Get to Know New Chaplain, Father Kris

By: Kiersten Tibbetts
Posted In: Campus News

This year, Salve Regina University welcomes a new chaplain, Father Kris von Maluski. Father Kris discussed his decision to become a priest and his plans for the future of Salve.

What made you come to Salve?

Sister Leona was my grammar school principle at Saint Peter and Saint Paul in Fall River. She was instrumental in getting me started in youth ministry through a retreat at my parish. Two years ago I went into a restaurant. I had a feeling that she was there, I hadn’t seen her in twenty years, and sure enough she was. I went over to her then asked, “Did you know I was a priest,” and she said she did. I asked her what she was doing and she told me Vice President at Salve. I told her I would love to work there. Then the job was posted in the Rhode Island Catholic Newspaper two years later.

Where were you working before coming to Salve?

I was in North Kingston at St. Francis de Sales as an assistant pastor.

How long have you been a Priest?

Eight years. I went to the American College of Louvian in Belgium. I requested to go there, but it was only by great fortune that I was allowed to go there.

What made you become one?

I always felt that I was called. I was just waiting for God to say when, since I was sixteen or seventeen. I wasn’t asking for a sign or a miracle, just let me know when. Five years into the Navy I knew I wasn’t meant for the secular world, where you have to climb the corporate ladder. After five years I went to work as a youth minister for the diocese of Providence and I did that for a year.

Why did you request that school?

Part of it was the European experience. I needed to know what the universal church was like, not just my local parish, and to expand my view of the world and my understanding of Catholicism.

What are your plans for Salve?

To join the Mercy Center team, Anna Mae and Phil, in making faith relevant. I want to introduce thought provoking topics during the homily. I plan on having the students teach me how they see life through their experiences and I will report how faith will be relevant through their experiences. I’d like to challenge apathy. A lot of people don’t think that faith has a lot to do with their lives. I want to be a Catholic presence on campus. I want people to say, “Hey, that guy is everywhere!”

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