Fr. Timothy E. Byerley, Ph.D., is the Vice-Postulator for the Beatification and Canonization Cause of Maria Esperanza Medrano de Bianchini. He is the pastor of Saint Peter Roman Catholic Church in Merchantville, New Jersey, and director of the Collegium Center for Faith and Culture. He is also a spiritual director for the Betania Foundation, headquartered in Venezuela, and supports other Betania Communities around the world.
After pursuing a career in engineering, Fr. Byerley answered God’s call to the priesthood and was ordained on May 25, 1985, for the Diocese of Camden, New Jersey. He completed his studies for the priesthood at Mount Saint Mary’s Seminary in Emmitsburg, Maryland, with a Master of Divinity. Later he attained a Master of Arts in Christian Spirituality at Saint Charles Borromeo Seminary in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; a Master of Theology in Ecumenism at Princeton Theological Seminary in Princeton, New Jersey; and a Doctorate in Religious Education at Fordham University in New York City. He also earned a certificate in Spiritual Direction from De Sales University in Center Valley, Pennsylvania.
Fr. Byerley has initiated programs for youth and young adults, and organized lecture series, pilgrimages, special liturgies, concerts, and retreats. He has been a spiritual director of seminarians and of various lay apostolates, and authored three other books: St. John Neumann: Wonder Worker of Philadelphia; The Great Commission: Models of Evangelization in American Catholicism; and Maria Esperanza and the Grace of Betania.
