ONE-MINUTE COMMENTARY
At In Trust's Catholic Seminary Visitation Update Page, you can read recent articles about the "apostolic visitations" that began this month. Even respected newspapers have written simplistically of them as a "gay purge" -- although, in truth, the visitors will be looking for "evidence of homosexuality" at the seminaries.
I'd like to propose that even non-Catholics take an interest in the seminary visitations. Why? Because the questions the visitors are asking encompass much more than sexuality. As you can read here, they address the entire sweep of clergy formation, and every school of theology would do well to ask itself similar ones. Do faculty members have responsibilities outside the school that detract from their primary duties? How are the backgrounds of foreign students verified? These and other questions transcend denominational lines.
One seminary rector recently told me that he's looking forward to his visitation, but I have no doubt that others are anxious. I'm hoping that theological school leaders of all stripes -- Catholic, Protestant, and Orthodox alike -- will include Catholic seminaries in their prayers over the next few months. I'll be praying that Catholic seminaries will emerge stronger after the visitation, and that stronger formation programs will produce better priests than ever before. That would be a good thing for everyone.
--Jay Blossom
Editor, In Trust Now
CHANGING SCENES NOW
Six news items you may have missed
1. VATICAN VISITATION OF U.S. CATHOLIC SEMINARIES BEGINS
Teams appointed by the Congregation for Catholic Education have begun visiting Catholic seminaries and interviewing students and faculty. In Trust's Catholic Seminary Visitation Update Page has the set of questions being used -- the Instrumentum laboris -- plus links to the latest news.
2. HURRICANE KATRINA UPDATE
In Trust's Hurricane Katrina Update Page has the latest news about New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and Notre Dame Seminary, both of which were significantly damaged during the storm. The Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada is cooperating with the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities and the Association for Biblical Higher Education to raise money for affected schools.
3. BEETHOVEN MANUSCRIPT FOUND IN SEMINARY LIBRARY
During a summer cleanup, a librarian assistant at Palmer Theological Seminary (formerly Eastern Baptist Theological Seminary) found a treasure at the bottom of an archive drawer -- an 80-page transcription of Beethoven's "Grosse Fuge" in the composer's own hand. Sotheby's thinks the manuscript could fetch $1.7 million to $2.6 million at auction.
More...
4. CANADIAN THEOLOGICAL SCHOOLS EXPLORE MERGER
Knox College in Toronto and The Presbyterian College in Montreal have appointed a joint committee to explore the possibilities of merging the two schools. Knox is affiliated with the Toronto School of Theology, while The Presbyterian College is a part of the Montreal School of Theology, which was until this fall called the Joint Board of Theological Colleges.
5. HOLY CROSS RECEIVES DONATION FROM GREEK GOVERNMENT
Hellenic College and Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology, a single school with undergraduate and graduate divisions located in Brookline, Massachusetts, has received $31,000 from Boston's Consul General of Greece, representing the Greek government. The announcement came on the heels of the school being named as a philanthropic national project by the American Hellenic Education Progressive Association, an international Greek heritage organization.
More...
6. AP STORY LAUDS FULLER AS EXEMPLAR OF 21ST-CENTURY CHRISTIANITY
Associated Press writer Richard N. Ostling's feature on multiculturalism at Fuller Theological Seminary was widely published in U.S. newspapers this month. About 4,900 students from 100 countries attend the school, which has its main campus in Pasadena, California. The seminary includes a school of theology, a graduate school of psychology, and the School of Intercultural Studies, which is celebrating its 40th anniversary.
FOCUS ON... FEBRUARY WORKSHOPS
If your school's president and board leader need to get on the same page, but you don't have a lot of time to build up the relationship, then In Trust's one-day Governance Workshop is for you. Designed for fly-in, fly-out convenience, the one-day workshop is an affordable way for a two-person team to soak up the best information about seminary governance in the shortest amount of time. And three locations -- Berkeley, Toronto, and Washington, D.C. -- mean that there's probably one near you.
Sign up now! More information here. To register, contact In Trust's president, Dr. Christa Klein, at 877-234-3895 or crklein@intrust.org.
FROM THE ARCHIVE... BOARD ASSESSMENT
Is it time to look again at how your board is doing? In Trust can help.
This Above All To Our Own Selves Be True: The Importance of Assessing Board Performance
Plus, Drafting a Statement of Board Expectations
In Trust can provide a governance audit or board self-assessment package to put your board on the right footing. For more information, contact In Trust's president, Dr. Christa Klein, at 877-234-3895 or crklein@intrust.org.
FEEDBACK
Have a question or topic you would like us to address? Interested in a retreat or mentoring services for your board? Let us know by contacting President Christa Klein at crklein@intrust.org.
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