August 26, 2025
For more than three decades, Rev. Richard Rock, C.M., devoted his life to walking alongside society’s most vulnerable—from homeless teens on the streets of New York City to families in underserved Philadelphia, PA, neighborhoods. Today, he is Campus Minister for Athletics at St. John’s University, where he brings that same Vincentian spirit of compassion and action to more than 300 student-athletes.
A passionate supporter of Red Storm sports, Fr. Rock is a fixture at Men’s and Women’s Basketball games, where he can be seen riding the bench alongside team members. As he strives to help students see beyond the scoreboard, he reminds them that true success is measured in gratitude, service, and the lives they touch.
“I grew up in Astoria, Queens, and I went to St. John’s Prep,” he explained. “The Vincentians ran St. John’s Prep, and I was always impressed by their attitude, friendliness, and outgoing nature.”
Inspired by what he learned from the Vincentians, he enrolled in Mary Immaculate Seminary in Northampton, PA, and was later ordained in Philadelphia in 1973. Later that year, he embarked on his first appointment—Immaculate Conception Parish in Philadelphia, where he stayed until 1982. He accepted a one-year assignment as Campus Minster at Auburn University in Alabama before returning to Philadelphia to join St. Vincent Parish.
In 1989, he moved back to New York to work at Covenant House in New York City for three years.
“In Covenant House, you deal with homeless youth between the ages of 17 and 21,” he explained. “These kids live on the streets; most of them are runaways.”
He returned to Philadelphia in 1993, and lived out the Vincentian mission embedded among that city’s most vulnerable communities. “As a Vincentian, our mission is really to connect with the poor,” he explained. “That connection must come through action. At the end of the day, people don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.”
After two parishes in Philadelphia closed, he returned to his New York roots and joined St. John’s as Campus Minister for Athletics in 2012. In this role, Fr. Rock is the spiritual adviser to the more than 300 student-athletes on the University’s 17 Division I teams. He often refers to his years of experience with at-risk teens, since, as he explains, “every person has struggles.”
“Most of the kids at Covenant House were ordinary people who had nowhere else to go and were allowed to rebuild their lives,” he said. “Our students are ordinary people, too. They have their challenges, but they have a great support system. I remind them how they should be truly thankful for the gifts that they have. In the scriptures, it says that when much is given, much is asked. My hope is that our students take what is given to them and pass it on.”
That sentiment comes to life each year as Fr. Rock accompanies student-athletes as they volunteer their time with organizations such as St. John’s Bread and Life and Midnight Run.
“Our hope is that the Catholic and Vincentian values they learn at St. John’s will resonate with them, and at some point, something’s going to click. It might take a year, five years, or 10 years, but at some point, something happens.”
That same spirit of patience and perspective extends to the playing field, where Fr. Rock sees athletics as a mirror of life’s challenges and lessons. “Sports is a very concentrated example of life’s highs and lows. One day you’re the hero; the next day, you’re the goat. Whether it happens in 60 minutes or 48 minutes or nine innings, it happens daily.”
He explained, “Kids make very human mistakes, and sometimes we forget that we’re watching 18- and 19-year-olds. That’s why I’m never going to be the bad cop. Last year, one of the kids dunked the ball at the end of the game when we were up by 18 points. People were screaming at him about it. I walked up to him and said, ‘Look, you made a mistake and it’s okay. We all make mistakes.’ Later, he pulled me aside and thanked me for saying that.”
Even though student-athletes come from various religious backgrounds, Fr. Rock prays with teams before a game, always ending with a consistent message, “Let’s never forget the poor and homeless on the streets of New York City. They are God’s people. Never forget they have a name, a face, and a history. Amen. Amen. Amen.”