DANBURY, CONN. — After completing two years of mission work, Friar Brad Heckathorne had every intention of staying in Jamaica. But when he heard about an opening at Western Connecticut State University, he knew it was an opportunity not to be passed up.

“When I looked into Western, it seemed like the perfect fit,” Heckathorne said. “We’ve had friars from our province who had been campus chaplains here and they all loved it. I’ve been here since the beginning of July and everyone so far has been very welcoming.”

Heckathorne, who was born and raised in Manchester, New Hampshire, takes over for Friar Michael Lasky, who left the university in May to work in New York City at the United Nations with Franciscans International.

After earning a bachelor’s degree in English from Stonehill College, Heckathorne received a master’s degree in divinity from St. Anthony-on-Hudson Seminary and a master’s degree in education from Canisius College. Prior to his stint in Jamaica, he spent eight years as a chaplain at Catholic University in Washington, D.C.

In addition to running the university’s Newman Club, which supports local charities, Heckathorne will continue to conduct liturgy for students and provide educational opportunities, but his main priority is helping those in need. While at Western he will concentrate on increasing involvement in charity.

“My major interest is working with the poor,” he said. “I want to see if we can expand that by helping the homeless and the poor.” Currently, students involved in the Newman Club participate in the Midnight Run, a biannual jaunt to New York City with provisions for the needy, and the Morning Glory Breakfast at the Dorothy Day Hospitality House in Danbury.

Heckathorne would also like to involve more students — and not only religious students — in the Newman Center because he said helping others is a great experience for young people. He encourages students to attend the Newman dinners at the center which are free to students and held every other Wednesday from 5 to 7 p.m. during the school year.

“We want all students to feel welcome,” he said. “The benefit for students is growth, both spiritually and educationally.”

During his stay in Jamaica, he said one of the best experiences was seeing how working with the poor and homeless changed the college students who worked with them.

“They were amazed that despite the fact they don’t have much materially that they could still be very spiritual,” Heckathorne said. “It helps them to understand the realm of spirituality in our lives and how important it is for poor people and it make them more appreciative of the things they have.”

Western Connecticut State University offers outstanding faculty in a range of quality academic programs. Our diverse university community provides students an enriching and supportive environment that takes advantage of the unique cultural offerings of Western Connecticut and New York. Our vision: To be an affordable public university with the characteristics of New England’s best small private universities.