ACADEMIC NEWS
FORMING MISSIONARY DISCIPLES —
AND BEING ONE
Mary Kay McPartlin
FACULTY SPOTLIGHT : DR . DANIEL KEATING
As a professor at Sacred
Heart living a consecrated life in The Servants of the Word ecumenical brotherhood , and through his work as a theological scholar , the center of Dr . Daniel Keating ’ s world is Christ . All aspects of his life are connected with the joy and peace he has found in Jesus .
“ My Christian journey began in late high school and in my early years in college ,” Dr . Keating says . “ I wanted to know God more , know his love , and introduce people to friendship with the living God .”
Participating in a Life in the Spirit seminar in which he received “ baptism in the Spirit ” was a key step in this search for God . Dr . Keating then spent several years discerning his calling while attending the University of Michigan , working towards a bachelor ’ s degree in history . During that time and after his undergraduate work , he was searching for a means to become what he calls a “ missionary disciple .”
“ I prayed to offer my life back to God . I believe my prayer was answered fully ,” Dr . Keating says , when he discovered the vocation of becoming a member of The Servants of the Word .
The Servants of the Word is an international lay brotherhood that is predominately Catholic but has men from several Christian traditions . While being active members of their own churches , the brothers pursue unity in Christ together .
“ We have very rich life together .
We pool our resources for the common good ,” Dr . Keating explains . “ We are an unusual group that doesn ’ t fit into typical categories . It ’ s crucial for our unity together that each one of our brothers be fully active in his own church .”
The brotherhood has five households in the United States , all in Michigan , and five households in other countries . Dr . Keating resides in the Lansing household along with four other community members .
“ As brothers we do a lot of different things ,” continues Dr . Keating , “ but one of the main things we do is evangelization and also mentoring students with the aim of forming missionary disciples .”
From the reality of their own relationship with Christ , the brothers seek to bring Christ to those young people who hunger for their own personal relationships with the Lord . Dr . Keating and his fellow Servants of the Word support and inspire stu-
28 Sacred Heart Major Seminary | Mosaic | Spring 2016