Father Gerry Waterman, OFM Conv., is pictured in the main chapel at the University's Catholic Center. (Photo by Amy Manley)
The Campus Chaplain Who Filled a Chapel—One Friend at a Time
In 2016, Father Gerry Waterman, OFM Conv., was considering taking the role of Catholic chaplain at Syracuse University. It was not an easy decision, he says.
For starters, he loved his work at Elon University in North Carolina, where he served as Catholic chaplain for 11 years. Syracuse University is a much bigger institution, and he was not crazy about the idea of long, cold winters.
Waterman embarked on a three-day trip to Syracuse in April that year to meet with Chancellor Kent Syverud and other leaders. On an early-morning run on the Onondaga Creekwalk, he asked God to send him a sign.
Waterman stopped in front of a covered iron storm drain embossed with letters and numbers. The letters spelled out his last name and the numbers, 84 and 55, were the year he was ordained and the year he was born, respectively. He had his answer.
The decision to come to Syracuse has been one of his best, Waterman says. Now his Syracuse chapter is coming to a close, as he is retiring from campus ministry after Commencement. A farewell reception will be held on Thursday, April 16, from 5-7 p.m. at the Catholic Center, followed by Mass at 7 p.m.
“It’s bittersweet. I have been doing campus ministry for 21 years—it’s a long time,” he says. “I said it’s time, but there is going to be a huge hole in my heart. I love these kids; they are the salt of the Earth.”
A Spirit and Energy Unrivaled
Waterman has brought an infectious spirit and boundless energy to his role as the University’s Catholic chaplain. During his tenure, attendance for Catholic Masses and activities has exploded. Masses that once saw 20 students now see more than 200. Attendance at the recent Easter Masses was close to 1,100,
With a transformational gift from Daniel ’68, H’20 and Gayle D’Aniello through the Forever Orange campaign, a new chapel was built and renovations done to make the Catholic Center space more conducive to the activities held there. Thursday night Mass and dinner, monthly sandwich-making community outreach and social activities draw record numbers of students. A newly installed organ, a gift from a donor, fills the space with beautiful music.
Waterman’s greatest legacy, though, is the people within the space. He attributes the expanding numbers to the students. “I was able to get the students so comfortable and confident in their faith that they were willing to evangelize their friends,” he says. “That’s how our numbers have grown. Not by me inviting them, by their friends inviting them.”
His Greatest Legacy
The connection with students is what has nourished Waterman over the past decade.
“Father Gerry truly is one of a kind, never have I met such a welcoming priest who somehow knows every student’s name,” says Anthony Iannazzone ’28. “His homilies hit me differently than any other priest that I have listened to; he gets the message across unlike anybody I’ve ever heard. He has had a true impact on my time here at Syracuse.”
Anna Lupardo ’26 tragically lost her dad at age 12, and in the ensuing years stopped going to church. “I remained a spiritual person after I lost my father, but I struggled to find a place for faith in my life,” she says. During her junior year, a couple of friends brought her along to the Catholic Center on a Sunday.
“Father Gerry gave me a big hug and told me he was so excited to have me there,” Lupado says. “I had never felt more welcomed into a community of believers as I did in that moment.”
Lupado began attending Mass weekly. “Father Gerry is somehow always capable of telling me exactly what I need to hear. As someone who never saw a place for my Catholic roots after my father died, Father Gerry showed me that there is always a place for Jesus in my heart, no matter how connected or ready I might feel at the time.”
Mikie Jantz ’28 says Waterman is unique in his ability to help students have their faith be at the center of their life, as opposed to just a part of their life.
“Father Gerry has built such a great community at this school and done so humbly, and with an intent to point everyone to Jesus,” Jantz says, “I have gone to Mass with friends that have been Catholics their whole lives, and friends that are not Catholic at all. In all situations, he has made them feel welcomed and at home.”
“Father Gerry Waterman has provided steadfast and dynamic leadership to the University’s Catholic community, dramatically altering the physical space at the Catholic Center and greatly increasing participation in worship, programs and community service,” says Rebecca Reed Kantrowitz, interim dean of Hendricks Chapel. “Father Gerry has also served as a strong and collaborative partner to his fellow chaplains and staff at Hendricks Chapel. We are deeply appreciative of his many contributions to Syracuse University over the past decade.”
Leaving Syracuse With a Full Heart
Waterman calls his new chapter semi-retirement. He will be based in Washington, D.C., but, in the spirit of St. Francis, will go where he is needed and called—covering for vacations, leading spiritual retreats and helping to oversee outreach activities. He also plans to travel; hiking the Camino de Santiago in Europe is one of his bucket list items.
In his time in Syracuse, Waterman learned to live—and thrive—in winter. “Winter never mattered because I have had the warmth and love of so many around me,” he says.
No matter where he goes, memories of Syracuse will always hold a special place in his heart—his students, this campus and, being the foodie he is, Syracuse’s iconic Columbus bread.
