Father Sean is one of Siena’s newest friars and has become a beloved figure on campus since he began working here. He can be found giving Mass, directing Siena’s Mentoring Program, and leading several service trips every year. Father Sean dedicates his entire life not only to the students of Siena College, but to the children in inner city Albany and the surrounding areas. His contagious energy and dedication to serving others continues to be an inspiration both on and off campus.
Years at Siena: Technically, in terms of being employed by Siena College, I’ve been here about a year and a half. Ten years ago, I was working at Siena and I was working on an independent project that the order allowed me to do. I was living at the friary and I was in no way employed by the school, but I did say Mass and a couple things like that. It was then that I came into contact with Jim Snyder, who was my predecessor of the Mentoring Program. He knew that I was trying to start a middle school for inner city kids and suggested that I take the Mentoring Program, which I didn’t do at the time because I was more focused on my independent project.
Favorite food: Italian food! I would never pass up pasta or pizza.
Favorite book: To Kill a Mockingbird
Favorite hobby: Running, biking
HC: What made you want to become a friar? Was there anyone or anything that inspired you to become a friar?
I was always interested in the church, even as a teenager in middle and high school. I was very involved with the church and at first I wanted to be a priest. I was aware of the friars here at Siena because I grew up in Loudonville and knew them as very kind, down to earth people who were very involved with the students and with the different communities in the area. I thought to myself, if I’m going to be a priest, I might as well be a friar. There wasn’t really anyone or anything specific that inspired me to become a friar, but like I said, I knew the friars of Siena College as very down to earth, very real people and that was something that I wanted to be involved with.
HC: You run several organizations here on campus, including the Franciscan Center and the Mentoring Program. Do you have a favorite?
The Mentoring Program really has become my favorite organization since I’ve been here, both during the school year and during the program over the summer. I love seeing the relationships being formed between all of the bigs and their littles and the bigs really do go above and beyond the call of duty at every single session. A lot of the littles come from the inner city and tough places in the area and for them to have a mentor, someone to look up to and learn things from, really makes huge difference in their lives.
HC: You recently became the director of the Mentoring Program here at Siena. Was there a reason in particular you decided to take this position?
I had moved back to the area because my mother was very sick and had begun working as a friar here at Siena. I had also become aware of Jim Snyder’s passing and knew that the program needed a new director to come in and continue Jim’s legacy. I had also worked in the summer Mentoring Program with Jim when I was here ten years ago and it was a wonderful experience. I came to know the kids and their families and realized how positive this program can be in their lives.
HC: What made you decide to begin working at Siena College? Did you work at any other college or university before coming to Siena?
It was circumstantial. I didn’t really want to work here at first because I grew up in the area, but my mother was sick and living in a nursing home, so I finally agreed to begin working at Siena College. It was also really the Mentoring Program that brought me back, especially after Jim Schneider’s passing. I’d been involved with the program ten years ago and when I heard that the program was having trouble finding someone to replace Jim, I knew that it was my job to take on. I have worked with other parishes before coming to Siena, including one for about nine years down in Florida, but I have never worked at any other college or university before.
HC: You have taken several service trips with students to third world and developing countries. Is there a particular country that you have not served in yet that you would like to? Why?
I’ve gone to Jamaica, Nicaragua, and Haiti. There isn’t a favorite and they’re all unique experiences, I really don’t know that I have a preference. I’d like to go to Haiti with Father Dennis, but I am open to any other places. We just got back from Jamaica and our service was limited in a way but the work we did was really quite wonderful. All the kids thought that this trip surpassed their expectations and being able to interact with the Jamaican people and their world was really quite wonderful. I have five kids that went on our trip last year that are coming back on this trip to Nicaragua. The beauty of service is how it really can change a person. You see the beauty of people from where you just came from and it causes you to reconsider certain things. You learn a lot about yourselves through service because you go into the third world country and you see people living in huts and walking around with no shoes and you start asking a lot of questions about the world. It really puts things into perspective.