Menlo Park, CA, 8/28/2018 – St. Patrick Seminary & University is pleased to announce the appointment of three additions to its distinguished full-time faculty: Dr. Nina Heereman and Fr. John Boettcher in Sacred Scripture and Dr. Francis Feingold in Philosophy (Drs. Heereman and Feingold pictured above).
With the redesign of its Master of Divinity (MDiv) program, St. Patrick’s has placed an increased emphasis on explaining the Catholic Faith as revealed in Sacred Scripture and Tradition and historically developed by the Magisterium. The study of Sacred Scripture is of critical importance as the seminary forms courageous men of reflection and action to live joyous lives as priests.
“Our new MDiv curriculum restores Sacred Scripture as the foundation of theological studies,” said Academic Dean Dr. Karen C. Chan, “The hiring of Dr. Heereman and Fr. Boettcher, with their combined expertise in Scripture, broader theological backgrounds, and ministerial experiences, will help our men to love Scripture, to integrate the theological disciplines into their daily lives, and to pass on the Roman Catholic faith to others. This renewed emphasis on Sacred Scripture will transform our future priests and their homilies, and by extension their parish communities.”
Dr. Nina Heereman (Assistant Professor of Sacred Scripture) was born and raised in a devout Catholic family in Germany. Originally trained as a lawyer, Dr. Heereman experienced a deep conversion experience at the 1997 World Youth Day. She received an STB from the Pontifical Gregorian University, an SSL from the Pontifical Biblical Institute, and the very rare SSD from the École biblique et archéologique française de Jerusalem and the Université de Fribourg. Her doctoral thesis Behold King Solomon on the Day of His Wedding: A Symbolic-Diachronic Reading of Song 3:6-11 and 4:12-5:1 has been heralded by scholars as a profound contribution to scholarship on the Song of Songs.
Expressing her excitement about teaching at St. Patrick's, Dr. Heereman says, "In particular, I desire to open up the treasures of the Scriptures to future priests so that their ministry might be rooted in the Word of God as the living source of their life and preaching. I am deeply committed to the Church's desire to make 'the study of the sacred page the very soul of theology' (DV 24)."
Rev. John Boettcher (Assistant Professor of Sacred Scripture) returns to STPSU as a full-time professor after a semester as an Adjunct Instructor in Spring 2018. Fr. John has enjoyed a great variety of ways of seeking and serving God. He served a year in the Holy Land, with 7 months in the Holy Sepulchre and 5 months at the site of the Visitation. He lived in a community of young adults giving youth retreats full-time for 5 years, seeing some 10,000 youth. Fr. John completed a doctorate from Pontifical Athenaeum Regina Apostolorum on John's Prologue in Patristic exegesis. He has taught in Rome, Jerusalem, Connecticut, and Ohio. He is delighted with Scripture: to read, meditate on, pray, preach, and teach.
St. Patrick’s also enhanced its philosophy faculty with the addition of Dr. Feingold. Underlying theological studies at St. Patrick’s is a rigorous foundation in philosophy in the Pre-Theology Program. Our Pre-Theology program leads seminarians to seek an integrated vision of reality through the use of natural reason by offering a comprehensive curriculum in the Catholic philosophical tradition.
Dr. Francis Feingold (Assistant Professor of Philosophy) received his Ph.D. in Philosophy from the Catholic University of America in 2017. His doctoral dissertation was titled Divine Friendship-Love and Divine Impassibility: A Thomistic Response to Process Thought. He comes to St. Patrick's with a strong and broad background in the history of philosophy (from ancient and medieval thought through contemporary phenomenology and analytic philosophy) and has taught a variety of courses such as Philosophy in the Modern Age, Ethics, and Nature and Person at Mount St. Mary's University in Emmitsburg, The Catholic University of America, and Ave Maria University.
Dr. Feingold shares: "I chose a career in philosophy chiefly because I saw it as my vocation; the path in which I was best suited to bring others to know and love God. And I have always thought that the ideal place for me to pursue this vocation, even as a layman, would be at a seminary, by contributing to the formation of those whose task will be to bring Christ to the world."
ABOUT ST. PATRICK SEMINARY & UNIVERSITY
St. Patrick’s Seminary & University is located on 40 beautiful acres in Menlo Park in the heart of Silicon Valley. Its expansive park-like grounds, historic chapel, modern classrooms, and extensive library provide an ideal environment for prayer, meditation, and study, within close proximity to major urban centers that provide rich field education opportunities.
For the past 120 years, St. Patrick’s Seminary has successfully prepared men to become Roman Catholic priests in conformity to Christ. The integrated process of human, spiritual, intellectual, and pastoral formation at St. Patrick’s Seminary revolves around our core values of Spiritual Fatherhood, Fidelity, Holiness, Wisdom, Evangelization, Resiliency, and Compassion. Priests formed at St. Patrick’s Seminary become courageous men of reflection and action who live joyous lives as priests.
The seminary serves Catholic dioceses throughout California, Nevada, the Pacific Northwest, Hawaii, Guam, South Korea, and other Pacific Rim countries. Learn more at our website, www.stpsu.edu. You can also follow St. Patrick’s on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Twitter.