It’s happened again. The Vatican has honored Sacred Heart by appointing one of its professors to yet another position.

The Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity has asked Dr. Janet E. Smith to be a member of the Anglican-Roman Catholic International Commission. Dr. Smith, who holds the Fr. Michael J. McGivney Chair of Life Ethics, received a letter of appointment from Kurt Cardinal Koch, president of the council, during the week of fall final exams.

Established forty years ago, the Anglican-Roman Catholic International Commission is entering the third phase of ecumenical dialogue between the Catholic Church and the Anglican Communion. Dr. Smith will participate in the annual plenary meeting, which will be at the Bose Monastery in Piedmont, Italy, on May 17-27.

The news comes on the heels of another appointment last May. Then, Pope Benedict XVI named Dr. Edward Peters to a five-year term as one of twelve referendaries advising the Apostolic Signatura, the Church’s highest administrative court. Dr. Peters holds the Edmund Cardinal Szoka Chair of Faculty Development and is an expert on canon law.

These two appointments are in addition to Dr. Smith’s three five-year stints between 1995 and 2013 as a consultor to the Pontifical Council for the Family. And they’re in addition to the term of Professor of Theology Fr. John McDermott, SJ, as a member of the International Theological Commission (ITC), from 2004 to 2009.

Msgr. Jeffrey Monforton, Sacred Heart’s rector, is happy to have so many Vatican appointees at the seminary.

"Sacred Heart is blessed to be able to assist our Holy Father in his apostolic work," he says. “The various commissions and congregations in Rome are always looking for experts who not only have the mind and heart of the Church but also are able to articulate it effectively.

"We’re proud that our faculty has individuals who fit the requirements."

Dean of Studies Fr. Todd Lajiness concurs with Monsignor. "We are blessed with a faculty that makes profound contributions on the local, national and international level," he says. The activities of Father McDermott, Dr. Peters and Dr. Smith "will now contribute in a unique way on behalf of the Holy Father and his universal mission."

Perhaps one of the reason’s behind Dr. Smith’s appointment (the Vatican rarely reveals this information) is her attentiveness as a consultor, an advisor whom the council consults from time to time. Whenever a package arrives asking for an opinion on the enclosed document, "I stop everything and do a very thorough, line by line review," she says.

Like a consultor, a referendary such as Dr. Peters is an advisor who can discharge his duties from afar.

"As most of my Signatura service is research-oriented and consultative, electronic correspondence is an efficient way to stay in touch," Dr. Peters says. "Between my personal canon law collection and the resources available through Sacred Heart, I can get a lot of work done from here."

Father McDermott’s long tenure teaching in Rome, from 1987 to 1999, is one of the likely reasons for his appointment, he says. While there, he did work for the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith, headed by Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger (Pope Benedict XVI), and also contributed to the production of the Catechism of the Catholic Church.

During Father McDermott’s time on the International Theological Commission, among the questions posed to the commission was the status of natural law. His assignment was being on the subcommittee studying this question.

Since then, Father has elaborated upon his commission work in an article soon to be published in the ITC’s journal Nova et Vetera—yet another honor for the seminary.