Satelllite Theological Education Program (STEP)

Published in the 2015 annual issue of Gathered Fragments, the official  publication of the Catholic Historical Society of Western Pennsylvania, this is a brief biography of Richard F. Wersing (1910-2006), a Spiritan (Holy Ghost Fathers) priest who had many "missions" including a combat chaplaincy in the U.S. Army in World War II, Korea, and during the Vietnam era.  He is buried in Arlington National Cemetery.

My thesis is that the sum is greater than the parts; in other words: yes, it is possible to be a Christian without any knowledge of theophany, but for the Christian who sees Old Testament theophany from a Christological view, his or her Christianity is enriched.

In this paper I will distinguish seven distinct voices that have helped define the Church in this way. Certainly this is not an exhaustive exposition, but I will identify and discuss in chronological order a number of personalities who had an ecclesiological impact both in their time and ours.

My thesis is that although the Seven Themes of Catholic Social Teaching (per the USCCB)  were not promulgated at the time, the beliefs they encapsulate, which find their origin in Scripture, were an integral part of Dorothy Day’s Catholic faith, were annunciated in her published works, and found their praxis in her manner of living.

Located in Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, Immaculate Heart of Mary Seminary served as the collegiate seminary for the Holy Ghost Fathers (Spiritans) from 1960-1979 with students attending Duquesne University in Pittsburgh. This article was published in the Fall 2017 issue of Gathered Fragments (Volume XXVII), a publication of the Catholic Historical Society of Western Pennsylvania.