Fr. Ernie Rush was born in Jersey City, NJ on April 2nd, 1964. In 1997, he attended Immaculate Conception Seminary at Seton Hall University, graduating in 2002 with a Master of Divinity in Pastoral Ministry and a Master of Arts in Theology with concentration in Sacred Scripture. Father Rush was ordained to the priesthood on May 25, 2002 at the Basilica Cathedral of the Sacred Heart, Newark, NJ.
Fr. Rush’s first assignment was as a Parochial Vicar at Saint Philomena Parish, Livingston. Within six months he became gravely ill and needed a heart transplant which he miraculously received through the Intercession of Saint Teresa of Calcutta, just before her cause for sainthood. This ultimately led to Fr. Rush’s Healing of Hearts Ministry that he discerned and received during his recovery from the transplant.
Fr. Rush’s second assignment was parochial vicar at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church in Bayonne. He served as pastor of Saint Mary’s Parish in Nutley, New Jersey before taking on the short but enriching duties as Chaplain at Saint Michael’s Medical Center in Newark prior to his assignment to Saint Michael’s in Palisades Park, New Jersey. In addition, he has served as Chaplain at Hackensack University Medical Center and Englewood Hospital and Medical Center, both in New Jersey that reconfirmed his mission to begin his Healing of Hearts Ministry. Currently, he serves as pastor of Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church in Lyndhurst, New Jersey and continues to provide pastoral care services at Englewood Hospital and Medical Center along with continuing his Healing of Hearts Ministry. In Conjunction with the John Leaps Foundation’s Evangelization and Patrick and Joy Campbell’s Healing of Families. Fr. Rush continues with his Healing of Hearts Ministry outreach.