From the Office of the President:
Dear Members of the Fordham Family,
It gives me great pleasure to welcome back John J. Cecero, S.J., as Fordham’s new vice president for Mission Integration and Ministry, as of August 2, 2021. Father Cecero succeeds Michael C. McCarthy, S.J., who has held the post since January 1, 2016, under a slightly different title.
Please note that Father Cecero’s position title reflects a renaming of the Division of Mission Integration and Planning. It will now be titled the Division of Mission Integration and Ministry.
Father Cecero’s return to Fordham follows six years of service as the provincial of the USA Northeast Province of the Society of Jesus. He previously served at the University as an associate professor of psychology from 1998 to 2013 and is a tenured member of the psychology faculty here. He was a member of the Fordham Board of Trustees from 2008 to 2014, serving as chair of its mission and identity committee, and was the rector of the Fordham Jesuit Community from 2007 to 2013.
He received a Ph.D. in clinical psychology from the George Washington University in Washington, D.C., in 1996; master’s of divinity and theology degrees in 1988 and 1989, respectively, from the Weston Jesuit School of Theology (now the Boston College School of Theology and Ministry); and a bachelor’s degree in French and philosophy from Gonzaga University in 1982. He was ordained to the priesthood in June 1989.
Father Cecero completed a one-year clinical internship at the Boston VA Hospital and a two-year postdoctoral research fellowship in substance abuse treatments at Yale University’s Department of Psychiatry. He continues to give workshops and presentations on spirituality, addiction, mental health, and inspirational leadership to clergy and religious. He has published widely on lifetrap theory and practice, and he is the author of Praying Through Our Lifetraps: A Psycho-Spiritual Path to Freedom, a book-length guide published in 2002 by Resurrection Press. He is also the author of a series of audio presentations that were produced in 2009 under the title Spirituality, Psychology and Virtue: A Catholic’s Guide to a Flourishing Life.
As vice president for Mission Integration and Ministry, Father Cecero is responsible for the advancement of the Jesuit and Catholic mission of the University, in collaboration with other departments and offices across the University. In this role, he oversees the Office of Campus Ministry, the Center for Community Engaged Learning, and the Center on Religion and Culture.
I want to thank Father McCarthy for his long and transformative service as vice president for Mission Integration and Planning—the first person to serve in that expanded role. Father Mick, as most of Fordham knows him, has been a steady presence and a good friend. He is a well-liked and highly respected colleague, and we will miss him greatly. He will be taking a one-year sabbatical before moving on to a new assignment at the request of his provincial.
In Father Cecero we have a leader of intellectual substance, strong faith, and deep understanding of the human condition. He is an accomplished academic, administrator, and author, and a highly regarded psychotherapist. I look forward to working with him on the cabinet for his wise counsel and warm collegiality, and I believe he is exactly the right choice to lead Mission Integration and Ministry following the turbulent academic year we have just completed. I know you all join me in giving him a warm welcome back to Fordham.
Sincerely,
Joseph M. McShane, S.J.
