Sacred Heart of Peterborough: The Little College That Can

Have you heard of Sacred Heart College of Peterborough? You probably haven’t because it opened its doors just months ago. This Catholic institution for higher learning this year offers fours courses with the credit given by Trent University. The future plan is to have a totally independent Catholic university. Present at the opening ceremonies this past February was Archbishop Terrence Prendergast and Bishop Nicola De Angelis who has been for many years an ardent supporter and promoter of a Catholic College in this province. (You may want to check out the Archbishop's blog called, The Journey of a Bishop and his article on this event.)


The courses offered for 2012-13 are these: Introduction the Catholic Bioethics, The Ethics of Leadership, Introduction to Old Testament Literature in Its Historical Context, and Introduction to Canadian History: Origins to 1897. Students successfully completing any or all of these courses will receive a transfer credit toward their undergraduate degree at Trent University. Why sign up for these courses? The school’s mission statement will help with the answer: 

Sacred Heart of Peterborough is a student-centered teaching, research and learning community committed to critical thinking, creative expression of ideas, and active participation in society. As a values-based liberal arts institution in the Catholic tradition, it prepares graduates to continue the dialogue between faith and reason, and to lead with wisdom, justice and compassion in a changing world. 

And so will their vision statement:

Sacred Heart of Peterborough will be a vibrant truth-seeking academic community, inclusive and open in its pursuit of excellence in teaching and learning, and in service and leadership.

The principal of Sacred Heart is Fr. Ervens Mengelle, IVE. He's a priest with The Institute of the Incarnate Word. Fr. Carlos Miguel Buela in San Rafael, Argentina founded the order 28 years ago. Both its charism and mission are very appropriate in guiding this Catholic institution:

From the very beginning it formed its own seminarians (this is something absolutely integral to our charism), and it has also—by the grace of God—been blessed with many vocations. The charism of the Religious Family of the Incarnate Word is explicitly the “inculturation” of the Gospel—to evangelize all cultures in order to bring Christ to the entirety of man and to all of mankind.

If you, your friends or your older children are considering taking courses at Trent University then do look into the possibility of taking a course or more at Sacred Heart. If you know a student studying at Trent tell them about this new Catholic College. We hope and pray that Sacred Heart of Peterborough will succeed and one day soon will be an independent Catholic university offering its own programs with undergraduate and graduate degrees. We should all support this very worthwhile academic and spiritual endeavor. More than ever Canada needs these places of higher learning where both faith and reason are studied to improve the human condition, to build the Common Good and serve the Lord. We wish Fr. Ervens, the rest of the faculty and students God’s blessing for the success of Sacred Heart.