The New Staff of HPR

Taking effect September 1, 2022, a new team will assume leadership of Homiletic & Pastoral Review. HPR welcomes Rev. John P. Cush, STD, as Editor-in-Chief, with Sister Mary Micaela Hoffman, RSM, S.S.L., as Associate Editor. At the same time, we bid a fond farewell to our previous editor-in-chief, Fr. David Vincent Meconi, S.J., with deepest gratitude for his 12 years of service in this apostolate.

In addition, all matters pertaining to book reviews at HPR are now in the charge of our book review editor, Mr. Christopher Siuzdak.

Editor-in-Chief: Fr. John Cush

Rev. John P. Cush, STD, is a priest of the Diocese of Brooklyn. He serves as a full-time professor of Dogmatic Theology at Saint Joseph’s Seminary and College, Dunwoodie, Yonkers, New York, where he also serves a formation advisor in the external forum. A native of Brooklyn, he studied at Cathedral Preparatory Seminary in Elmhurst, New York for high school, graduating in 1990 and then attended Saint John’s University, Jamaica, New York, earning a B.A. in English and Philosophy in 1994 while having priestly formation at Cathedral College Seminary of the Immaculate Conception (1990–1994) in Douglaston, New York. Fr. Cush was then assigned to major seminary studies at the Pontifical North American College, Rome, Italy. There, he earned the S.T.B. (1997) and the S.T.L. (1999) in fundamental theology from the Pontifical Gregorian University, Rome, Italy.

Fr. Cush was ordained a priest in 1998 and was assigned as parochial vicar of Good Shepherd, Marine Park (summer 1998) and to Saint Helen, Howard Beach (1999–2004). From 2004–2012, Fr. Cush was assigned as a full-time teacher at Cathedral Preparatory Seminary, Elmhurst. During these years, he also taught at the Brooklyn Diocesan Diaconate Formation Program, the Diocesan Pastoral Institute for Lay Formation, the Diocesan Liturgical Ministry Training Workshops, the Diocesan Pre-Cana Program, and as an adjunct professor for pre-theology at the Cathedral Seminary House of Formation, Douglaston, New York. Fr. Cush also was a part of the Brooklyn Diocesan Ecumenical Commission and served as a censor of books.

In 2012, Fr. Cush was assigned to doctoral studies in dogmatic and fundamental theology. After a year of classes (2012–2013) in dogmatic theology at the Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas (The Angelicum), Fr. Cush completed his Doctorate in Sacred Theology (S.T.D.) in the field of fundamental theology at the Pontifical Gregorian University in 2017.

In 2015, he was asked to join the faculty of the Pontifical North American College in Rome, Italy, first as assistant vice-rector, and then, in 2016, as academic dean. In his time at the College in Rome, Fr. Cush has been a formation advisor in the external forum for many seminarians. He has been an adjunct associate professor of Theology at the Pontifical Gregorian University, Rome; an adjunct associate professor of Church History and Social Communications at the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross, Rome; and as an adjunct professor of Theology at the Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas. In 2016, Fr. Cush had the opportunity to study for certification as a seminary spiritual director at the Institute for Priestly Formation, located at Creighton University, Omaha, Nebraska.

Fr. Cush is the author of The How-to-Book of Catholic Theology (Our Sunday Visitor, 2020) and has contributed a chapter, based off his doctoral dissertation to Intellect, Affect, and God (Marquette University Press, 2021). He has two books on priestly formation forthcoming from Word on Fire Press and Institute of Priestly Formation Press. He is a regular contributor to The Tablet (Diocese of Brooklyn), The Evangelist (Diocese of Albany), Homiletic and Pastoral Review, National Catholic Register, and Church Life Journal from the University of Notre Dame.

Associate Editor: Sister Mary Micaela Hoffman

Sister Mary Micaela Hoffmann, RSM is a member of the Religious Sisters of Mercy of Alma, MI (www.rsmofalma.org). She completed a B.A. in theology from Franciscan University of Steubenville with minors in Latin and Greek, and a master’s degree in theology from Ave Maria University. After entering religious life, she continued studies in philosophy and theology in Rome, where, in addition to working with various apostolates of her community, she completed an S.T.B. in theology from the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas, followed by a licentiate in Sacred Scripture at the Pontifical Biblical Institute (spring 2022). She is currently assigned to the local community of the Religious Sisters of Mercy in Winona, MN.

Editor for Book Reviews: Christopher Siuzdak

Christopher Siuzdak is a canonist in the Tribunal of the Diocese of Portland. He also teaches as an adjunct lecturer in canon law for Saint Meinrad Seminary’s Permanent Diaconate Formation Program. Chris completed undergraduate studies at the Catholic University of America in Washington, DC with majors in history and psychology and minors in philosophy and theology. He served as a congressional intern in the U.S. House of Representatives and as a research assistant at Harvard University. After graduating Phi Beta Kappa with his Bachelor of Arts (B.A.), he earned a Master of Theological Studies (M.T.S.) at Boston College. He then pursued a License in Canon Law (J.C.L.) at Catholic University’s School of Canon Law. Presently, he is finishing a Master of Science in Church Management (M.S.) from Villanova University’s School of Business.

Chris is an active member of several professional associations and learned societies. He recently served as president of the Eastern Regional Conference of Canonists (2020–2021), which entailed organizing a successful professional development conference. He is also engaged in the Canon Law Society of America (CLSA), where he has been appointed to the Committee on Nominations (chair, 2022-2023). In his spare time, Chris enjoys reading, hiking, and excursions to historical sites. He is excited to take on the role of book review editor as HPR nears its quasquicentennial.