Meet Our Team

Our team in the Catholic Campus Ministry and Catholic Newman Club is made up of professional staff and students in order to be fully integrated into the Kean community.

  • Rev. Peter Volz

    Chaplain

  • Lucia Pasternak

    Campus Minister

  • Colleen Badalis

    CN Club President

  • Reuben Philip

    Bible Study Leader

    CN Club Vice President

  • Ava Pelo

    CN Club Community Chair

  • Caitlyn Banzon

    CN Club Secretary

  • Chaplain

    Fr. Peter was born and raised in Orange County, California. He has a B.A., M.A., and an M.Div. Before entering the seminary in 2012, he was a barista at Starbucks for two years. At the age of 21, he was given the opportunity to go help a team of missionaries working in parishes in Utah and New Mexico, and felt the call to become a missionary priest- six months later, he was sent to the Archdiocesan Missionary seminary of Newark.

    Fr. Peter was ordained a priest after ten years. He served as a transitional deacon at Church of the Nativity in Midland Park, and has been at St. John the Apostle Church in Linden after being newly ordained in 2022.

    His hope while at Kean “as always is to bring others to Christ.” Some fun facts about Fr. Peter include that he likes to cook, he speak three languages (English, Spanish, and Italian), loves to travel, and loves to snowboard.

  • Campus Minister

    Lucia began as the new Catholic Campus Minister at Kean University in September of 2021. Lucia is a lifelong Catholic dedicated to working with college students to find their true, authentic selves. She holds a B.A. in Theology and Psychology from Immaculata University, as well as an M.A. in Higher Education from Caldwell University.

    Previously, Lucia has worked in Residence Life at military and Catholic colleges, with her experience consisting of student leadership development, student conduct and emergency response, and educational programming. Now, she feels blessed to be a part of the Campus Ministry team within the Archdiocese of Newark!

    In her spare time, she can be found listening to true crime podcasts, taking care of her house plants, reading, and stand-up paddle boarding.

  • Student-Led Bible Study Leader and Catholic Newman Club VP

    Reuben is a doctoral student in School and Clinical Psychology at Kean University. He is a convert to the Catholic faith: he was received into the Church in 2020. He has been leading Bible studies since 2021, helping fellow students to come to know the Heart of Jesus more deeply. He is eager to be a part of this team and be another resource for students who need guidance on their journey towards Heaven. Aside from his first love (Jesus), he loves LEGO (no, it's not only for children), puns, and ventriloquism! Whether you need help with getting into a habit of prayer or just need someone to make SpongeBob references with, Reuben is here to help!