ACADEMIC NEWS
A highlight for the twelve priests of the first STL summer session
was the comradeship that developed within the group. “We all
got along immediately,” says one priest.
A “Brilliant” Way to Learn
Twelve students complete first summer of “blended format” STL.
Fr. Timothy Laboe, Dean of Studies
D
etroit earned a reputation as the place for
innovation and technology during the industrial
revolution when it put the world on wheels. It
seems that pioneering efforts in innovation and
technology are happening again in Detroit but
not in the way you might expect.
For the first time, the Church has sanctioned
a program for a Licentiate in Sacred Theology
(STL) in which part of the credits for the
degree is taken in courses offered online, and
this program is offered at Sacred Heart Major
Seminary. The seminary received approval from
the Congregation for Catholic Education in
Rome in 2013 to offer a licentiate degree in what
is commonly known as a “blended” format,
which combines traditional, face-to-face classes
and the online course format that has become
more prevalent in higher education.
Study, Prayer, Fellowship
Sacred Heart is an aggregate of the
University of St. Thomas (Angelicum) in
Rome, a formal arrangement between the two
institutions through which the Angelicum
confers pontifical degrees for students of Sacred
Heart who complete approved programs for
a Baccalaureate in Sacred Theology (STB) or
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MOSAIC
a Licentiate in Sacred Theology (STL). Sacred
Heart offers its licentiate with a focus on the
New Evangelization, which was the first of its
kind when it began ten years ago. In keeping
with the New Evangelization, which seeks new
ways to present the gospel, Sacred Heart sought a
new way to deliver the licentiate degree.
“Bishops really wanted to send priests to
study the New Evangelization and obtain a
licentiate degree from our program,” notes
Sacred Heart’s rector, Msgr. Todd Lajiness, “but
they could not afford to release them for two
years to pursue the degree. We came up with this
proposal to the Angelicum and the Congregation
for Catholic Education to allow priests to learn
about the New Evangelization and still work in
their home dioceses.”
This summer, twelve priests from all over
the United States came to Sacred Heart as the
initial cohort to begin the first blended licentiate
program. For five weeks, they lived at the
seminary, took intensive courses from Dr. Ralph
Martin and Dr. Janet Smith, prayed, studied,
and socialized together before returning to their
ministries. This fall, they are taking the first
online course while working full-time at home.