INTO THE VINEYARD | Alumni Advancing the New Evangelization
MONSIGNOR MARK MERDIAN
C AT H O L I C H E A LT H C A R E
a n d t h e N E W E VA N G E L I Z AT I O N
E
ntering seminary, I wanted to study a field that would practically help the people whom I would shep-
herd as a priest. That desire led me to study and major in the field of moral theology. As I began to
study theology, the field of medical ethics seemed a practical answer to my desire.
I completed my studies at Mount St.
Mary’s Seminary, Emmitsburg, Maryland–
in moral theology with a concentration in
medical ethics. I was also involved as a new-
ly-ordained priest in our Diocesan Health
Care Committee, one of the few dioceses
to have such an outreach to Catholic health
care organizations. Being on the committee
provided me an opportunity to utilize my
area of formation from the seminary.
My involvement with Catholic health
care, allowed me to to foresee that re-
ligious leadership from our Sisters in
Catholic health care would not continue
in the same way as before. I knew from
Church teaching that the laity are charged
with sanctifying the temporal affairs of the
world, even in a field never before served
by the laity. The formation of the laity for
ministry was something the Second Vati-
can Council had called for with regard to
the work of the Church and was an area in
need of development.
The difficulty, it seemed to me, was the
lack of intentional and clear formation re-
quired to mold and inspire lay-men and
women leaders in Catholic health care. As
a ministry of the Church, Catholic health
care was something in which the Sisters
were well versed. They lived the healing
mission of Jesus by their very calling and
vocation. The formation of the next gener-
ation of leaders needed its own clear focus
on initial and ongoing formation in the
healing ministry begun by Jesus through
the Church.
I wanted to support the Catholic health
care systems in our diocese and those
around our nation. One of the ways I envi-
sioned offering my support to the Church
was to utilize my knowledge in Catholic
health care in the New Evangelization
program offered at Sacred Heart Major
Seminary in Detroit. By advancing the
Gospel message of Jesus in a complicated
field such as health care, I could support
what I believed was the future and hope of
Catholic health care.
The STL program in the New Evangeli-
zation at Sacred Heart Major Seminary al-
lowed me to apply my background in Cath-
olic health care and utilize the formation I
received in calling the laity to advance the
The STL program in
the New Evangelization
at Sacred Heart Major
Seminary allowed me to
apply my background in
Catholic health care and
utilize the formation I
received in calling the la-
ity to advance the Gospel
through new methods,
new vigor, new ardor,
and new applications.
Gospel through new methods, new vigor,
new ardor, and new applications. The STL
program was a perfect opportunity for me
to apply the concepts of the New Evange-
lization program at Sacred Heart Major
Seminary to Catholic health care.
Being the first cohort in the blended
program of residency and online learn-
ing provided a unique opportunity to my
brother priests and me. I could tailor my
focus in this field of study to greatly help
the Church accomplish the renewal called
for by Saint John Paul II in the area of the
New Evangelization. On a lighter note, it
became quite comical when the question
arose from the class on what I would pres-
ent, and everyone in the class could answer
even before me, “It will be on Catholic
health care and the New Evangelization!”
Completing the STL program in the
New Evangelization has been a profoundly
rewarding and helpful experience for me in
advancing the Church’s ministry in Catho-
lic health. It has helped me to see the mis-
sion of the Church from such a broader
and evangelistic perspective. I look forward
to utilizing this degree to deepen my under-
standing of this field and to immerse the
Church’s vision of the New Evangelization
more fully into Catholic health care.
Msgr. Mark Merdian earned a Licentiate in
Sacred Theology in the New Evangelization
from Sacred Heart in 2018. He serves as
Episcopal Vicar for Healthcare for the Diocese
of Peoria and is pastor at St. Pius X parish in
Rock Island, Illinois.
shms.edu
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