give me 5 is a series in our Vincentian Voices newsletter that asks five random questions to an Eastern Province Priest or Brother.
Meet Fr. Gregory Cozzubbo, CM, in this edition.
Fr. Gregory Cozzubbo, CM, has served as Campus Minister at Niagara University for two years. Let’s learn a little about his perspectives and experiences with these five questions:
Fr. Gregory Cozzubbo, CM
What initially made you interested in becoming a Vincentian?
So, when I was in high school, I had two teachers who were both Sisters of St. Joseph, and they’d always say, “Gregory, did you ever think about becoming a priest?” That didn’t really go anywhere.
But then my principal in high school was a Vincentian priest, Fr. Jim Pryor, CM, and he asked me and a couple other guys if we’d be interested in going to a vocation weekend, and it happened to be at Mary Immaculate Seminary in Northampton, which was our Vincentian seminary. So, that was my real exposure to who the Vincentians were. I didn’t follow up on that until near the end of my college years.
How I decided on the Vincentians was: As I looked at other religious communities, and the diocese, and I met more Vincentians in the seminary, I knew that was part of what my vocation needed to be about– the community life, the spirit, and charism of Vincent, and the virtues that he called us to.
Fr. Gregory Cozzubbo, CM
What do you mean by community life?
It’s the sense of community: living and camaraderie. I grew up in a very large extended family of uncles, cousins, grandparents. We all lived on the same street. So, I was always with people. And so, community life was something that was very attractive to me.
Fr. Gregory Cozzubbo, CM
Have you tried to extend that sense of community into your service?
Well, one of the things that we try to do in campus ministry is to give the students a sense of community and of coming together. It starts with the freshmen who are exposed to what we call the “VIP” Vincentian Immersion Program. They come together a couple weeks before classes start. We find service sites for them, and then we bring them together.
Fr. Gregory Cozzubbo, CM
For all students, what is your goal for campus ministry?
It’s to be as available as possible to the students, and again, to bring them together. It’s most especially for the celebration of the Eucharist, and to give them a good experience of that. We also want to be available to them when they need to talk. We also try and be as available as possible for the Sacrament of Reconciliation.
So, it’s really about the sacraments.
Fr. Gregory Cozzubbo, CM
How can everyone at the university create a broader sense of community in Niagara?
I think we spread the message to the greater Niagara Falls community by inviting them into Niagara University, letting them see the university, what the university does, and how it reaches out in mission.
Fr. Gregory Cozzubbo, CM
Thank you for reading!
If you would like to stay updated on all of our site’s content, subscribe to Vincentian Voices. This is the monthly newsletter of the Vincentians of the Eastern Province.
God bless.
Sign up for
VINCENTIAN VOICES