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28 ARCHBISHOP'S CATHOLIC APPEAL | SPECIAL EDITION A s the Director of the Lay Division at St. John Vianney Theological Seminary for the Archdiocese of Denver, I have the blessing of overseeing unique programs of study. Unlike most seminaries, St. John Vian- ney forms future clerics and has a division dedicated to the formation of the lait y. Our mission is to put people in contact and com- munion with Jesus, who alone leads us to the heart of the Father in the Spirit. We consider ourselves a part of the Great Commission given by Our Lord to the Church in Matthew 28 to baptize all nations and teach them all that He has commanded. In essence, we're all about making and maturing disciples. We do this through various offerings. Our t wo f lagship programs are the Denver Catholic Biblical School, a four-year study of the Sacred Scriptures, and the Denver Catho- lic Catechetical School, a t wo-year study of the Catechism of the Catholic Church. We also offer yearlong "Enrichment Courses" in differ- ent topics of the faith, short courses through- out the year, lecture series throughout the liturgical seasons, and day-long workshops/ conferences. Wherever you are in your faith, we have something for everybody! The first step towards being a disciple of Christ is to know the faith. This is because we cannot love what we don't first know. How could we ever think of loving Christ, no less with all of our heart, soul, and mind, as He declares we must, without first knowing Him? So the first element of fulfilling our mission lies in bringing people the knowledge of Jesus. We think of our teaching as not so much academic as it is formative. I don't mean that our teaching is not intellectually robust—far from it, for I think our programs challenge the mind in ways that it has never been. And I'm confident that you won't find anything out there that's as comprehensive as what we offer. I mean formative in the sense that our teaching is meant to transform the mind and the heart. For as the Scriptures tell us, we must be doers of the Word, not hearers only. What good is our teaching of the faith if it doesn't actually transform lives? If it doesn't lead people to desire relationship with Christ? To be more faithful to the fulfillment of the Deepen your knowledge and your faith For more information and a schedule of classes please visit sjvlaydivision. org. Denver Catholic Biblical and Catechetical Schools are funded through generous gifts to the Archbishop's Catholic Appeal. BY DANIEL CAMPBELL Director of the St. John Vianney Theological Seminary Lay Division | sjvlaydivision.org