Adjunct Professor
Rev. Bernard Olszewski joined the faculty of the Communication and Leadership Program in Spring 2015 as an Adjunct Professor in the Not-For-Profit concentration. For many years Fr. Bernard was a member of the Conventual Franciscan community and as such pursued his studies at St. Hyacinth College in Granby, Massachusetts where he received his BA with dual majors in Scholastic Philosophy and English. Having studied for a year at the University of Kent in Canterbury, England, Fr. Bernard then went on to receive his doctorate in Canon Law from the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome, Italy in 1982. Upon his return from studies in Rome, Fr. Bernard began a career in higher education as a Professor of Philosophy/Religious Studies, as well as Franciscan Studies. He then moved into the area of academic administration eventually serving as the Vice President for Academic Affairs. During that time he served on numerous boards of not-for-profit organizations including service as the Board Chair for the Greater Buffalo Chapter of the American Red Cross. He also served on the Marriage Tribunal of the Diocese of Buffalo and as a canonical consultant to numerous religious congregations.
In 2006 Fr. Bernard was incardinated into the Diocese of St. Georgeís, Granada in the Western Caribbean and began a full time career as an Outreach Preacher for Cross Catholic Outreach, a Catholic ministry that serves the poorest of the poor internationally by channeling aid through dioceses, parishes, and Catholic missionaries, cost-effectively helping the poor break the cycle of poverty while advancing Catholic evangelization. In addition to preaching in parishes across the US each weekend, he also writes for internal and external communications of the organization. He also serves as an Adjunct Professor of philosophy at another local institution. Fr. Bernard is pleased to be a part of the Canisius University faculty and to re-engage in the Jesuit teaching-learning community.