Catalog 2012-2013
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Catalog 2012-2013 Table of Contents SAINT JOHN VIANNEY THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY ........................................................... 2 Description of the Seal ................................................................................................................ 2 Seminary Vision Prayer .............................................................................................................. 3 Our Mission ................................................................................................................................ 3 History......................................................................................................................................... 4 PRIESTLY FORMATION ............................................................................................................. 5 Forming Tomorrow’s Priests ...................................................................................................... 5 Human Formation ....................................................................................................................... 5 Spiritual Formation ..................................................................................................................... 6 Pastoral Formation ...................................................................................................................... 7 Intellectual Formation ................................................................................................................. 7 PROGRAMS................................................................................................................................... 9 Spirituality Year .......................................................................................................................... 9 Degree Programs ....................................................................................................................... 11 The Pre-Theology Program ....................................................................................................... 12 The Theology Program ............................................................................................................. 15 ACADEMIC POLICIES ............................................................................................................... 22 Admission ................................................................................................................................. 22 Registration ............................................................................................................................... 24 Program Requirements.............................................................................................................. 26 Grading System ......................................................................................................................... 28 Financial .................................................................................................................................... 31 PERSONNEL ............................................................................................................................... 33 Board of Trustees ...................................................................................................................... 33 Faculty and Staff ....................................................................................................................... 35 1 SAINT JOHN VIANNEY THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY Description of the Seal The shield, in blue, black and white, is divided into three fields representing the Holy Trinity. The black tau cross that divides the shield is called the Cross of Prophecy or the Advent Cross. This is an ancient symbol for the renewal of the Church and personal conversion. The Tau Cross also reminds us that the way of the disciple requires a daily shouldering of the Cross of Christ. The top field is an expression of gratitude for St. Thomas Aquinas Seminary on whose patrimony our seminary stands today. The seal of that seminary included an open book to symbolize the Scriptures on which was written the word evangelizare, meaning “to evangelize.” To this we have added noviter, Latin for “anew” to indicate the new evangelization called for by Blessed Pope John Paul II, after whom the grounds of the seminary are named. The bottom left field features the fleur-de-lis, the stylized lily representing Our Lady and her purity, particularly in the mystery of the Annunciation of the Word made Flesh. The Archangel Gabriel, the messenger of the advent of the Savior, is often pictured holding a lily at the Annunciation. The fleur-de-lis is also a symbol of France and so also indicates our patron, Saint John Marie Vianney. The background of the fleur is blue, the color of Our Lady, to whose intercession the work of the seminary in entrusted. The bottom right field holds another flower, the columbine, whose name comes from the Latin columba, meaning dove. The columbine thus calls to mind the Holy Spirit who is the principal agent of priestly formation. The Christ Child in the Archdiocese of Denver’s Icon of Our Lady of the New Advent bears this same flower - also the state flower of Colorado - as an emblem of his tender concern for the Church in Northern Colorado. Below the shield, the banner bears Our Lady’s fiat, her response to Gabriel’s announcement of her place in the saving plan of God. The words of Mary suggest a new announcement of the Gospel in our day and express the obedience in faith that each member of the seminary community strives to imitate, “Let it be done to me according to your word” (Lk 1:38. The circle enclosing the shield and banner contains the name of Saint John Vianney Theological Seminary, and this seal is used by all divisions of the seminary: the Division for Priestly Formation, the St. Francis School of Theology for Deacons, and the Denver Catholic Biblical and Catechetical Schools. 2 Seminary Vision Prayer Through Him, with Him, in Him, in brotherhood we strive to be discipled by Jesus in all things and to embrace joyfully His Cross, to be ordained and sent as priests for the New Evangelization, inspired by the zeal of Saint John Vianney. Mary, Mother of Priests, pray for us! Our Mission St. John Vianney Theological Seminary’s mission is to form priests after the mind and heart of Jesus Christ and His Church, under the patronage of the Curé d’Ars. This is achieved through an integrated and personal program of human, spiritual, intellectual, and pastoral formation. Human Formation, the foundation of our seminary program, encourages a man’s physical and psychological health and that relational maturity necessary for celibate, priestly ministry. In this way, it forms a man who is “balanced… strong and free, capable of bearing the weight of pastoral responsibilities” (Archbishop Charles J. Chaput, OFM cap., “As Christ Loved the Church,” 13). Spiritual Formation leads each man through a deeper conversion of heart to embrace Jesus Christ in friendship, to rely upon Him, and to follow Him in all things. This formation usually begins with a Spirituality Year, which initiates the seminarian into a purifying self- knowledge, the spirituality of the diocesan priest, and fraternal communion. His subsequent development, guided by spiritual direction, leads him to a more profound love for Christ and His People. This growth in charity is rooted in lectio divina and personal prayer, Mass and Liturgy of the Hours, Eucharistic adoration, regular confession, and filial devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary. Intellectual Formation cultivates the mind to seek an ever deeper knowledge of the divine mysteries. Progressing through an integrated and sequenced curriculum, the seminarian acquires the languages necessary for his work, appropriates the philosophical and theological patrimony of the Church, and applies her teachings to contemporary culture. Through study, the future priest develops an intelligence of the heart by which he assents to the Word of God, grows in his spiritual life, and prepares himself for pastoral ministry. 3 Pastoral Formation integrates the study of pastoral theology with actual liturgical and apostolic experience. This integration occurs through theological reflection and inspires the Church’s future priest to participate more deeply in the pastoral charity of Jesus Christ the Good Shepherd. Under the direction of the Archbishop of Denver, the seminary community, by its prayer, preaching, teaching, example, and personal concern, helps each seminarian to develop a full humanity, to become a person with an orthodox faith, ready to be ordained a priest of Jesus Christ. History St. John Vianney Theological Seminary was officially constituted on March 17, 1999 and inaugurated on the Feast of the Birth of Mary, September 8, of that same year. Since then, the Seminary has been dedicated to forming priests for the new millennium and offering programs of formation for permanent deacons and the lay faithful. The groundwork of the enterprise was laid by Cardinal J. Francis Stafford, then the Archbishop of Denver, who purchased the site of the former St. Thomas Aquinas Seminary from the Congregation of the Mission in 1995. The facility, which included the Archbishop Vehr Library, had served as the focus for priestly formation for the dioceses and religious orders of the region since 1907. The facility was remodeled and re-named the John Paul II Center for the New Evangelization to serve as a campus for the Archdiocesan Chancery. There was