Dear Friends of SJV:
As the new Rector of Saint John Vianney, I would like to introduce myself and inform you of an important development in our seminary. Under the direction of Archbishop Aquila, we have adopted the possibility of a three-year propaedeutic model as presented by the Program of Priestly Formation, 6th Edition.
In this way, our formation program can better adapt to the needs of different seminarians. A seminarian may need this program from one to three-years because he needs to either earn a college degree or to grow in other formation areas before beginning the discipleship stage.
The first one to two years will heavily emphasize priestly human formation and college level courses. The third year, in turn, will constitute what, traditionally, Saint John Vianney Seminary has called “the spirituality year,” concentrated, as its name indicates, on priestly spiritual formation. This crowning year has been at the heart of our seminary since 1999. These emphases are inspired by the following theological principle: “human formation, when it is carried out in the context of an anthropology which is open to the full truth regarding the human person, leads to and finds its completion in spiritual formation” (John Paul II, Pastores Dabo Vobis, 45).
Our seminary has intentionally developed a concrete and detailed program of priestly human formation over the last ten years. It is one of the most articulated ways available in the country of following the explicit views of the Program of Priestly Formation, 6th Edition, p. 204, where we read: “following St. Thomas Aquinas, human formation should be understood as education in the human virtues perfected by charity.”
The reality is that our young people have an easier time hearing God’s voice in high school. Not nurturing their call from that early age risks losing them to the world.
Our new propaedeutic program responds to this pastoral reality, allowing Saint John Vianney Theological Seminary to accompany men in their formation from their college years to their priestly ordination. Soon, this option may be opened to other dioceses who entrust us with the formation of their seminarians.
In this summer season, may Christ’s peace dwell deeply within us.
In Christ,
Fr. Ángel Pérez-López
SJV/University of Mary Degree Program
Hello! My name is Patty Lunder; I am the Institutional Relations Coordinator at St. John Vianney Seminary. For the past four years, I’ve had the pleasure of working in the Academic Dean’s office, where I am a liaison in supporting our relationships with outside organizations.
One of my key roles at SJV is to assist seminarians who have not yet earned a bachelor’s degree in completing a degree through our partnership with the University of Mary in Bismarck, ND. I support the men who enter seminary with two years of college experience as they enroll in our pre-theology program.
Our SJV faculty are given University of Mary faculty status for certain philosophy and theology courses they teach in person at the seminary, thus allowing the men to earn credit at both SJV and UMary. This unique relationship saves the men and their dioceses time and money in earning their degree.
I also collaborate with an amazing team of administrators at UMary, who advise and work with me and the seminarians to navigate the application process, transcript reviews, course registration, account audits, and ultimately graduation.
The SJV/UMary program began in 2019, and our first graduating class was in the spring of 2021. Over 20 men have earned their B.A. in Philosophy since this partnership with UMary began.
I’m excited to be part of this program while helping our seminarians earn their degree while continuing their formation to the priesthood.
Patty Lunder
Institutional Relationship Coordinator
Church History
Dear friends and benefactors,
My name is Professor Christopher T.M. West. I’m a relatively new member of the seminary community (it’s my third year as a teacher here). Thus I’ve been granted this opportunity to introduce myself, and to speak a little about my pedagogical vision for our seminarians.
I’m a Colorado native from Boulder, meaning that this archdiocese is my beloved home. Professionally, I am a historian: I hold a dual-concentration Ph.D. in Ancient Christianity and Medieval Studies from Yale University, and my research expertise lies in the theology of the Church Fathers, along with the history of Christianity in the Roman Empire and the Middle Ages. Currently, I’m working on a book project that studies conceptions of the fall of the angels in patristic thought. It’s my great joy to teach a variety of classes at SJV. These include subjects such as Latin, Greek, history (ancient, medieval, modern, and American), Augustine, and Aquinas.
As a historian, my pedagogy seeks to cultivate reverence for the Church’s sacred tradition so that our seminarians will strive to pass on what has been handed down to them. I’ve also been blessed to travel a lot (favorite places include Italy, France, Mount Athos, Russia, Peru, Turkey, China, Tibet, Algeria, Egypt, and Ethiopia). On these trips I’ve managed to behold many beautiful things from diverse worlds of culture and art. Accordingly, in the classroom I seek to instill appreciation for art and culture so that our seminarians will be intellectually refined men who bring a love of beauty and a good aesthetic sensibility to their priesthood.
Finally, I’m a lay oblate of a Benedictine monastery in Norcia, Italy (try their beer!). Therefore, I hope to flavor our seminarians with Benedictine spirituality, which counsels prayer and work as a path to holiness.
It’s been a pleasure to introduce myself and to give you a glimpse of my little role in our seminary. May God bless you! Gloria Patri et Filio et Spiritui Sancto.
Sincerely,
Christopher T.M. West
Assistant Professor of Church History
