Campus Ministry The Campus Ministry Team

Currently, there are three full time members and one part time member of the Campus Ministry Team.

Rev. Fr. James E. Piszker, a priest of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Erie, Pennsylvania, has been chaplain to Mercyhurst College since August of 1998. He previously worked in campus ministry at Allegheny College , Meadville , PA and Towson University , Towson MD. Fr. Piszker is responsible for all sacramental activities on campus including the celebration of mass, confessions and weddings. Fr. Piszker is responsible for scheduling weddings and other events in Christ the King Chapel. He is also responsible for the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA) process in which members of the college community may be initiated into the Catholic faith through the sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation and Eucharist or to be received into full communion with the Catholic Church, or complete their initiation into the Catholic faith through the reception of Confirmation and/or Eucharist. Fr. Piszker is also an adjunct faculty member in the Religious Studies and Religious Education departments of the college. His ministry extends beyond the boundaries of Mercyhurst as he is also chaplain to the Retrouvaille program (a program for troubled marriages), periodic on-call chaplain for Hamot Medical Center, periodic weekday presider at Eucharist for the Benedictine Sisters of Erie, confessor to the Sisters of Mercy Motherhouse, chaplain to the Catholic Daughters of the Americas, Court Erie and occasional guest presider at Eucharist for various parishes in the diocese. He also teaches in the ministry training program for the diocese, having taught a wide variety of courses in theology. Fr. Piszker is also available for individual pastoral counseling and spiritual direction and assists other members of the Campus Ministry team with retreats and other programs. He may be reached at (814) 824-2467 or via e-mail jpiszker@mercyhurst.edu. In the event of an emergency, he may be reached via digital pager at (814) 871-0433.

Greg Baker, Director of Campus Ministry, has been serving the College since November 2007. He and his wife, Jennifer, have one son, Eli. Greg is a native of Erie, receiving his undergraduate degree in Liberal Studies from Gannon University and his master’s degree in Theology from St. Bonaventure University. He has extensive experience with service and justice work, including a year with the Jesuit Volunteer Corps, several months in a Catholic Worker house, and various short-term service trips to places such as Appalachia, South Dakota, Haiti and various major cities. Greg has spent many years working and volunteering with Camp Notre Dame in Fairview, PA. He has been a parish Religious Education Leader and Youth Minister and most recently served as the Director of Youth & Young Adult Ministry for the Diocese of Erie, PA. Greg is responsible for the overall spiritual formation of the students, faculty, administration and staff. He ensures that each student is able to connect with religious services and rituals to support her/his faith tradition. Greg oversees a variety of spiritual programs and events, retreats, and service and justice activities, most of them student led. Greg maintains an open door policy for anyone seeking spiritual guidance, personal support or a listening ear, and can be reached at 824-2301 or via e-mail gbaker@mercyhurst.edu.

Daniel Cabanillas came to Mercyhurst College in 1993 as a voice major. He graduated Cum Laude in 1997. He is a native of Honduras in Central America , where he pursued a degree in foreign languages. During his years at Mercyhurst as a foreign student, Daniel grew close to Campus Ministry since Sr. Elizabeth Lintsen was the Foreign Student Advisor as well as the Director of the office. In 1999, Daniel applied for the position of Campus Minister and Director of Liturgical Music and joined the team in the fall of 1999. In the fall of 2004, Daniel moved to a full time position with the International Student Center but still works with Campus Ministry on liturgical music. He may be reached at (814) 824-2430 or via e-mail dcabanillas@mercyhurst.edu.