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.

Rev. Lyta G. Seddig, the college's Protestant Campus Minister, is an ordained minister in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). She is responsible for the worship services for Christian students on campus. She welcomes conversations and pastoral counseling/spiritual guidance with students, faculty, administrators and staff on a variety of issues. She has extensive training in religious issues and domestic violence, abuse and sexual misconduct and is a sexual harassment advocate for Mercyhurst. Her theological background includes extensive training in issues of human sexuality. She also is a member of the Spiritual Formation Leadership Network of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), a member and regional coordinator of Spiritual Directors International and an oblate of Mount Saint Benedict Monastery, Erie , PA. She has served as Protestant Chaplain at the State Correctional Institution for Women at Cambridge Springs , PA , and has been an intentional interim Pastor in numerous congregations. Justice and inclusivity concerns are an integral part of Rev. Lyta's life and ministry. She is a founding member and co-moderator of Lake Erie Presbytery's More Light group, a member of the Covenant Network, and planner and participant in Witness Our Welcome ecumenical worship services with the Erie County LGBT community. She has worked with women's justice issues, participated in the NGO Forum to the United Nations Fourth World Conference on Women, acted as Pastor-in-Residence for a national Peacemaking Conference of the Presbyterian Peacemaking Program. Rev. Lyta and her husband, Bob, who is chair of the Department of Political Science at Allegheny College in Meadville , PA , are the parents of two adult daughters. She may be reached at (814) 824-3348 or via e-mail lseddig@mercyhurst.edu.

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.

Amanda Zechman graduated from Gannon University in May of 2005 with a bachelor’s degree in Health Sciences. She then came to Mercyhurst to volunteer as an AmeriCorps*VISTA in the Service Learning office. During her time there she recruited, trained and facilitated Mercyhurst College volunteers to go out in the community and perform service. While here she developed a passion for Campus Ministry and Missions. At the end of her VISTA year she went back to Gannon to work in the Center for Social Concerns and Campus Ministry while pursuing her graduate degree in Pastoral Ministry. Upon returning to Mercyhurst in the fall of 2007 as a campus minister, Amanda coordinates the Food Drive and the college's chapter of Habitat for Humanity, works with the Emmaus Soup Kitchen and Kids Café, an after school program for inner city children. She also facilitates college chapter of Amnesty International, Peer Leadership Ministerial Training and the Praise and Worship band. Amanda may be reached at (814) 824-2549 or via e-mail azechman@mercyhurst.edu.