Msgr. Monforton named rector of
Sacred Heart Major Seminary
Kristin Lukowski of The Michigan Catholic
Published August 25, 2006
Shelby Twp. – Msgr. Jeffrey Monforton, whose appointment to rector/president of Sacred Heart Major Seminary took effect Thursday, was still very much involved with his recent parish's activities last week.
He'd had a meeting with his parish staff and taken some time to visit the seminary before a wedding. He had another wedding scheduled for Saturday and a funeral Monday, he'd been calling other couples to assure them their weddings were still on, and he hadn't even started packing up his office.
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Photo by Kristin Lukowski | The Michigan Catholic
Msgr. Jeffrey Monforton standsbefore a statue of St. Therese of Lisieux, his most recent parish's patron saint. | Msgr. Monforton said he would miss the families at his parish and being a part of their lives, from baptisms to funeral rites. "My role as pastor at St. Therese of Lisieux was defined by the phrase 'to be involved,' and I will keep that so-called mantra as the rector/president of Sacred Heart Major Seminary," he said.
Msgr. Monforton succeeds Fr. Steven Boguslawski, OP, who was named earlier this month as acting director of the Pope John Paul II Cultural Center in Washington, D.C.
Before his time at St. Therese of Lisieux, Msgr. Monforton had been assistant pastor at National Shrine of the Little Flower, Royal Oak, where he also taught religion at the high school, and was weekend assistant at St. Paul of the Lake Parish, Grosse Pointe Farms, and St. Jane Frances de Chantal Parish, Sterling Heights. He served for seven years as the Cardinal Adam Maida's secretary.
Msgr. Monforton learned from Cardinal Maida about how a pastoral approach makes a good shepherd and a strong leader. He also learned about the cardinal's deep spirituality, and his love for the Lord.
"He has provided witness to me of how the Lord Jesus Christ works in his life and, as a result, is evident in the lives of others," he said.
Msgr. Monforton remembers that when his father was dying several years ago, Cardinal Maida took the time to go to his parents' home and celebrate Mass at the dinner table for his father, who couldn't leave the house. He said he wants to make that kind of pastoral approach evident as he serves as rector.
 Msgr. Jeffrey Monforton
Age: 43
Born: in Detroit to Marc and VirginiaMonforton, grew up in Westland
Studied: Sacred Heart Major Seminary and Pontifical Gregorian University, Rome
Degrees: bachelor's degree in Philosophy from Sacred Heart and a bachelor's, licentiate and doctorate in sacred theology from Pontifical Gregorian University
Ordained: 1994
Most recent assignment: St. Therese of Lisieux, Shelby Township, 2,700 families | In a letter to Detroit priests, Cardinal Maida praised Msgr. Monforton's various attributes. "Msgr. Monforton brings an outstanding combination of pastoral experience, academic excellence, and administrative skill to his new role as rector," Maida said. "From my personal experience, I can attest to the outstanding character, prayerfulness and fidelity of Msgr. Monforton. He has been among my most trusted advisors over the years."
Msgr. Monforton said although Cardinal Maida would have consulted many people before deciding who was to lead the seminary, during those seven years "the cardinal would have witnessed first-hand my approach to the ordained ministry, as well as my administrative, pastoral, spiritual, academic and social attributes," although he didn't expect the cardinal to be taking notes, he joked.
He also assured that the cardinal's love for the Pittsburgh Steelers was never in conflict with his love for the University of Michigan Wolverines. "The only regret I have is that the cardinal recognized I am a lost cause on the golf course," he joked.
Msgr. Monforton said the nomination took him by surprise, and he still needs to cancel and postpone a number of meetings and put all the upcoming Sacred Heart events into his schedule. "I still need to take considerable time with the Lord in prayer," he said.
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Photo by Kristin Lukowski | The Michigan Catholic
Msgr. Jeffrey Monforton has moved from pastor of St. Therese of Lisieux Parish to become the rector/president of Sacred Heart Major Seminary. | Msgr. Monforton said the different parts of Sacred Heart's responsibility include more than the principal focus of training seminarians, but also day-to-day responsibilities, and the various activities that are held there. He said he's grateful for the seminary's firm foundation set by his predecessors and the founder Cardinal Edmund Szoka.
He said he wanted to continue the seminary's outreach through the Midwest and the world, as well as the high academic level.
Msgr. Monforton said his experience as a professor, teaching theology since 2002, as well as a formation mentor, helped him get an appreciation of the inner workings of the seminary. But, "I leave the juridical courses to the professionals," he joked.
Msgr. Monforton gave credit to former St. Therese of Lisieux pastor Fr. Thomas Sutherland for his support, and to his parents, the first teachers of his faith. "My parents most certainly helped craft my faith in a loving God who has invited me to be involved in such a privileged way in His Church," he said.
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