August 13, 2025
Rev. Michael J. Cummins, C.M., M.Div., Th.M., was immersed in the Vincentian charism while growing up with his six siblings in the Germantown neighborhood of Philadelphia, PA.
“Germantown was the regional headquarters for the Vincentians of the Eastern Province, USA,” he explained. “The only priests I knew as a boy were Vincentian. The Catholic churches—and there were three or four parishes in Germantown—were all run by the Vincentians. The atmosphere I grew up in was very Vincentian.”
Fr. Cummins was ordained in 1977 as a member of the Congregation of the Mission, the formal name for the Vincentians. He completed his theological studies at Mary Immaculate Seminary in Northampton, PA. His brother, Joseph, deceased, was also a Vincentian priest.
For the past 33 years, he has been part of the Vincentian community at St. John’s University, and is currently Assistant Dean, Director of Internal Research and Enrollment Management. His primary role is as an advising dean to students. In addition to his advising duties, he collaborates with Admission, Information Technology, the Registrar, and Academic Support for student-athletes.
Fr. Cummins’s dedication to the Vincentians runs far deeper than his long-standing familiarity with the community. St. Vincent de Paul, founder of the Vincentians, lived and ministered to the poor, neglected, and outcast.
“That ministry and charism caught my heart and desire,” he said. “Our explicit charism from the get-go is serving the poor. That’s who we are—seeing the face of Christ in the poor.”
Fr. Cummins added that if he had not become a Vincentian priest, he might have served the poor by working in education or social services.
He was first assigned to St. John’s in 1992 as a campus minister on the former Staten Island, NY, campus. In Fall 1994, he completed a sabbatical program in Vincentian studies in Paris, France. He moved to St. John’s Queens, NY, campus in July 1995 to become an academic adviser in St. Vincent’s College, which is now known as The Lesley H. and William L. Collins College of Professional Studies. During his time in that position, he was also director of the Television, Film, and Radio Center and, later, the center’s budget director.
“St. John’s does a good job preparing people for employment,” Fr. Cummins said. “Giving students opportunities is key to who we are—to ensure and advance opportunities for the disadvantaged and the poor. Education of the poor, for the poor, is an imparting of the Vincentian spirit. To have a sense of justice and care for the disadvantaged—that is a focus of what we do.”