Catholic Academy of Sussex County welcomes new president

SPARTA  Holy Cross Father Walter E. Jenkins got a taste of his future, both as a priest and religious and as a prominent leader in Catholic education, while a biology and pre-med student at King’s College in Wilkes-Barre, Pa. There, he got involved in campus ministry and got to know several priests of the Congregation of the Holy Cross — an encounter that influenced his life and vocation.

“The priests were young, and bright, close to the students they served, and deeply dedicated to educating young people in a context of faith. Given my family upbringing in Catholic schools it was natural that I would be attracted to my religious community [the Congregation of the Holy Cross] and their focus on Catholic education. By the middle of my junior year, I knew I wanted to be a Holy Cross priest,” said Father Jenkins, 56, ordained to the religious order in 1995.

Father Jenkins’ distinguished ministry as a leader in Catholic high school, college, and seminary education has led him to the Catholic Academy of Sussex County, where he was recently named its president by the Diocese. The expansive campus of the Academy consists of Pope John XXIII High School, Pope John Middle School, and Rev. Brown Memorial School.

“I’m honored having been chosen at president of the Catholic Academy of Sussex County,” said Father Jenkins, who already met with administrators, faculty, and students, during his first days at the Academy. “It is a warm and welcoming place. I’m deeply impressed by the professionalism of our faculty and staff and even more impressed by our students. They are friendly and engaging and all of that gives me a sense that they come from good families, committed to forming them to be good Christian men and women,” he said.

Father Jenkins succeeds and builds on the legacy of Msgr. Kieran McHugh, former Academy president, who was the driving force behind the phenomenal growth of the school community. He helped lead the expansion of the facilities, curriculum, and programs and retired after more than 50 years of service to Pope John and the Academy.

“We are happy that Father Jenkins, who has served in education for much of his priestly ministry, will bring his vast experience as he takes on this leadership role. I am sure that he will build on the firm foundation built by Msgr. McHugh and all those, who have made the Catholic Academy of Sussex County such an outstanding model for Catholic education,” Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney said.

In his education ministry, Father Jenkins has held numerous positions. They include president of Holy Cross High School in Queens, N.Y.; president of Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana, Calif.; and director of campus ministry at Stonehill College in Easton, Mass. He also served as religious superior while at King’s College (2016-20), and in parish ministry, including as pastor, he said.

Father Jenkins was raised in a religiously active home in Binghamton, N.Y. with a Catholic mother and a Methodist father, who would go to Mass with the family and later converted to Catholicism. He, along with his brother and sister, attended Catholic schools, the president said.

“I always felt close to the parish priests, who were kind and interested men. The religious sisters, mostly from Immaculate Heart of Mary and the Daughters of Charity religious orders, were my great inspiration for a vocation to religious life and the priesthood,” Father Jenkins said. In 1984, he was graduated from Seton Catholic Central in Binghamton, where he loved the sciences and AP English. “Growing up in what seemed like a Catholic world and knowing both priests and religious women, I always thought that I might have a vocation,” Father Jenkins said.

In 1988, Father Jenkins was graduated from King’s College with a bachelor’s degree in biology and pre-med with minors in government and theology. Afterward, he entered the Congregation of the Holy Cross to study for the priesthood. Following his priestly ordination in 1995, Father Jenkins studied for — and earned — a doctorate in education from the University of San Francisco.

Now, as Academy president, Father Jenkins is relying on his wealth of knowledge and experience, the guidance of the school community, and most importantly the wisdom of God.

“From the founding of the Congregation of the Holy Cross, we’ve valued the lived experience of those around us — their faith, joys, and sorrows. Placing God at the center of everything allows us to be successful, joyful, and hopeful,” Father Jenkins said.

“I’ve inherited and have been entrusted with a wonderful community of faith and learning. I’m learning who we are already in my conversations with so many,” Father Jenkins said. “Then together, we will decide who we want to be — how we want to grow and change to be better disciples of Jesus. It’s time to begin a planning process that will guide our next 10 years as a school community. Strategic planning is about everyone having a voice and having a vested interest in the community,” he said.