The Most Reverend Michael F. Burbidge, Bishop of Arlington, has appointed Rev. Gabriel Muteru as the next Chaplain at Marymount University. He will begin in this role on August 9, working with Catholic Campus Ministry as part of the institution’s Office of Ministry and Spiritual Life.
As Chaplain, Rev. Muteru will minister to all Marymount students, faculty and staff, and will be taking the lead in liturgical and sacramental celebrations, pastoral care and ministerial programming within Catholic Campus Ministry. He is fluent in Swahili, Kikuyu and Spanish, which will allow Mass to be celebrated in Spanish on a regular basis beginning this fall at the Sacred Heart of Mary Chapel on Marymount’s main campus.
“We are excited to welcome Reverend Muteru into the Marymount family, and have him guide the spiritual development of all the members of our campus community,” said Dr. Irma Becerra, President of Marymount University. “We place tremendous value on serving others and having a global perspective, and our new Chaplain sets a great example of both of these virtues through his experiences across the world in offering services to the poor and providing for the spiritual needs of his ministry.”
“During my time spent in Kenya, Spain, Germany, Italy, Sweden, Belgium, France, Israel and the U.S., I have found that all humans are the same – but also different. There is a common human nature in every society, while there is also diversity in every society,” Rev. Muteru explained. “This is a reality we face anywhere and everywhere we go, and for that reason, diversity must be respected and inclusion must be encouraged. Diversity in culture, language, customs, thought and lifestyle only makes a society richer and stronger.”
A native of Kenya, Rev. Muteru was ordained as a priest through the Archdiocese of Nyeri, Kenya, and served as Vice Rector and Dean of Students at Christ the King Major Seminary in Nyeri before arriving in the U.S. in 1994. Since then, he has accumulated extensive ministerial experience at several parishes in the New York metropolitan area and has worked as an adjunct professor at Saint John’s University, Molloy College and Dowling College.
Most recently, he served St. Joseph’s College of Maine as Chaplain from 2018 to this year.
“During my in-person visit to Marymount, I was impressed by all of the people that I met – everyone was friendly, enthusiastic and motivated in their field of work,” Rev. Muteru added. “I also recognized a high level of collaboration where different individuals and departments team up and work together for the common good. I can’t wait to be a part of that spirit of teamwork.”
Rev. Muteru holds a Ph.D. in Philosophy from the New School of Social Research in New York, a master’s degree in Philosophy from Fordham University, a Licentiate in Philosophy from the University of Navarra in Spain and a bachelor’s degree in Theology from the Seminary of Saint Thomas Aquinas in Nairobi, Kenya.
