Fr. Mark Latcovich
Academic Dean
Education is integral to the mission of the Church to proclaim the Good News. First and foremost every Catholic educational institution is a place to encounter the living God who in Jesus Christ reveals his transforming love and truth (cf. Spe Salvi,4). This relationship elicits a desire to grow in the knowledge and understanding of Christ and his teaching. In this way those who meet him are drawn by the very power of the Gospel to lead a new life characterized by all that is beautiful, good, and true; a life of Christian witness nurtured and strengthened within the community of our Lord’s disciples, the Church. --Benedict XVI, April 17, 2008 Address to Catholic Educators
Each August, excitement builds as the new academic year offers new courses, new challenges and new possibilities. Are we ready to accept Christ’s invitation to know the truth of the Gospel through the study of theology? With the new catalog on the web, I hope you will take time to review its content and course offerings that present in a programmatic way that which is “beautiful, good and true” within the Church’s deposit of faith.
The institutional outcomes of Saint Mary Seminary assist students in the areas of Discipleship, Formation, Theological Thinking, Communication and Collaboration through deliberate learning strategies that hone leadership skills, homiletic and liturgical performance, theological analysis and writing and pastoral values that equip one to appreciate the gifts of all in the church.
The hard work of our learning community, where students and professors alike enter into exploration, knowledge, skill acquisition, and dialogue, transforms us together as we encounter the Living God and the Life-Giving Spirit revealed to us in Christ.
I hope that you will discover the breadth and depth of the academic programs at Saint Mary Seminary and Graduate School of theology. This fall semester 2011 welcomes 129 students into the Pre-theology, M.Div., M.A. and D. Min degree programs.
If I may be of assistance to you in any way, do not hesitate to contact me at 440-943-7639 or to email me (mal@dioceseofcleveland.org) or the Registrar, Sr. M. Brendon, SND (registrar@stmarysem.edu) at 440-943-7667.
As we continue in our one hundredth and sixty-first academic year, may God continue to bless our mission of formation, education and excellence!
Sincerely Yours,
Fr. Mark Latcovich, Ph.D.
Academic Dean
