Father Donald F. Reilly, O.S.A., has been elected president of St. Augustine Preparatory School in Richland by the members of the Corporation.
The Very Rev. Anthony M. Genovese, O.S.A., Prior Provincial of the Augustinian Province of St. Thomas of Villanova, made the announcement June 20 during a meeting of the Board of Directors at St. Augustine Prep. The appointment is effective July 1.
Father Reilly succeeds Father Paul W. Galetto, O.S.A., who has served as president since 1997 and voiced his disapppointment last month when he learned his tenure at the school would end.
Parents and students also were upset to learn of Father Galetto’s coming departure and held rallies to protest the move.
A statement from the Augustinians stated that Father Galetto will assist Father Reilly in the new president’s transition.
Father Reilly served as Prior Provincial of the Province of St. Thomas of Villanova from June 2002 to June, 2010 and has been on sabbatical this year. He has a long relationship with St. Augustine Prep, having served as president of the Corporation Members of St. Augustine; chair of the Board of Directors and earlier as province liaison for Augustinian personnel at the school.
“I am humbled by the opportunity to serve this extraordinary Augustinian institution,” Father Reilly said. “Over the years I have been associated with St. Augustine Prep, I have witnessed the core values of truth, unity and love borne out among the student body, faculty, parents and alumni.”
Father Reilly has taught in high school, served as Student Life Administrator and has provided board leadership at St. Augustine Prep, Malvern Preparatory School, Villanova University and Merrimack College.
He has served as the leader of the North American Conference of Augustinian Provincials. In that role he provided leadership in the funding for the Augustinian Values Institute, which fosters Augustinian values in secondary education throughout North America and the English-speaking world. As co-founder of Siloam Ministries in Philadelphia, he created the infrastructure and promoted public awareness of the organization, which serves HIV/Aids victims and families.
Father Reilly’s experience in fundraising extends from Siloam Ministries, where he created a fundraising arm for the ministry. As provincial, he initiated a capital campaign for the Province of St. Thomas of Villanova, which successfully raised $25 million, resulting in a total renovation of the Villanova monastery, and other works of the province.
Father Reilly holds a doctorate in ministry (counseling) from New York Theological Seminary.
Among the many recognitions of Father Reilly’s accomplishments are the Faithful Servant Award from St. Patrick’s College, Maynooth, County Kildare, Ireland; the Urban Angel Award from the New York Theological Seminary and an honorary doctorate in Augustinian Education from Merrimack College.