WORKERS IN THE LORD’S VINEYARD The College Welcomes Five New Faculty Members
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by Jason Schumer ‘10
hroughout the history of the North American College, we have been blessed with a long list of well-qualified and worthy formators and faculty. This year, the College welcomes to that list five new priest faculty members. Each priest comes with a different set of credentials which seems to aid in his new position here at the College. God has truly blessed this College and he continues to provide us with good and holy priests who serve as role models for all of us. With these five new priests on board, we are all looking forward to where the Holy Spirit will lead us this year and in the years to come.
Rev. Kurt Belsole, O.S.B.
Fr. Kurt Belsole, O.S.B., a member of the Benedictine Community of St. Vincent Archabbey in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, joins our faculty as Director of Liturgical Formation. Fr. Kurt joined St. Vincent Archabbey in 1971 as a novice and was ordained a priest in 1978. In 1980, graduating summa cum laude, he received a diploma in Latin Letters from the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome and in 1983, he received a License in Patristic Theology and Sciences from the Patristic Institute of the Pontfical Lateran University also in Rome. In 1994, Fr. Kurt received a Doctorate in Sacred Theology magna cum laude with a specialization in Monastic Studies from the Monastic Institute of the Pontifical Athenaeum of Saint Anselm in Rome. His experience includes serving as Master of Ceremonies of St. Vincent Archabbey, Academic Dean at St. Vincent Seminary in Latrobe, and Associate Professor at the Pontifical Athenaeum of Saint Anselm in Rome. Most recently, Fr. Kurt has worked as an integral part of the formation faculty in Latrobe, serving as Rector there from 2001 until his
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Archdiocese of Saint Louis appointment to the College this summer. Already in his time here, he has emphasized the centrality of the liturgy in the Christian life and the necessity of each priest to be able to pray the liturgy well for the sake of the Church.
Rev. Joseph Betschart ‘99
Fr. Joseph Betschart, a member of the class of 1999, joins the faculty as our new Academic Dean. He is a priest of the Archdiocese of Portland in Oregon. In 1989, Fr. Betschart received a Bachelor of Science Degree from Oregon State University in Nuclear Engineering and General Science. He served five years in the United States Navy where he worked as a nuclear engineer. He says it was during his time in the Navy that he began attending daily Mass and praying before the Blessed Sacrament, which helped foster his vocation. Following one year of Pre-Theology at Mount Angel Seminary from 1994 to 1995, Fr. Betschart came to the North American College and in 2000, he received a License in Sacred Theology with a focus in Dogmatic Theology from the Pontifical Gregorian University. He then returned to the Archdiocese of Portland where he served as parochial vicar and pastor, as well as Director and Chaplain of the Walsh Memorial Newman Center at Southern Oregon University and Director of the Archdiocesan Respect Life Office in Portland. It is obvious to anyone who has met Fr. Betschart that he is a man who loves the Lord and the priesthood.
The Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve.
The Pontifical North American College M A G A Z I N E
Matthew 20:28