Archived Edition: February 21, 2007 | Back to Current	Jul 31, 2010

Caster appointed first full-time Roman Catholic chaplain
Kevin Waite - Editor-in-Chief

Blessed are the patient, for they shall inherit a chaplain. Yesterday, Dean Roseman announced that the Rev. Gary Caster will assume duties as full-time Roman Catholic chaplain and as adviser for Newman Council of Williams College. Beginning July 1 Caster will become the first full-time Catholic chaplain in the College’s history.

Caster will replace Peter Feudo, who acted as part-time Catholic chaplain for the last nine years. As a priest, Caster is able to perform sacraments for the College’s students, duties which Feudo, as a layman, could not. “In the past we depended on bringing in priests from outside the College,” Rick Spalding, chaplain of the College, said. “Having someone who can fulfill these duties on campus is great for the Catholic community.”

Spalding hopes that Caster will alsobuild on the progress made by his predecessor. “Peter Feudo has been tireless, selfless and deeply dedicated to the cause of enhancing Catholic life at Williams,” Spalding said. “We owe him our thanks for laying the foundation upon which Father Caster will build.”

The need for a full-time chaplain arose from the growing number of Williams students who self-identify as Catholic and the demands this expanding community placed on the current chaplain, Roseman said in December. Last spring, administrators formed a committee to find someone to fill the position. Since first meeting in late September, the committee has interviewed over two dozen candidates.

“There has been a general shortage of priests among colleges,” Spalding said. “When we first began our search for a full-time Catholic chaplain we weren’t sure that we’d have priests who’d be interested or well-suited to the position. We’re very fortunate that priests did apply and that one seemed like such a great fit.”

“I think having a priest serve as Catholic chaplain is innovative,” Caster said. “It shows a profound respect for the needs of the Catholic community on campus.”

Educated in both American and foreign schools and with experience in multi-faith environments, Caster emerged as one of the most qualified candidates. “When Father Caster came to campus for interviewing he made a wonderful impression on students, faculty and administrators alike,” former President Frank Oakley, who headed the committee, said. “He will bring to his responsibilities here a fine record of long and successful service in campus ministry. We are delighted that he will be joining the Williams community.”

Caster is currently the assistant to the Bishop of Peoria, serving as a retreat director and leader of days of renewal, according to Roseman. He has also served as director of the St. Robert Bellarmine Newman Center as well as chaplain at Peoria Notre Dame High School and Bradley University.

He received a B.A. in Philosophy from The Catholic University of America, where he was Phi Beta Kappa. At

St. Mary’s University and the Gregorian University in Rome, he pursued graduate work, earning a Masters of Divinity and a Masters in Church History.

In addition to his sacramental, advising and organizational duties, Caster is expected to cater to the spiritual needs of Catholics and non-Catholics alike. “He has served in other multi-faith environments and he brings respect for religious pluralism, which is a priority of the Chaplains’ Office,” Spalding said. “The College always has a need for people who can nourish faith and spirituality across a broad spectrum of religions. It’s important that the chaplain be someone who can lift up religion and spirituality in general, and participate wholeheartedly in genuine inter-religious dialogue.”

Caster anticipates working closely with the College’s religious advisors. “I look forward to working in close collaboration with the other chaplains and others, learning about life at Williams from the vantage point of their years of experience,” he said.

“It is both great and humbling to be working with others at such a fine liberal arts college, assisting young men and women as they prepare to take their place in the larger community,” Caster said. “I’m eager to begin.”