LATROBE, PENNSYLVANIA—Saint Vincent College Corporation (Saint Vincent College and Seminary) has received a grant of $1 million from Lilly Endowment Inc. to develop master’s degree and certificate programs in Mental Health and Pastoral Counseling. The new degree program will develop education and training to prepare licensed professionals schooled in pastoral counseling to support clergy in dealing with mental health issues such as addiction, depression, suicide and troubled relationships, problems which affect nearly one in four of all Americans.

The program is being funded through Lilly Endowment’s Pathways for Tomorrow Initiative, which is intended to help theological schools across the United States and Canada strengthen their educational and financial capacities to prepare and support pastoral leaders for Christian congregations both now and into the future.

The program will be a part of Saint Vincent Seminary’s Institute for Ministry Formation (IMF), which was founded in 2019 to offer academic and formative experiences primarily to non-ordained students desiring to serve in ministry.

“Many of our clerical alumni—both in rural and urban areas—are concerned about the people they serve,” said Rector Father Edward M. Mazich, O.S.B. “However, the societal crisis and need for mental health and well-being is beyond the scope of their formation as priests. The Seminary’s IMF—which has grown from 13 students in 2019 to more than 150 this year—makes us uniquely positioned to educate the laity for service with this new and necessary degree program, and to pair these people with pastors and parishes in order to help the parish communities they serve and the greater community at large.”

Saint Vincent College and Seminary is one of 163 theological schools that have received grants since 2021 through the Pathways initiative. Together, the schools serve a broad spectrum of Christian traditions in the U.S. and Canada. They are affiliated with evangelical, mainline Protestant, nondenominational, Pentecostal, Orthodox, Catholic, Black church, Latino, Asian American, Indigenous and historic peace church traditions.

“Theological schools have long played a central role for most denominations and church networks in preparing and supporting pastoral leaders who guide congregations,” said Christopher L. Coble, the Endowment’s vice president for religion. “These schools are paying close attention to the challenges churches are facing today and will face in the foreseeable future. The grants will help these schools engage in wide-ranging, innovative efforts to adapt their educational programs and build their financial capacities so they can better prepare pastors and lay ministers to effectively lead the congregations they will serve in the future.”

The project includes both an 18-credit certificate and a 60-credit master’s degree in Mental Health and Pastoral Counseling. Leading the program through its first year will be Brother Norman Hipps, O.S.B., President Emeritus of Saint Vincent College, who as Dean of the Herbert W. Boyer School of Natural Sciences, Mathematics and Computing at SVC established partnerships with Excela Health to offer a Master’s Degree program in Health Sciences and a Doctorate of Nurse Anesthesia Practice as well as new majors in the medical sciences.

“According to our student and alumni surveys,” Father Edward noted, “the Seminary is quite good at preparing those dedicated to religious practice. Still, our leaders are only trained to identify and refer for mental health treatment to those who manifest fear, anxiety, depression, marital issues, substance abuse and a myriad of other ailments. We currently prepare our graduate students on the ordained ministry track to identify mental health concerns in the people they will serve and refer them to professionals. We do not imagine the role of the ordained clergy to evolve beyond triage.

“This new program will train new religious leaders with expertise in counseling and religion to work jointly with the clergy to directly address the crisis,” he continued. “The need for these pastoral counselors is immediate and growing, and the referral system is inadequate.”

Brother Norman noted that he is grateful that the Lilly Endowment recognized the strengths of the foundation of the IMF, the quality of the resources at Saint Vincent College and Seminary and the value of pastoral mental health counseling.

“We eagerly look forward to being an active participant in the Lilly Endowment Pathways network,” he added.

Bishops of nearby dioceses such as Most Rev. Mark Bartchak of Altoona-Johnstown, Most Rev. Larry J. Kulick of Greensburg and Most Rev. Mark Eckman of Pittsburgh, who serve on the Seminary’s Board of Regents, enthusiastically support development of the new program.

The project group includes academic and administrative leaders from Saint Vincent College and Seminary including:

• Elaine Bennett, Ph.D., M.P.H. and Dean of the School of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences at Saint Vincent College;
• Father Boniface Hicks, O.S.B., Ph.D., Academic Director of the IMF and Spiritual Director of Saint Vincent Seminary;
• Shannon Jordan, Chief Administrative and Advancement Officer for Saint Vincent Archabbey, Seminary and Apostolates;
• Father Philip M. Kanfush, O.S.B., Ed.D., Licensed Behavioral Analyst, Chief Financial Officer of Saint Vincent Archabbey, Saint Vincent College Faculty Council President and tenured faculty member in the Education Department in Special Education at Saint Vincent College;
• Dr. Helene Paharik, Associate Academic Dean, Saint Vincent Seminary;
• Kelly Shrum, Academic Compliance and Relationship Manager, Saint Vincent Seminary;
• Deacon Lawrence Sutton, Ph.D., Director of Discipleship Stage Formation and Interim Director of Pastoral Formation at Saint Vincent College and Seminary and Director of Autism Ministry for the Diocese of Pittsburgh;

Additional information on the program will be posted on the Seminary’s website, www.saintvincentseminary.edu. For information on the new program, email norman.hipps@stvincent.edu.

Lilly Endowment Inc. is a private Endowment created in 1937 by J.K. Lilly Sr. and his sons Eli and J.K. Jr. through gifts of stock in their pharmaceutical business, Eli Lilly and Company. While those gifts remain the financial bedrock of the Endowment, it is a separate entity from the company with a distinct governing board, staff and location. In keeping with the founders’ wishes, the Endowment supports the causes of community development, education and religion and maintains a special commitment to its hometown, Indianapolis, and home state, Indiana. A principal aim of the Endowment’s religion grantmaking is to deepen and enrich the lives of Christians in the United States, primarily by seeking out and supporting efforts that enhance the vitality of congregations and strengthen the pastoral and lay leadership of Christian communities. The Endowment also seeks to improve public understanding of religion and lift up in fair, accurate and balanced ways the roles that people of all faiths and various religious communities play in the United States and around the globe.

Saint Vincent Seminary is a Roman Catholic Seminary grounded in the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the living tradition of the Church in accord with the Magisterium, and shaped by the Benedictine heritage of liturgical prayer, study, hospitality, and community. As such, the Seminary prepares candidates for the priesthood through “an integral journey in which the four dimensions of human, spiritual, intellectual, and pastoral formation are woven together” (PPF6, 11). Consistent with this primary mission and responsive to contemporary needs, the Seminary shares with the Church its resources and culture of accompaniment, particularly in the formation of permanent diaconate candidates and lay ministry students. The Seminary’s Institute for Ministry Formation (IMF) is an extension of Saint Vincent Seminary’s commitment to the formation and education of priests, laity, and religious. The Christian life is about service, and service is ministry! Using new technology and traditional methods for learning and gathering, the IMF gathers this community, grows and supports their faith, and helps guide their response to God’s call by forming their hearts and minds.