On the Hill

The mornings have turned crisp on the Saint Meinrad campus, leaves are turning shades of red and yellow, and a new formation year is well underway. Twenty-nine new seminarians moved into the School on August 18, and classes began 10 days later.

Seminary enrollment remains strong with 116 students taking classes this fall. That is down five from last year’s 121 students, but up 16 from the previous year’s 100. The seminary community represents 21 dioceses and six religious communities. Saint Meinrad’s propaedeutic program, El Camino, began its second year with 10 seminarians.

Cultural diversity among seminarians remains consistent with previous enrollments. This year, there are 30 seminarians who were born in other countries, representing 26% of the student body. The seminary community represents 13 different countries of origin.

Last year, there were 35 students born outside of the United States, representing 15 countries of origin. In 2021, there were 30 students born outside of the United States from 12 countries of origin.

“It gives us a sense that even though we are here in southern Indiana, we are part of a larger Church,” says President-Rector Fr. Denis Robinson, OSB.

The School administration continues to assess the programs offered and look for ways to refine and perfect them, especially in light of the new Program of Priestly Formation released last year. In the spring, administrators approved an option for seminarians to earn a master’s degree in theology along with an MDiv. Seminarians who opt to pursue both degrees, complete a concluding exercise while still in formation.

The Graduate Theology Program opened the fall semester with 81 students. There are three full-time students, 65 parttime, seven non-degree, and seven students auditing courses. This is an increase from last year’s enrollment of 72 students.

A new Certificate in Liturgical Music has been approved in partnership with Saint Meinrad’s Institute for Sacred Music. It can be completed independently or in conjunction with a Master of Arts in theology. The program is geared toward classically trained musicians who need a foundation in liturgical studies and active musicians looking to develop their musical background in the context of liturgical theology.

The Permanent Deacon Formation Program is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year. The program started in 1999 with the Diocese of Richmond as the first diocese, ordaining 49 deacons in 2003. Throughout the 25-year history, the program has served 25 dioceses, and ordained 722 deacon candidates with four wives receiving a certificate of completion.

For the 2023-24 formation year, there are a total of 195 students and 14 cohorts from 12 dioceses enrolled in the Permanent Deacon Program. That breaks down to 161 deacon candidates, 33 aspirants and one wife taking courses for credit toward a master’s degree in theology.

The program now has the capability of providing formation entirely in Spanish. In addition, there are supplemental online courses in Spanish to augment instruction for native Spanish speaking students who are taking courses in English.

The new school year also brings some new faces to the Seminary and School of Theology.

Ana Perez, of Dale, IN, serves Saint Meinrad as the director of the Office of Hispanic and Latino Ministry. In her role, she creates strategic formation programming for seminarians, priests, deacons, and lay leaders around Hispanic and Latino ministry.

Perez, originally from Mexico, moved to the United States at the age of 15. She studied at Marian Heights Academy, Ferdinand, IN, before the school closed, for her sophomore and junior years of high school. She graduated in 2001 from Heritage Hills High School.

Perez studied social science at Oakland City University, graduating with a bachelor’s degree in 2005. She is currently pursuing a master’s degree from Saint Meinrad Seminary and School of Theology.

Chase J. Cloutier, of Newburgh, IN, has been named the director of Graduate Theology Programs for Saint Meinrad Seminary and School of Theology. Sr. Jeana Visel, OSB, who previously held the position, will continue to serve as dean of School of Theology Programs and adjunct assistant professor of spirituality. Cloutier began work on August 16.

In this position, Cloutier will coordinate the administration of all academic and formation programs for lay students and permanent deacons pursuing degree or certificate programs at Saint Meinrad. He will also collaborate with the Office of Continuing Formation in coordinating non-degree or continuing education programs related to lay ministry.

Cloutier is a doctoral candidate in systematic theology at the Catholic University of America, having attained an MPhil degree. He also has a Master of Theological Studies from Boston College School of Theology and Ministry, and a master’s degree in philosophy from Franciscan University of Steubenville.

Most recently, Cloutier has been a teaching fellow in theology for the First Year Experience program at the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. He was also a project manager in higher education event planning while working with ePosterBoards based out of Boston, MA. Prior to that, he worked as a theology teacher at Charlotte Catholic High School in the Diocese of Charlotte, NC, for two years.

Dr. Maggie Morgan, a Colorado native, began work in the Mader Learning Center at the beginning of August. The Mader Learning Center assists students in mastering both fundamental and advanced reading and writing skills. Special programs are also designed for students who are improving their English proficiency.

Dr. Morgan attended the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, earning a bachelor’s degree in English with a minor in mathematics in 2005. In 2007, she received a master’s degree in English from Auburn University in Alabama.

After teaching high school mathematics for a year in her hometown, Fort Morgan, CO, she returned to college. She went on to earn a bachelor’s degree in French from the University of Colorado-Denver in 2012 and, two years later, a master’s degree in French from University of Nebraska-Lincoln. In 2015, Dr. Morgan moved to Washington, D.C., to begin a doctoral English program at the Catholic University of America.

In 2019, she returned to Fort Morgan to complete her dissertation project, but, after her grandfather’s passing, she relocated to Golden, CO, for two years to remain with her grandmother and teach first-year composition for the University of Northern Colorado in Greeley.

She earned her doctorate in English in January 2023. Her dissertation project examining the influence of natural history upon early Romantic poetry is representative of her interests in both science and art.

Dr. Morgan was employed as a teaching assistant while completing her graduate studies; she provided instruction in both English and French at Auburn, the University of Nebraska, the Catholic University of America, and the Université Paris-Est Marne la Vallée in France.