The class of 2024 aren’t the only ones who will depart Fordham University in the coming weeks: Rev. Jose-Luis Salazar, S.J., known by students as Father Lito, will celebrate his last day at Fordham on June 30. Salazar has served as the executive director of Campus Ministry for the past eight years, as well as serving as the resident Jesuit in Loyola Hall.
Following his departure from Fordham, Salazar is taking a six-month sabbatical, which he will split between New Jersey and the Philippines, visiting family and providing support for high school students. After his sabbatical ends, he will be working with students in secondary education. He says he is looking forward to “a new mission, and a new sense of challenge” in his new ministry.
Salazar served on Fordham’s campus from 2000-05, and then from 2015 onward. During that time, he has noticed multiple shifts in student culture. “When I returned in 2015, our attention was focused on… what sort of ministry can we extend to those who do not identify with any faith or religious tradition.” Following the COVID-19 pandemic, however, Salazar noticed another marked shift, marked by new questions for Campus Ministry. “How do we attract them to continue with their religious traditions… if they had not experienced one-on-one?”
“I’ll certainly miss ministering to, or engaging with, young adults,” Salazar said of what he would miss about Fordham. “You’re at the place in your development where you’re exerting your independence from traditional authority figures, or traditional authority teachings. What I’ve done over my years at Campus Ministry is go out of my way to find ways to engage with people at this stage of development.”
Salazar also reflected on the challenges presented in running Campus Ministry. He noted the litany of services that Campus Ministry provides, including providing support for students who have lost family and organizing religious services. “Campus Ministry has always been and will always be the odd one out… it is easy not to see us. We become invisible. We can be put into a box of the services that we offer.” Salazar noted that he often felt like Campus Ministry was only called upon when they were needed, saying that he wished that the collaborators in the university “saw us as integral to the life of the university and integral enough for us to be invited to the table.”
“For graduating students — they have been through a lot,” Salazar said when asked to give advice to the class of 2024. “You need to reflect on this experience… There have been major disruptions to the flow of your life. Reflect on this: What did life teach you during the lockdown?”
Students on the Rose Hill campus recalled their memories with Salazar. James Haddad, FCRH ’25, recalled meeting Salazar as a first-year at Fordham: “When Father Lito greeted me and my family, I distinctly remember my anxious mom turning to me and saying, ‘I know you will be ok here.’ He has been a welcoming face for many in times of joy and trouble, and my Fordham experience would not have been what it has without him.”
“Father Lito is one of the most welcoming people on Fordham’s campus as he is able to connect with students regardless of religious identity or any other differences,” said Lauren Redelman, FCRH ’24. “His good nature and positivity will be sorely missed. He opened my eyes to a Jesuit Catholicism I had not experienced at home which made me reconsider my faith journey.”
“I’m happy to be graduating with [the class of 2024],” Salazar said. “You started out with me post-[COVID-19], when we had to hide behind masks… We went through a lot… but there was a camaraderie born out of shared difficulty. It brings a sense of cohesion.”
