (Jerry) Tully, CSP, Vice Rector
Father Jerry came to the Eternal City from the Church of St. Cyril of Alexandria in Tucson, Arizona in the Fall of 2003. Before joining the Paulists as a novice in 1988, he lived all of his life in New York City. His academic studies began at his parish’s elementary school. When it was time for high school, a parish priest encouraged him to enroll at Cathedral Prep, then the minor seminary for the Archdiocese of New York. With the seed of a vocation planted, he decided to explore various ministerial opportunities while attending Manhattan College. The Christian Brothers of St. John Baptist de la Salle encouraged him with his vocational search until he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in 1983.
At that time a decision was made to take a break from academia rather than immediately starting theological studies. He accepted an employment offer with the Bell System and used the opportunity to seriously evaluate his potential vocation. Realizing that God was truly calling him to something else he decided to join the Paulists. The Paulists had a long association with the parish he was living in at the time. He got to know several of them and was always impressed by their qualities of preaching and approachability. Their mission of ecumenism and interfaith dialogue was of a particular interest following undergraduate Studies in World Religions.
After his First Profession of Promises to the Paulists in 1989, he began theological studies at the Catholic University of America. A Master of Divinity degree was conferred in 1993 and he also made his Final Profession of Promises that year. Later that year he served as Deacon at the Catholic Information Centre in Toronto, Ontario. Ordination to the priesthood occurred in 1994 at St. Paul the Apostle, the Paulist mother church in New York City.
Since his ordination he has been busy blending ecumenism and interfaith dialogue with parish life. His first assignment was the Church of the Good Shepherd (1994-1998) in New York City where he was active in ecumenical efforts with local houses of worship. This was followed by his most recent assignment in Tucson (1998-2003). While there, he was active in the Inter-Religious Council of Southern Arizona (IRCSA), the Arizona Ecumenical Conference (AEC) and the Tucson Interfaith HIV/AIDS Network (TIHAN). He also was a Staff Chaplain at Tucson Medical Center and served as a resource person for its ethics committee. His parish responsibilities included teaching religion at their school. He instituted a class for the junior high students focusing on a deeper understanding of world religions while comparing them to Catholicism.
Father Jerry is very happy to be part of the Santa Susanna community. He especially enjoys being Chaplain at Marymount International School, as well as being actively involved in the life of the parish. Please note that as of July 31, 2006, Fr. Jerry has moved to his new assignment and is no longer at Santa Susanna.
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