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St. Mary's Seminary & University

EI Starting Fall 2021 Online

Dear EI Community,
 
We hope that you have had a restful and healthy summer, and we look forward to a wonderful fall semester of learning.

Our hope has been to offer each class simultaneously online and in person, from the very first session to the finale. However, in view of the surging Delta variant, and of the indoor mask mandate in Baltimore City, we have decided that all EI courses will begin entirely online. That will both protect the health of students, faculty, and their families, and promote effective learning. We do not expect this online only modality to last the whole semester, however. We will monitor conditions, and as quickly as possible return to dual mode instruction—onsite and online united as one learning community. At present, we plan to be online only through at least Sept. 17, with timely notification about what will follow.
 
The library will remain open to current students and faculty. (Remember that presently everyone, regardless of vaccination status, is required to wear a mask at all times while in our building.)

Please know we are striving for the common good of our entire learning community, and those whom they love and serve.
 
May the remainder of your summer bring health, peace, and continued rejuvenation.
 
With hope,
Deans Laytham, Fosarelli, and Hancock

On August 24, St. Mary’s Seminary & University welcomed 17 new seminarians to the newly renovated Baltimore seminary. They were greeted by a large orientation team of current students across all classes, from Pre-Theology to those in their four (and final) year.

The new arrivals come from diverse backgrounds and regions. At St. Mary’s, they will study for the priesthood for the (arch)dioceses of:

Two new seminarians are members of the Trinitarian Order. And four priests from two dioceses in Cameroon arrived to study for the Licentiate of Sacred Theology (STL) degree. 

This results in a total of 80 men studying at the Roland Park seminary.

Following their arrival, the new seminarians commenced multiple days of orientation and introduction to life, prayer, study, and pastoral service in the seminary. Beginning Tuesday, August 31, they opened their year with several retreat days. Classes began on Thursday, September 2.

St. Mary’s Seminary & University Hosts Part III of “The McGivney Series” in Honor of Blessed Fr. Michael J. McGivney, Class of 1877

[Recording below]

On Tuesday, August 17, 2021, from 7:00-8:00 PM EDT, St. Mary’s, the first Roman Catholic seminary in the United States, presented Part III of the virtual discussion series created in honor of Blessed Michael J. McGivney, Class of 1877, and founder of the Knights of Columbus.

This third segment of “The McGivney Series” addressed the question: “what should seminaries be doing today to develop priests in the model of Blessed Michael McGivney?” The panelists for this presentation were:

We look to those the Church calls “venerable,” “blessed,” or “saint” as models. Their virtues, actions, and dispositions provide guideposts for measuring our lives and examples to strive for. Blessed Michael McGivney is no different. His life and ministry as a priest, particularly as an American priest formed in our own seminary, provides further opportunities for reflection. His priestly witness reveals a life that many priests can, and should, model their own after. Therefore, it is entirely appropriate to ask our thematic question: “what should seminaries be doing today to develop priests in the model of Fr. McGivney?” We will approach this question by way of two prior inquiries:

  1. What are the “qualities” of Blessed Michael McGivney exhibited in his priesthood?
  2. How can today’s priests (particularly the newly ordained just out of seminary) embody these qualities in their own ministry in the twenty-first century church?
  3. Finally, what should we be doing in seminaries to develop these kind of priests: priests in the “model” of Michael McGivney?

St. Mary’s Ecumenical Institute mourns the loss of Bishop Douglas Miles (MA in Theology, ’84; additional study ‘98) on Tuesday, August 3.  Both in his service as a pastor of Koinonia Baptist Church and through leadership of BUILD (Baltimoreans United in Leadership Development), he embodied “faith seeking understanding, understanding making a difference.” We echo the sentiment of our emeritus Board member Dr. William C Calhoun: “Servant of God, well done!”