Monsignor Swetland Named Endowed Chair for Christian Ethics

Mount’s Monsignor Swetland Named Endowed Chair for Christian Ethics

EMMITSBURG, MD - Mount St. Mary’s University announces the appointment of Reverend Monsignor Stuart Swetland to the Archbishop Harry J. Flynn Endowed Chair for Christian Ethics.  

The chair is responsible for investigating moral truth both in the light of human reason and the light of the Catholic faith.  

Presently, Msgr. Swetland leads the President’s Council for Catholic Identity that promotes on-going discussions about implementing faith in everyday life across campus. With the help of this council, Monsignor also created a series of one-day retreats for administration and staff based on interpretation of the Mount’s four pillars:  Faith, Discovery, Leadership and Community.

“Msgr. Swetland’s work, creating discussion on our Catholic Identity, has had tremendous success,” says Mount President Thomas H. Powell. “He has opened the door for on-going dialogue and he is one of our brightest and most valuable resources; students are lucky to have him as a teacher and we’re lucky that he is a member of our community.”

The Chair position, previously held by Dr. Germain Grisez, also is responsible for explaining and defending the faith with fidelity to the magisterium of the Catholic Church.  According to Dr. Grisez, who continues his work here at the Mount, "Monsignor Stuart Swetland has already proved to be an excellent teacher of both seminarians and collegians, and is ready to undertake serious scholarly work of his own. So, I am delighted by his appointment and confident he will do outstanding work during the coming years."

A graduate of the United States Naval Academy and an Oxford University Rhodes Scholar, Msgr. Swetland was selected as Co-Chair of the Veterans Memorial Walkway project on the Mount St. Mary’s University campus due to be completed by Fall of 2009.  He is also a well regarded commentator for EWTN’s coverage of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops and hosts its series Catholicsm on Campus. 

Msgr. Swetland is a highly regarded and regular contributor to Catholic and secular media outlets in radio, TV, magazines and newspapers