Faith Seeking Understanding
MOSAIC, Winter 2011

Very Rev. Msgr. Jeffrey M. Monforton

"Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when he sat down his disciples came to him. And he opened his mouth and taught them.".

These words that begin the fifth chapter of the Gospel According to Matthew (5:1, 2) demonstrate a common practice our Lord had throughout his public ministry, namely, Jesus was a teacher and was willing to share the Good News with anyone willing to listen.

Having had the privilege to teach an Introduction to Theology course this past semester at one of our satellite campuses, which is also my former pastorate, I had the opportunity firsthand to witness the desire our brothers and sisters have in their hearts to learn more about Jesus Christ. These fifteen individuals in my class had the burning desire to hear the words of Christ and to synthesize his teachings into their very lives. Each member of the class demonstrated the definition of theology as taught by St. Anselm: Faith seeking understanding.

Sacred Heart reaches out to our fellow brothers and sisters through four different satellite campuses (the parishes of Holy Name, Our Lady of Good Counsel, St. Paul on the Lake and St. Therese of Lisieux). The seminary's initiative to adopt satellite locations as one of the methods by which we teach the faithful is proof positive Sacred Heart is committed to proclaim the Good News.

Those of us who have had the opportunity to teach a Bible study class in the parish are acutely aware of what our Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI meant in the interview outlined in the book, Salt of the Earth: The Church at the End of the Millennium. When the then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger confronted the common belief that the ordinary person cannot read let alone understand the contents of the Bible, the future Pontiff responds, "We must re-learn that it [the Bible] is something to everyone."

With the banner of the New Evangelization firmly grasped by Sacred Heart Major Seminary, it is our conviction that a well-informed Catholic continues to learn about the Creed he or she professes in church. The religious education one receives just prior to the Sacrament of Confirmation is a springboard to the continued development of one's faith.

You can learn more about our programs that prepare the laity for leadership positions in the Church—to be "co-workers in the vineyard" with the ordained clergy—in the latest issue of our publication, Mosaic.

Please know of the seminary community's gratitude for the assistance you provide us, enabling us to properly equip our brothers and sisters with the necessary tools to share Jesus Christ with a world in such great need to hear the Good News.

Sincerely yours in Christ,

Very Rev. Msgr. Jeffrey M. Monforton
Rector/President

"A well-informed Catholic continues to learn about the Creed he or she professes in church."