AC ADE M IC NEWS
Priests from across the world come together at Sacred
Heart in a uniquely blended online and in-person
program to build community and discover how to
spread the New Evangelization in their own homes
Katherine Tibai
The Licentiate in Sacred Theology (STL) in the New Evangelization program at Sacred Heart Major
Seminary is more than a path towards an advanced degree. Rather, the STL is an opportunity for growth
in spirituality, community, and fraternity. It is a chance to understand the state of the Church and the
world today. As Fr. Timothy Laboe, Dean of Studies, observes, “Each priest is here for his own reason.”
Over the past six years, the STL pro-
gram has consistently grown in its en-
rollment numbers. A large factor in
this growth was the revitalization in the
program’s structure in 2015. After feed-
back from multiple bishops in dioceses
throughout the world, it became clear
to Sacred Heart that the format needed
a change. Previously a two-year full-time
commitment, a lengthy period for which
many dioceses could not afford to release
their priests, the program transformed
into a unique program blended between
online classes and summer residencies in
the heart of Detroit.
Since the transformation, Sacred Heart
has welcomed 78 priests from 33 dio-
cese, 15 religious communities, and 15
countries into the family as they pursue
their STL degrees. This convenience has
expanded the outreach of the program
28
and allows a diverse group of men from
varying locations and communities to
partake in the STL.
The STL begins with the priests spend-
ing five weeks at the seminary. This is a
strategic introduction into the program
because it provides the men with faces,
personalities, and an understanding of
the professors who will teach them as well
as their classmates. The online compo-
nent of the program that follows this first
residency flows better because the priests
know their peers.
“There’s a rich learning, academic,
spiritual, and fraternal environment,” Fr.
Laboe says. “It’s more than just the class-
room…it’s fraternal and praying togeth-
er.” For many priests there isn’t an op-
portunity for fraternity with fellow priests
within parish life. Bringing the priests
together under one roof for studying is
Sacred Heart Major Seminary | Mosaic | Summer 2019
a desirable chance to build community.
As a group, the reason for pursuing
the STL degree is to advance the mission
of Jesus. Individually, that mission is ex-
pressed in different ways. It’s an opportu-
nity for priests to come in and learn how
to be ambassadors for the New Evangeli-
zation. The New Evangelization is reach-
ing out to those who already know Jesus
and have a preconceived notion of him
and his Church. More than instruction
for the sake of a desired outcome, the
mission of the STL educational program
at Sacred Heart is a response to a need;
providing an innovative and quality pro-
gram that works to teach a large group,
allowing them to immediately take the
information back to their separate home
parishes and missions and apply in their
ministry and work.