Very Rev. Jeffrey M. Calia, C.O.

I was born in 1980 and grew up in Hazlet, NJ, where I graduated from Raritan High School in 1998. My wonderful parents, Ruth and Jerry, taught me by example to be respectful and compassionate towards others. As an only child, I was always comfortable around my elders and very close to my family. From my maternal grandparents I received two special gifts - from my Grandma, a devout Lutheran, the seeds of Christian faith; and from my Grandpa, a lifelong interest in auto racing. Always interested in music, I played clarinet in various ensembles during high school, and for one season with the Rutgers Marching Band. I was also a competitive bowler for about ten years. 

As an undergraduate at Rutgers, I was introduced to the Catholic faith by my girlfriend and her family. Attending Mass with them and participating in community service activities at the Catholic Center helped me to find a true spiritual home in the Catholic community, and after participating in the RCIA I was received into the Church at the Easter Vigil on April 14, 2001. By the time I graduated from Cook College in 2002 with a BS in Environmental Policy, Institutions and Behaviors, I was beginning to consider a vocation to priesthood and community life. I was profoundly affected by the work of the Oratorians in campus ministry and by the experience of community at the Catholic Center, especially in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks. While working on campus as a research aide, I spent time in discernment with the Oratorian community, and in August of 2004 I left my job to enter the novitiate of the Oratory. 

I studied for the priesthood at Immaculate Conception Seminary in South Orange, NJ, completing Masters degrees in Pastoral Ministry and Systematic Theology. I was ordained by Bishop Paul G. Bootkoski on May 29, 2010 and served for the next eight years as Parochial Vicar at St. Peter the Apostle University & Community Parish in New Brunswick, where my Oratorian community lived and served from 2006-2018. In July 2018, with the Oratory's move to Raritan Borough, I was assigned as Pastor of Holy Trinity Parish in Bridgewater. Additionally, in January 2020, I was appointed Administrator of St. Joseph Parish, Raritan, on an interim basis until August 31, 2020. I have also served, on an interim basis, as Administrator of the Shrine Chapel of the Blessed Sacrament, Raritan, since April 1, 2022. I was elected Provost (Superior) of the Raritan Congregation of the Oratory on May 1, 2020, and re-elected to a second term on May 4, 2023. Since 2017, I have served as an appointed member of the Board of Trustees of Catholic Charities, Diocese of Metuchen.

Since 2011, I have also served as an occasional chaplain for the IndyCar Series, traveling to two races per year. Since 2020, I also coordinate the priest chaplains for IndyCar Ministry, ensuring that a priest is present and Mass is offered on Sunday morning at each race event. In my spare time, I enjoy reading, cooking, attending concerts, and following various racing series. 

Being a priest is very interesting and challenging. No two days are alike, and you never know what you might encounter next! But I feel privileged to have been called to be a part of the Oratory and to serve the Lord and His Church as a priest, and I seek to imitate in some small way the pastoral zeal and compassion of the founder of the Oratory, St. Philip Neri. The Lord has given me the great gift of sharing in His love for His people (cf. Psalm 16), and it is a joy to serve the Church.