S
acred Heart’s innovative Licentiate in Sacred Theology (STL) is a pastorally-focused
degree for priests concentrating on what has
come to be known as the “New Evangelization.” Students learn to analyze contemporary
social issues from a Catholic perspective and
acquire real-world skills for reaching a culture
that is becoming increasingly indifferent, if not
hostile, to religious faith.
Time for personal and communal
prayer is an important part of the
summer residency program.
Priest-students form a strong
community of support during the
strenuous five-weeks of study.
The STL is the first of its kind offered in
a “blended” format. It allows priests from
across the world to earn this pontifical
post-graduate degree by taking most of the
courses online. Priests satisfy the remaining
coursework through a five-week summer
residency term for four summers.
Thirty-six STL students arrived at the
seminary and began studies for the 2016
summer session on July 11, with the session
ending on August 12. That total included
priests (cohort one) who began their STL
studies three years ago—the inaugural year of
the blended format—along with those who
began last year (cohort two), and those who
have enrolled just this year and are attending
their first summer session (cohort three).
The thirty-six men came to the seminary from twenty-one U.S. dioceses, six
international dioceses, and seven religious
communities. They comprised the largest
collection of STL students of any Catholic
university outside of Rome.
“With such a great representation from
so many different places,” says Fr. Timothy
Laboe, Sacred Heart’s dean of studies, “the
intellectual dialogue in and out of the classrooms this summer has been particularly
stimulating and enriching.”
One-of-a-Kind Experience
The STL summer term is academically
intense—the men take four courses in two
mini-sessions of two-and-one-half weeks
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Sacred Heart Major Seminary | Mosaic | Fall 2016