Chaplain

An alumnus of George Mason, Father Peter was ordained a priest in 1989.  After five years in different parishes, he served as the chaplain at Marymount University, and then at his alma mater of GMU.  He came to JMU the summer of 2016, and quickly realized that "GO Dukes...begins with GOD!"  He is a consecrated full member of Youth Apostles, loves the Redskins, and loves to cook (especially Italian food!).  Most especially he loves being a priest and being a small part of helping others grow in their faith and experiencing the depth of God's love for them.  You can often find Father Peter cheering on the Dukes at basketball games, handing out free hot dogs at tailgates, and walking around campus catching Pokemon.  Please say hi if you see him on campus or around the 'burg!  
 

Director of Campus Ministry

Austin Farinholt ('11)
O: (540) 434-7360 x1
afarinholt@jmuccm.com

Austin Farinholt is a graduate from James Madison University, earning his B.A. in Communication Studies in 2011.  He met his wife, Clair, right here at the CCM House while they were both students.  After graduating, Austin worked in fundraising, spending most of his time working in different capacities for the Diocese of Richmond.  After years of fundraising, Austin transitioned to full-time ministry for a Catholic parish, hosting and producing a weekly podcast (The Vici Mundum Show) and training small group leaders. He received his M.A. in Catholic Studies from Franciscan University in 2022. He and his wife are excited to raise their family of 7 children in the Shenandoah Valley surrounded by a great Catholic community here at CCM.  Austin deeply loves Jesus and loves when a student walks through the doors to discuss the faith.

Director of Development

Keegan Ruddy
(540) 434-7360 x3
keegan@jmuccm.com

Keegan graduated from Christopher Newport University in 2017. After graduation, Keegan worked as a FOCUS missionary. He spent two years serving at Mount St. Mary’s University and spent time in Denver, CO at the FOCUS support center. He and his wife, Maria, have two children and another child on the way! The Ruddy’s love Jesus and talking about Him. They also love being outside, gardening, and eating food. They would love to do any of those things with you!
 

Administrative Assistant

Fiona Wirth 
fiona@jmuccm.com



Fiona is a graduate of James Madison University (Class of 2018), earning her degree in Art History and Museum Studies. After graduation, she went on to achieve her master’s degree in Art History from the University of Florida (Class of 2020). Fiona became interested in ministry work while serving as the youth minister at her home parish of St. Francis in Staunton, VA. She is now our office administrator and is happy to be back at the CCM house helping to develop our ministry into a warm and welcoming community.
 

FOCUS Team Director 

Jonathan Jesik
jonathan.jesik@focus.org



Click here to learn more about FOCUS!
 

Faculty Adviser

John Bowers
bowersjc@jmu.edu 

Dr. Bowers is an assistant professor in the JMU Computer Science Department.  When not teaching, he can generally be found Nerf sword fighting with his 4 kids, cycling, drinking espressos, screeching out Irish tunes on the violin, or discussing St. Thomas Aquinas and the finer points of scholastic metaphysics.  He also loves Gregorian chant and praying the hours (and leads one of the weekly 8am morning prayer meetings).  Next time you’re on East Campus, feel free to stop by his office hours (which can be found at johncbowers.com) to chat.  His office is on the second floor of ISAT/CS, room 217.