Paulist New England Outreach

Paulist New England Outreach is staffed  by Fr. Paul Huesing, C.S.P.  and Fr. Robert Rivers, C.S.P.  They provide many of the services of this ministry, and can call on other members of Paulist community to supplement or even head up particular events.  Fr. Paul has an extensive background in adult religious education, campus ministry and religious and psychological research.  He has also served as a parish pastor and holds a Ph.D. in psychology.

What is PNEO?

Paulist New England Outreach or PNEO is one of several regional ministries designed to bring the charism of the Paulist Fathers to broad regions of the country.  PNEO operates out of Boston to serve New England and nearby portions of other states and Canadian provinces.  Other Paulist regional ministries operate out of Toronto, Chicago, Portland (Oregon) ,and San Francisco.

The ministry of each Paulist regional center reflects the particular interests and talents of its staff.  The emphasis at Paulist New England Outreach is on evangelization ministry and service to young adults, those aged roughly between the ages of 18 and 35.

Fr. Paul is available to consult with diocesan, parish and institutional groups on questions of institutional research, planning and goal setting.

Who Are the Paulists?

The Missionary Society of St. Paul the Apostle (the Paulists) was founded in New York City in 1858.  It was the first com-munity of priests founded in the United States.

From the beginning, the Paulists sought to reach out to their non-Catholic neighbors with the with the Good News of Catholic Christianity.  Paulist founder, Fr. Isaac Hecker, was himself a convert to Catholicism.  He was a religious seeker whose journey to the Catholic Church was by way of the Transcendentalism of Ralph Waldo Emerson and the idealism of Henry David Thoreau. 

The Paulists today continue efforts to share the Catholic faith with others.  The ministry of the Paulists has expanded over the years to include particular outreach to those alienated from the Catholic faith.  The Paulists also strive to build bridges of good will to other Christian denominations and to non-Christian world religions, particularly Judaism and Islam.

Fr. Robert Rivers, C.S.P. is author of From Maintenance to Mission:  Evangelization and the Revitalization of the Parish.  He served as a pastor in California and North Carolina and in campus ministry in Minnesota and Texas.  He was Vice-President for Mission Advancement at the Paulist National Catholic Evangelization Association before joining Paulist New England Outreach.