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Mount St. Mary’s is a Catholic institution of higher education dedicated to liberal learning in the pursuit of truth. Mount St. Mary’s, mindful of its role in the Church’s mission to the world and respectful of the religious liberty of all, affirms the values and beliefs central to the Catholic vision of the person and society, and seeks to deepen understanding of our faith and its practice in just and compassionate engagement with the world.
In order to enable individuals to understand and to challenge or embrace the cultural forces operating on them, Mount St. Mary’s, in all its curricular and co-curricular programs, encourages each student to undertake free and rigorous inquiry leading to a reflective and creative understanding of the traditions which shape the communities in which we live.
Mount St. Mary’s strives to graduate men and women who cultivate a mature spiritual life, who live by high intellectual and moral standards, who respect the dignity of other persons, who see and seek to resolve the problems facing humanity, and who commit themselves to live as responsible citizens.
The mission of Mount St. Mary's Seminary is the formation of men for the Roman Catholic diocesan priesthood in the service of the Kingdom of God. Mount St. Mary’s Seminary aims to establish a foundation within the seminarians for a lifetime of priestly ministry within the Church. This foundation is an intimate relationship with God the Father in Jesus Christ His Son through the Holy Spirit, a relationship nourished by Scripture and Tradition, celebrated in the sacraments, especially the Eucharist, and marked by a sincere devotion to Mary, the Mother of God and Mother of the Church.
Through the inter-related components of priestly formation -- human, spiritual, intellectual, pastoral -- the Seminary strives to train men, called as priests to be living images of Jesus Christ, to become more like Christ the Good Shepherd, men of deep humility and genuine pastoral charity. The Seminary prepares the seminarians to share in a special way in the three-fold office of Christ: teaching the Gospel, celebrating the divine mysteries, and shepherding God’s people. In its deep communion with the whole Church and its fidelity to Church teaching, the Seminary prepares its future priests to be men of ecclesial communion, united by special bonds with the Pope, the College of Bishops, their own Bishops, other priests, consecrated religious and the lay faithful.
A distinctive characteristic of Mount St. Mary’s Seminary is that, as a graduate school of theology, it shares one campus with Mount St. Mary’s University. On a deeper level, the two parts of the institution share the common ground of having been born from the heart of the Church. They are thus able to seek together in faith a more profound understanding of the Christian mystery. Not only does this relationship with the University provide the resources and support for academic, cultural and physical development, but it also provides seminarians with opportunities for learning pastoral skills for their future ministry, especially in the parish.
The Division of Student Development supports the University’s Mission by creating and sustaining a thriving living and learning community through which students feel a sense of belonging. The Division strives to sustain an environment that is conducive to the pursuit of learning and the personal, social, spiritual, moral, and physical development of all Mount students.
Guided by the teachings of the Catholic Church and the ideals of a liberal education, the Division seeks to empower students to take responsibility for their own decisions and actions and to become active members of the University community; to provide a safe and healthy campus culture, including an appreciation of human diversity; and to encourage students to prepare themselves to live productive and satisfying lives in service to others.
Mount St. Mary’s University is committed to promoting an environment within which students, faculty, and staff from diverse backgrounds will flourish spiritually and will continue to develop as a whole person.
The recognition and promotion of the inherent dignity of each person reflects the mission of Mount St. Mary’s University. Furthermore, it inspires the University’s educational philosophy and causes the University to invite and welcome students, faculty and staff from all racial and cultural backgrounds. The exploration of the common denominators that link us and the understanding of our differences mark the educated person.
The mission and tradition of Mount St. Mary’s University therefore demand that we, as an institution, collectively and individually promote an environment that reigns mutual respect and understanding, based on and informed by an educated and enlightened knowledge of ourselves and the cultures we represent. To that end, Mount St. Mary’s University has decided that all its constituencies embrace a University-designed intercultural program that will seek to enhance their knowledge in intercultural matters.
The program, to be administered annually to new students, and to staff, faculty, and administrators by the Co-directors of Intercultural Development, as approved by the University, is judged to be so fundamental for social and spiritual equity that the University declares it an institutionalized program.
Human sexuality is basic to our humanity and so is a powerful element of self-identity, shaping who we are and what we will become. This is true regardless of our state in life as married or single. Human sexuality is fundamental to the way in which we relate to ourselves, to others, and to God. Our sexual actions, like all forms of communication, carry inherent meaning and so demand that we mean what they say.
As a Catholic University, Mount St. Mary’s encourages its members to understand the nature of the human person as composed of mind, body, and spirit, with the freedom to control our behavior. This institution wishes to highlight the positive aspects of human sexuality while recognizing its abusive potentialities. As a community united in purpose, the Mount seeks to support its members as they strive to understand both the richness and the responsibility inherent in the gift of human sexuality.
Relationships form the primary avenues through which human sexuality is expressed. In all of our sexual interactions, from holding hands to becoming parents, we communicate through our bodies on a continuum ranging from esteem and respect for the other, to contempt and exploitation of the other. When we express our sexuality within a relationship honestly, responsibly, and in a spirit of love, we experience the goodness of this gift and reach a deeper understanding of ourselves. However, when we do not tell the truth with our bodies, but allow peer pressure or a self-centered desire for pleasure or power to guide our choices, we misuse our gift and damage the integrity and spiritual growth of those involved.
This kind of thinking underlies our understanding of marriage as sacramental. In marriage, an unconditional, faithful, forgiving love is pledged between two people. It is a sacrificial love, in imitation of Jesus, which is characterized by giving rather than taking. It is a sexual love, an embodied love, physically uniting two spouses. It is an honest love, capable of overflowing in new life, and welcoming the possibility of children. Only here is the fullest expression of human sexuality appropriate; and in this expression, we are allowed a glimpse at the very essence of God.
At all times in our lives, we must be deliberate in our sexual actions. How we choose to express the gift of our human sexuality will be critical in the formation of subsequent patterns of social interaction. These patterns should be based on recognition of the goodness inherent in this gift and our responsibility as men and women to manage this gift in a way that promotes the wellbeing of others and ourselves. This invitation and challenge stands before all members of the Mount community.
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