President’s Weekly Calendar
We will resume posting the President's Weekly Calendar in late August 2023.
To arrange a meeting with Dr. Jason West, please
contact Lauri Friesen, Executive Assistant to the President by phone
(780-392-2455) or email Lauri.Friesen@newman.edu.
President's Message
It is a pleasure to welcome you to Newman Theological College on behalf of our entire community. Since 2011 we have offered a wide range of programs at our new Catholic Campus, carrying on a long tradition of theological education within the Archdiocese of Edmonton.
Newman was founded in 1969 through the vision of Archbishop Anthony Jordan in the wake of the Second Vatic
an Council and incorporated by the Alberta Legislature with the right to grant degrees. This renewed vision enhanced the continued theological formation of candidates for the priesthood and religious life. However, it also made theological studies more accessible for lay people preparing for professional ministry, enhancing their work as religious educators or school administrators, and those wanting to deepen their theological understanding of their faith.
Theological education at Newman is not merely a matter of taking a series of diverse courses. Rather, students are encouraged to develop their own personal theological synthesis. Courses at Newman emphasize academic excellence that integrates human and spiritual formation as well as application to the broader social and ecclesial realities where appropriate.
This integrative approach is especially important in our programs that serve as preparation for professional ministry. Following a noble Catholic tradition we recognize that all of our service to the Church and community overflows from our spiritual life. Accordingly, academic study should deepen our prayer, which in turn should show its fruit in a renewed and vigorous service to others. All of this is necessary if we are to be actively and meaningfully engaged in the New Evangelization that the Church is calling us to in our time.
Each of us, without exception, is called to holiness. Contemplation “is not only the business of specialists or of the chosen few,” the Catholic philosopher Jacques Maritain once wrote. “All without exception are called to perfection, which is the same as that of the Father who is in heaven.” Answering this call presupposes a deep spiritual life rooted in knowledge of God and what he has said to us through Sacred Scripture, the life of Christ, and the Church. Study of our faith can be an important aid to this responsibility that all Christians have, namely to know, love and serve God.
I would invite you to explore what we have to offer, whether that is by looking through our website, coming for a visit, or signing up for a course that strikes your interest. As we look to ways to serve God more deeply and carry out the New Evangelization, let us entrust our efforts to the prayers of our namesake Blessed John Henry Newman whose contribution to theological education remains so close to the heart of our College’s mission today.
Jason West, Ph.D.
Presidents of Newman Theological College
- Dr. Jason West 2012 – Present
- Most Rev. Paul Terrio 2012
- Rev. Shayne Craig 2010 – 2012
- Dr. Bryn Kulmatycki 2005 – 2010
- Rev. Jack Gallagher, CSB 2003 – 2005
- Dr. Christophe Poworowski 2001 – 2003
- Kevin Carr 1993 – 2001
- Most Rev. Gerald Wiesner, OMI 1992
- Rev. Wilfred Murchland 1983 – 1990
- Rev. Michael McCaffery 1978 – 1983
- Rev. Dr. Don MacDonald, OFM 1973 – 1975, 1976 – 1978, & 1991 – 1993
- Rev. Michael O’ Callaghan 1970 – 1973 & 1975 – 1976
- Rev. Oswald Fuchs, OFM 1969 – 1970
President's Blog
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