Alumni Update
Into theVineyard
Alumni advancing the New Evangelization
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Kerri Lenartowick lives in Rome where she is
pursuing her doctorate in theology at the Pontifical
Lateran University while working as a journalist for
Catholic News Agency. She earned a Bachelor of
Sacred Theology in 2009 and Licentiate of Sacred
Theology in the New Evangelization in 2012 from
Sacred Heart. She has worked for various pro-life
organizations and speaks to women’s groups
across the country.
Coming Full Circle
Kerri Lenartowick
M
24
MOSAIC
y love of the faith is foremost a gift of grace. It
sounds cliché, but it’s true: I didn’t set out to have
it, but God really provided a unique journey of
faith for me that has led me to where I am.
My father, who was a cradle Catholic, led the
family to spend a few years in the Evangelical
Protestant faith community. That is where I
really learned to love the Lord. At the same
time, my father and I continued to go to Mass.
He was involved in the pro-life movement, and
consequently so was I, from a very young age.
About that time, I started attending the
Catholic Youth 2000 weekend retreats. While I
had fallen in love with Jesus as an Evangelical,
I fell in love with him in the Eucharist through
the many hours spent in adoration on the
weekend Youth 2000 retreats.
Throughout the years, I’ve found myself torn
between all the academic learning (which can be
fascinating or grueling, or both!) and somehow
sharing all this knowledge with people in “the
real world.” I love both, and I try to do both
when I can. I love teaching, and I’d really love to
do more of that. There’s something so fulfilling
about helping people to encounter the Truth.
People are usually shocked when they hear
I have studied at a seminary and have no desire
to be a priest. Studying at Sacred Heart in many
ways helped to “round out” my theological
education. I had begun studying theology
because—it sounds simplistic, I suppose—because
I loved Jesus. Over the years, theology became
very “academic” for me, and the more spiritual
Although she works in Rome as a journalist, Kerri
Lenartowick’s goal is to teach theology: “Whether it’s
a classroom, a parish setting, or even a retreat, these
environments offer opportunities to hand on the
truth in different ways.”
aspect of it faded into the background. After a
few years at Sacred Heart, it was as though God
had brought me full circle. The best of my classes
were academically strong, but the question
of how to share this with others and live it
personally was very present.
This approach serves me well for where I am
now: a journalist working in Rome in Catholic
media reporting on papal activities and Church
issues. My work as a journalist allows me to meet
people from all walks in life.
Recently, I was speaking with a doctor
from Nigeria. She believes women in the West
have a duty to speak out against a secular
feminism that is oppressive to women, because
it is moving eastward. She’s right. The UN and
other organizations are pushing abortion and
sterilization and contraception on women and
young girls, all in the name of “reproductive
freedom.” These practices are harmful to women,
and in turn, men, children, and the wider
culture.
The more people I meet, the more I find
that the element of “personal encounter” is
key. Everyone, whether they are angry at the
Church or don’t know anything about it, has
a story—and they want someone to hear that
story. Sometimes there’s nothing to be said at
that moment besides a silent prayer. The act of
listening can be a vehicle of grace.
That was one thing that came up in just
about every class at Sacred Heart. If you want to
evangelize well, you’ve got to pray more!