STL Program Presented at Bishop's Conference
Close to sixty bishops, cardinals and other guests attended a reception and presentation hosted by Cardinal Adam Maida and Sacred Heart Major Seminary during the United States Catholic Conference of Bishops fall meeting in Washington, D.C. The reception, held at the Hyatt Regency Hotel on Wednesday evening, November 17, 2004 included a half-hour presentation on Sacred Heart's new postgraduate degree program: the Licentiate in Sacred Theology with a specialization in the New Evangelization.
The presentation began by Cardinal Maida explaining the pastoral importance of launching an STL degree program focused on the New Evangelization at this critical time in Church history. To counteract the drift toward secularism in Western culture, Pope John Paul II has challenged Catholic institutions to devote their resources to preaching and teaching the Gospel message with increased vigor.
Sacred Heart has accepted the Holy Father's challenge by developing the specialized STL program, explained Cardinal Maida, which is the first of its kind in the United States.
"The new evangelization is not solely the responsibility of missionaries who carry the message of Christ to distant lands. It is our responsibility, here and now," he said.
The purpose of the reception was to inform the U.S. bishops about this unique and innovative program. Attendees, including media representatives from EWTN and the Detroit News, received an information packet about the STL and were able to watch a short video about the seminary. Fr. Steven Boguslawski, O.P., Rector of Sacred Heart, and faculty members Mr. Ralph Martin, Director of Programs in the New Evangelization, and Dr. Janet Smith, Chair of Life Ethics, joined Cardinal Maida in the presentation.
Father Boguslawski encouraged the bishops to send their priests, priest-candidates and qualified laypersons to Sacred Heart to receive training in the methodology, theology and spirituality of the New Evangelization. Graduates, in turn, would take their new knowledge and skills back into their parishes, dioceses and Catholic apostolates, to lead efforts in evangelization, especially in urban areas.
"Priest candidates, in particular, will have the opportunity to work with diverse ethnic and cultural groups in Detroit," said the rector. "There are more than 102 distinct groups in Metro Detroit. Research and pastoral opportunities abound."
Dr. Smith, a renowned bioethicist, explained that the STL program will prepare faculty, priests and laypersons to explain and defend Catholic truths concerning issues of life. "We need legions of well-trained individuals to fight to restore the 'culture of life,'" she said.
The Congregation for Catholic Education approved the STL program in mid-September. Sacred Heart will confer the degree through the faculty of the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas in Rome. The program currently has students enrolled in a pilot class begun this September. Through various marketing and recruitment initiatives, the seminary hopes to enroll a number of new STL students for the fall term 2005.
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