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St. Mary's Seminary & University

Dr. John M. Macias

Dr. John Macias joined St. Mary’s Seminary in 2022. He earned a B.A. in philosophy from Benedictine College in Atchison, Kansas and a Ph.D. in philosophy from the Center for Thomistic Studies at the University of St. Thomas in Houston, Texas. His dissertation focused on the political work of Alasdair MacIntyre. Dr. Macias has published articles on Thomistic natural law, politics, and education.

Dr. Macias brings experience and enthusiasm for teaching to St. Mary’s. He is deeply committed to the formation of good and holy priests, and he is eager to share the Catholic intellectual tradition with seminarians in their preparation for ministry. The gospel offers answers to the deepest needs of the human heart, and Dr. Macias passionately communicates the relationship of philosophy and faith to modern men and women. He has previously taught at St. Patrick’s Seminary & University, University of Mary, and St. Gregory’s University. Dr. Macias has also served the Church through teaching ethics and natural law within the context of training instructors for Creighton Model fertility care courses, as well as acting as lector during Mass.

Dr. Macias is a native of Wichita, Kansas where his mother and father still live. He has one sister, a nephew, and two nieces. During his free time, Dr. Macias enjoys golfing, musical theater and opera, and attending professional sports.

Selected Courses Taught

  • Philosophical Ethics
  • Epistemology
  • Political Philosophy
  • Metaphysics
  • Philosophy of the Human Person

Service to the Church

  • Teaching Ethical Framework of Creighton Model Fertility Care
  • Lector Ministry
  • Archdiocese of Baltimore Permanent Diaconate Formation Program

Selected Publications

  • “Natural Law, the Common Good, and Economics: A Difficulty for Thomists” in Practical Rationality & Human Difference: Perspectives on and beyond Alasdair MacIntyre, eds. Sante Maletta, Dario Mazzola, and Damiano Simoncelli (Milan: Mimesis International, 2022).
  • “Deliberation and Society: Political Participation in Jacques Maritain and Alasdair MacIntyre,” Lex Naturalis 6 (2021): 24-50.
  • “The Liberal Arts amid Contemporary Social Structures: The Case of Frodo Baggins,” in Leisure and Labor: Essays on the Liberal Arts in Catholic Higher Education, ed. Anthony P. Coleman (Lanham, MD: Lexington, 2020), 91-103.
  • “John Finnis and Alasdair MacIntyre on our Knowledge of the Precepts of Natural Law,” Res Philosophica 93 (2016): 103-23.
  • Book Review. Love and Politics: Persistent Human Desires as a Foundation for Liberation, by Jeffery L. Nicholas. American Catholic Philosophical Quarterly 96 (2022): 511-14.
  • Book Review. Ethics under Capital: MacIntyre, Communication, and the Culture Wars, by Jason Hannan. International Philosophical Quarterly, 61 (2021): 242-44.
  • Book Review. Marxism, Ethics and Politics: The Work of Alasdair MacIntyre, by John Gregson. American Catholic Philosophical Quarterly, 93 (2019): 757-59.

Online Resources

Recommended Reading

  • Alasdair MacIntyre, After Virtue: A Study in Moral Theory (Notre Dame, IN: University of Notre Dame Press, 2007).
  • St. Augustine, Confessions, trans. F. J. Sheed (Indianapolis, IN: Hackett, 2006).
  • E. F. Schumacher, Small is Beautiful: Economics as if People Mattered (New York, NY: Harper Perennial, 1973).
  • Luigi Giussani, At the Origin of the Christian Claim, trans. Viviane Hewitt (Montreal: McGill-Queen’s University Press, 1998).

“The only real sadness, the only real failure, the only great tragedy in life, is not to become a saint.” Leon Bloy

Dcn. Edward J. McCormack has been teaching theology since 1983 and says, “I find that the study of Scripture and Theology—and the opportunity to teach and preach about it—draws me into the meaning and mystery of Christ in ever new ways.” Since 1999, he has served on formation faculties as a theologian and formation advisor. Dcn. McCormack’s Ph.D. was in systematic theology, and he taught in that area for years but gradually moved into Christian Spirituality with an emphasis on Ignatian Spirituality. Having made the Spiritual Exercises twice, he began to offer courses in topics related to Ignatian Spirituality and direct many people in the Exercises. “Teaching Ignatian Spirituality proved to be a powerful way to integrate theology, spiritual experience, insight, and pastoral practice like nothing else,” he believes.

Since 2013, Dcn. McCormack has served as a permanent Deacon for the Archdiocese of Washington with a focus on regular preaching and adult faith formation. Since 2013, he has devoted his professional life to formation advising, publishing the first book on the subject while working with almost 190 seminarians as their formation advisor. During those years, he discovered how foundational human formation was for fruitful priestly ministry. This corresponded to Dcn. McCormack’s longstanding interest in exercise and nutrition for longevity in ministry and life, and to his learning how the Internal Family Systems method of therapy can be adapted for formation advising and spiritual direction. In recent years, he has become interested in the impact our secular age has on the life of the Church, the need to recover a full theology of creation grounded in solid metaphysics, the significance of a robust understanding and living of the Gospel, and the importance good preaching plays in response to the secular age.

Selected Courses Taught

  • Pastoral Theology and Practice in a Secular Age
  • Ignatian Spirituality for Diocesan Priests

Service to the Church

  • Permanent Deacon for the Archdiocese of Washington
  • Serving and preaching at St. John the Baptist Catholic Community, Silver Spring, Maryland
  • Directing people in the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola
  • Leading retreats in the Ignatian Tradition
  • Leading a Saturday morning Walking with the Word Program

Selected Publications

  • A Guide to Formation Advising for Seminary Faculty: Accompaniment, Participation, and Evaluation. The Catholic University Press, 2020
  • A Journey into the Mystery of Christ: The Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola 19th Annotation Manual, publication pending
  • “Shining a Light on the Interior Life of Seminarians,” Integratus: The Journal of Catholic Psychotherapy Association, Vol. 1, No. 4, December 2023
  • “Finding God Actively Relating to Us in Our Secular Age” in Presence: An International Journal of Spiritual Direction 27, No.3, September 2021
  • “Finding God in Our Secular Age: Ignatian Insights” in Pastoral and Homiletic Review, June 2021

Online Resources

Recommended Reading

  • Edwards, Denis. How God Acts: Creation, Redemption, and Special Divine Action. Fortress Press, 2010.
  • Hart, David Bentley. The Experience of God: Being, Consciousness, Bliss. Yale University Press, 2013.
  • Root, Faith Formation in a Secular Age, Baker Academic, 2017.
  • Stanley, Andy and Jones, Communicating for a Change. Multnomah Books, 2006.
  • Wright, N. T. Surprised By Hope: Rethinking Heaven, the Resurrection, and the Mission of the Church, HarperOne, 2008.

Practice seeking the presence of our Lord in everything: their dealing with other people, their walking, seeing, tasting, hearing, understanding, and all our activities. For his Divine Majesty is truly in everything by his presence, power, and essence. [Selected Letters, p. 353] Ignatius of Loyola

Father Hy has been a member of the Society of St. Sulpice since 2000. He received his doctorate in dogmatic theology at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome. After six years of teaching at St. Mary’s Seminary & University in Baltimore and three years at Assumption Seminary in San Antonio, he joined the faculty of Theological College and also taught Foundations of Catholicism at The Catholic University of America.

As a native of Vietnam, Father Hy has contributed significantly to the faith formation and growth of the Vietnamese community living in the U.S. and in Vietnam. He has been Chair of the Theological Committee of the Federation of Vietnamese Catholics in the U.S. since 2006, lectured widely to the Vietnamese community in America, has published numerous writings in several Vietnamese journals in the U.S. and in Vietnam, and regularly conducted retreats and workshops for Vietnamese clergy and laity. He edited, in Vietnamese, the book Marriage and Family (published in spring 2015). He has also lectured regularly at many Catholic gatherings, including the Los Angeles Congress, Mid-Atlantic Congress, and the Faith Formation Conference of the Bay Area. Since 2002, he has been hosting the half-hour live talk-show radio program “Learning Our Catholic Faith,” which is broadcast once a month by more than 40 different stations in the U.S., including in California, Texas, Arizona, Oregon, Washington, and Virginia. It has also aired in Australia. Father Hy served as an interpreter for Vietnamese attending the World Family Conference in Philadelphia in September 2015 and was a speaker at the Convocation of Vietnamese Priests of the U.S. in October 2015.

Ms. Leelamma Sebastian is the Director of Pastoral Formation at St. Mary’s Seminary & University, having joined the faculty in the summer of 2020. Originally from Kerala, India, she has lived most of her life in California and Hawaii, and she has two adult daughters who live and work in the San Francisco Bay area.

Ms. Sebastian holds master’s degrees in Counseling Psychology and Organizational Leadership. Before joining the St. Mary’s faculty, she served as Program Director for the Social Ministry Office in Honolulu, Hawaii; Program Director for the Jesuit Retreat Center of Los Altos, California; Formation Advisor and Associate Director of Pastoral Year at St. Patrick’s Seminary and University, Menlo Park, California; and Marketing Operations Manager for the University Marketing and Communications Department at Santa Clara University, California.

Service to the Church

  • Various diocesan and parish ministries, including lay eucharistic minister, First Communion preparation, and parish Pastoral Council.
  • Retreat ministry: individually directed and group retreats and presentations.
  • Spiritual Direction

Recommended Reading

  • George A. Aschenbrenner, S.J., Stretched for Greater Glory: What to Expect from the Spiritual Exercises.
  • Walter J. Burkhardt, S.J., Long Have I loved You: A Theologian Reflects on His Church.
  • Parker J. Palmer, The Courage to Teach: Exploring the Inner Landscape of a Teacher’s Life.
  • Peter M. Senge, The Fifth Discipline: The Art & Practice of the Learning Organization.
  • Loughlan Sofield, S.T., Sr. Carroll Juliano, S.H.C.J, and Most Rev. Gregory M. Aymond, Facing Forgiveness: A Catholic Guide to Letting Go of Anger and Welcoming Reconciliation.

Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone. 1 Corinthians 12:4–6

Dr. James Starke joined the St. Mary’s faculty in 2021. He is a liturgical scholar with experience in graduate education, academic research, and diocesan ministry. He holds a licentiate in sacred theology from St. Mary’s Seminary & University and a doctorate in Liturgical Studies and Sacramental Theology from The Catholic University of America.

Prior to working at St. Mary’s, he served as Director of the Office of Divine Worship of the Catholic Diocese of Arlington and as an instructor for seminarian courses at CUA. Since 2020 he has served on the national board of the Federation of Diocesan Liturgical Commissions—elected as chair of the board in 2023—and since 2023 he has served as the chair of the Liturgical Commission of the Archdiocese of Baltimore.

Dr. Starke’s professional interests include methodology for liturgical theology, liturgical tradition, liturgy and spirituality, and religion and science. In the classroom he seeks to connect research in these areas with the pastoral and spiritual needs of today, especially as discerned from his experience preparing diocesan and parochial liturgies, ministering as an episcopal master of ceremonies, forming lay and ordained ministers, and serving on diocesan liturgical and arts commissions.

Dr. Starke and his family live in Arlington, VA. They enjoy spending time in nature parks, visiting museums, and playing various sports. Dr. Starke also enjoys reading non-fiction books on science, history, and art.

Selected Courses Taught

  • Introduction to the Liturgy
  • Sacramental Theology and Initiation
  • Methods for Liturgical Studies
  • Contemporary Liturgical Spirituality
  • Liturgical Sources
  • Christology
  • Marian Theology & Spirituality
  • Eschatology

Service to the Church

  • Chair, Liturgical Commission of the Archdiocese of Baltimore
  • Chair of the Board and Representative (Region IV), Federation of Diocesan Liturgical Commissions
  • Formation Leader Baptism Ministry, Lector, Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion, Our Lady Queen of Peace (Diocese of Arlington)

Selected Publications and Presentations

  • “The Loss and Recovery of Symbolic Capacity: Responding to Pope Francis’ Challenge for Liturgical Formation Today.” Conference “Remain in me”: Liturgical Formation and the Eucharistic Revival, Society for Catholic Liturgy, September 21-22, 2023, St. Paul, MN.
  • “Refining the Narrative of Medieval Dedication Rites: A Review of the Sources.” Conference Afterlives of the Gregorian Sacramentary: Latin Mass Books and the Organisation of Liturgical Knowledge (c.850-1200), Universität Regensburg, Institutum Liturgicum Ratisbonense, September 6-8, 2023, Regensburg, Germany.
  • “Teaching Liturgy in Seminary.” Seminary Journal 21, no. 1 (Spring 2023): 34-48.
  • “Celebration of the Paschal Mystery: Theological Foundations.” Webinar Series Eucharist: The Work of Our Redemption, Federation of Diocesan Liturgical Commissions, 23 February 2023.
  • “Liturgy as Mystery: A Proposed Foundation for Liturgical-Theological Formation.” Annual Meeting, North American Academy of Liturgy, 2-4 January 2023, Toronto, Canada.
  • “The History of the Rites of Dedication.” In Solemnly and for All Time: A Pastoral Guide to the Dedication of a Church and an Altar, ed. Federation of Diocesan Liturgical Commissions. Washington, DC: FDLC, 2021.

Recommended Reading

  • At the Heart of Christian Worship: Liturgical Essays of Yves Congar, ed. and trans. Paul Philibert
  • Jean Corbon, The Wellspring of Worship
  • Kevin W. Irwin, Models of the Eucharist

He who said, “This is my body,” and by His word made it so, also said, … “what you did not do for one of these least ones, you did not do for me” (Matt 25:45). Indeed, the former needs a pure soul, not coverings, but the latter requires much attention. St. John Chrysostom, Homily 50 on the Gospel of Matthew