WASHINGTON, D.C. — This fall, Belmont Abbey College is launching its American Semester at the Belmont House – an academic and formation program in Washington, D.C., designed to prepare students for principled leadership and policy engagement.
Open to sophomores, juniors and seniors, the American Semester will allow students to immerse themselves in specialized coursework on Catholic social teaching while completing full-time internships with congressional offices, federal agencies and policy organizations.
Located just steps from the U.S. Capitol, the Belmont House was created to build community, support lay apostolates, bring together thought leaders, and provide programs with concrete implications for public service. In addition to academic programs, it offers a residency program for Catholic undergraduates interning in Washington.
“The Belmont House experience has shown me what it looks like to live my faith in public service,” said Hannah Martin, a Belmont Abbey College senior participating in the program through an internship with Clare Boothe Luce Center for Conservative Women. “Between my internship at the Luce Center and the formation we receive here, I’ve learned that Catholic teaching isn’t just theoretical and that it can guide how we approach real policy decisions that affect people’s lives.”
As Belmont Abbey College President Dr. Jeffrey Talley said, “The Belmont House exemplifies our mission as a Catholic Benedictine College, which is to order the hearts and minds of students to Christ as they serve in the world as competent professionals. In a city where decisions shape the lives of millions, our students learn to act with conscience, courage and conviction.”
American Semester students will participate in an internship and a lecture series led by public and academic leaders and have options for additional coursework.
“Through our collaborations and discussion events, we facilitate meaningful professional opportunities for students,” said Emmett J. McGroarty, executive director of Belmont House. “We’re excited that the American Semester is open to students from across the country. In extending this hospitality, we draw on 1,500 years of Benedictine tradition of seeking truth and building the Mystical Body of Christ.”
“The Belmont House functions as a trusted resource where Catholic social teaching shapes public discourse,” he added. “It is a place where future leaders are formed to bring moral clarity and faithful witness to the public square.”
— Trish Stukbauer and Belmont Abbey College
More online
At www.belmontabbeycollege.edu/belmonthouse/american-semester: Learn more about Belmont Abbey College’s American Semester
CHARLOTTE — May 13 marked the 109th anniversary of Mary’s first apparition to three shepherd children in the fields of Portugal. Our Lady of Fatima has a special place in the Diocese of Charlotte, with various parishes offering devotions, staging pilgrimages and luminaries and some priests crediting her for their vocations. Here are some ways to involved:
Go on pilgrimage to Fatima with Father John Putnam, pastor of St. Mark Church in Huntersville or with Father John Eckert, pastor of Sacred Heart Church in Salisbury. They go virtually every year, and Father Putnam has been to Fatima 30 times. He credits Our Lady of Fatima with giving him confirmation of his call to the priesthood. (Watch more here)
Learn about Alianca de Santa Maria (the Alliance of Mary. Father Eckert is the spiritual director of this religious congregation and often visits their convent on his pilgrimages to Fatima. The Alliance often returns the favor with members visiting Charlotte. Learn more.
Parishes including St. Vincent de Paul and St. Thomas Aquinas in Charlotte, St. Michael the Archangel in Gastonia, and Sacred Heart in Salisbury welcome parishioners to come every first Saturday for confession, a rosary, Eucharistic Adoration and prayer – the things Our Lady of Fatima requested as reparation for sins. Learn more.
St. Thomas Aquinas Parish in Charlotte holds an Our Lady of Fatima procession and rosary every month on the 13th.
Luminary prayer groups meet monthly across the diocese to discuss the message of Our Lady of Fatima, with two main locations at Sacred Heart in Salisbury and St. Vincent de Paul in Charlotte. Read more.
— Lisa M. Geraci
