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Saint Vincent College Faculty Blog

Michael Krom

Recent Posts

Is Fasting A Thing of the Past?

Posted by Michael Krom on Mon, Feb 23, 2015 @ 09:02 AM

We are now on our Lenten journey, and already I have encountered the claim that fasting is a thing of the past, that the point of Lent is to help the poor, serve our neighbor, etc. This comment came from an interesting source: John Harbaugh, the head coach of the Baltimore Ravens, came to a press conference on Ash Wednesday with ashes on his forehead

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Topics: Michael Krom, fasting, lent

Epiphany Party

Posted by Michael Krom on Thu, Jan 15, 2015 @ 15:01 PM

Over the weekend, past participants from the Faith and Reason Summer Program gathered for our annual Epiphany Party. My apologies for not taking photos! Here is the link to last year's party with some photos - you get the idea! After dinner, we dug into the traditional King Cake, and our king and queen had as their first task directing the choir in singing "The Twelve Days of Christmas." Our evening concluded with discussion and a movie.

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Topics: faith and reason, Michael Krom, epiphany

Should we be like Doubting Thomas?

Posted by Michael Krom on Thu, May 1, 2014 @ 11:05 AM
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Topics: summer program, faith and reason; Doubting Thomas

On St. Benedict and Bees

Posted by Michael Krom on Tue, Mar 25, 2014 @ 11:03 AM

Today is the feast of St. Benedict according to the old Roman calendar, and the monastery and broader community is preparing for a celebratory mass and meal. In light of this, I thought I'd offer a reflection on an interesting connection I came across: St. Benedict and bees. I also hasten to mention that the Faith and Reason summer program is guided by Benedictine spirituality, and that we discuss how The Rule of St. Benedict can be incorporated into our daily lives.

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Topics: faith and reason, Michael Krom, summer program, Benedict

On Breaks and Vacations

Posted by Michael Krom on Fri, Feb 28, 2014 @ 11:02 AM

Saint Vincent College is headed toward spring break as this day comes to a close. While the weather here hardly makes one think of spring (the meteorologists are predicting a powerful snowstorm in the coming days), our minds turn toward trips, time with family and old friends, relaxation, and the like.

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Topics: Michael Krom, Spring Break

Faith and Reason Epiphany Party

Posted by Michael Krom on Mon, Jan 13, 2014 @ 09:01 AM

This past Saturday we celebrated the Faith and Reason program's annual Epiphany Party.  We began with evening prayer with the monks, and then had a very festive meal together.

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Topics: faith and reason, Michael Krom, Christmas, epiphany

Application Deadline this Friday!

Posted by Michael Krom on Wed, May 22, 2013 @ 10:05 AM

This is just a quick note to remind you that the last day to register for the St. Vincent College Faith and Reason Summer Program is this Friday, May 24th.  We have a great group so far and space for a few more.

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Topics: faith and reason, Michael Krom, summer program, registration

College Credit for our Summer Program

Posted by Michael Krom on Tue, Apr 16, 2013 @ 14:04 PM

I am pleased to announce a new addition to the Faith and Reason Summer Program:  students will have an opportunity to earn college credit. I am excited about this chance to work with the students on a small step toward college graduation.

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Topics: faith and reason, Michael Krom, summer program

Films in our Catholic College Summer Program

Posted by Michael Krom on Fri, Mar 29, 2013 @ 12:03 PM

A few weeks back, a parent of a prospective student asked me about the movie we watch as part of the program:  Is this entertainment, or part of the educational content?

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Topics: faith and reason, Michael Krom, summer program, The Truman Show, Catholic Art, Plato

Fasting Empties Us So That We May Be Filled More Abundantly

Posted by Michael Krom on Sat, Feb 23, 2013 @ 16:02 PM

During Lent the Church asks us to perform penitential practices for 40 days so that we can fully embrace the joys of Easter.  At the very least, we are asked to abstain from meat on Fridays and on Ash Wednesday, as well as to fast on two separate occasions (Ash Wednesday and Good Friday).

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Topics: faith and reason, Michael Krom, fasting, abstinence, lent

About the Authors

Michelle Gil-Montero is an associate professor of English and director of creative writing at Saint Vincent College. She runs the visiting writers series on campus, oversees the student literary magazine, and serves as guru to aspiring poets on campus. She received her MFA from the University of Iowa Writers’ Workshop in 2007, and she has been on the Saint Vincent faculty since that year. She is an active poet and literary translator from Spanish. She is spending part of the 2016-17 school year travelling to Argentina on a Howard Foundation fellowship and Fulbright grant. 

Dr. John J. Smetanka has been a member of the full-time faculty since 1997 and currently serves as the Vice President for Academic Affairs and Academic Dean of Saint Vincent College, a position he has held since January 2008. Dr. Smetanka has taught courses in Physics, Astronomy, Chemistry and Geology as well as interdisciplinary seminars. He has published scientific research articles in physics and astrophysics journals, numerous conference proceedings and also works in science education reform and the interaction between science, technology and theology.

Jim Kellam is an associate professor of biology at Saint Vincent College and our resident ornithologist. He received his Ph.D. from Purdue University in 2003, and is taking this semester as a sabbatical. What does that mean? He'll explain in his blog posts.

Dr. Michael J. Urick is Graduate Director of the Master of Science in Management: Operational Excellence program, and Associate Professor of Management and Operational Excellence at the Alex G. McKenna School of Business, Economics, and Government. Dr. Urick teaches courses related to organizational behavior, human resources, culture, leadership, diversity, conflict, supply chain, operations and research methods. Professionally, Urick serves on the board of the Institute for Supply Management (Pittsburgh) and belongs to the Society for Human Resource Management and APICS. For fun, Urick enjoys music and, since 1998, has led and performed with Neon Swing X-perience, a jazz band that has released multiple albums and toured portions of the US. He enjoys watching movies, is an avid reader of fantasy and science fiction, and also likes to fence.

David Safin, C'00, has been a lecturer in the communication department since the Fall of 2003, and has served in a variety of administrative roles since the summer of 2004. Currently, he teaches multimedia in the communication department as an assistant professor. 

Dr. Michael Krom received his Doctorate in philosophy at Emory University in 2007 and is currently the chair of the philosophy department at Saint Vincent. He has authored a book on religion and politics and continues to publish works in Catholic moral and political thought. Dr. Krom also directs the Faith and Reason summer program every summer. 

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