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Home  / News & Publications /  Michigan Catholic News / 2008 /  Vatican's new seminary norms are pat on the back for Sacred Heart

by Kristin Lukowski of The Michigan Catholic
Published November 7, 2008

Detroit — Msgr. Jeffrey Monforton, rector/president of Sacred Heart Major Seminary, said the Vatican's release of new norms for teaching religious studies was a pat on the back for the hard work that Sacred Heart Major Seminary, Detroit, is already doing.

The Vatican's Congregation for Catholic Education released new norms for institutes teaching religious studies in an effort to guarantee the consistent quality of instruction and ease the recognition of degrees coming from the world's different ecclesial establishments. The 20-page instruction, "Reform of the Higher Institutes of Religious Sciences," was approved by Pope Benedict XVI in June and released in September.

Msgr. Monforton explained that two of the seminary's degrees — the baccalaureate in sacred theology, and the licentiate in sacred theology, a post-graduate degree — are conferred by the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquainas in Rome, the "Angelicum," through the faculty at the seminary. Because of this unique relationship, the seminary is required to submit a report to the Angelicum every five years.

"Sacred Heart is the benchmark," he said.

Particularly in Europe and especially in Catholic countries such as Italy and Spain, religious institutes primarily served as a means to prepare educators to teach religion in primary and secondary schools, both public and private. European countries have been trying to guarantee that the kind of education received in one European Union nation is comparable to and compatible with education received in other EU countries; the process also aims to standardize requirements to receive degrees.

The changes include:

• Instead of completing four years of study, a Church-recognized degree in religious studies will require five years, broken into a three-year program to earn a bachelor's followed by an additional two years of study to earn a licentiate.
   
• There must be at least five permanent professors and no fewer than 75 students at an institute.
   
• Responsibilities, accountability and administrative duties have been more clearly detailed in the new instruction.

Lay Catholics in the United States can attend a Catholic college or university to receive academic religious formation and a degree in theology or religion. In fact, Msgr. Monforton pointed out that one of the blessings to those studying at Sacred Heart is that "coworkers in the vineyard" are also learning there, referring to the 350 commuter students at the seminary in addition to the more than 90 seminarians.

Sacred Heart won't have to make any changes to meet the new requirements, he said, adding that the document sheds a bright, positive light on Sacred Heart.

"We are doing more than what we are asked to do," he said.

Msgr. Monforton attributed much of the seminary's success to the work of his predecessors, collaborators, and the seminary's "excellent administration," whether priests, religious or lay. "We're very blessed," he said.

— Catholic News Service contributed to this story.