S.T.D. candidate comes home from Rome.

I was reviewing a national news magazine two days ago, and behold, there was an ad entitled, "Wyoming Catholic College." That made me pause. Wyoming?

With a population of a little over 500,000 people, here is Wyoming with a Catholic institution of higher learning! Wonderful.

Yet, what was it like? I had to check out the website at www.wyomingcatholiccollege.com.

The college was commenced within the last two years, and the Bishop of Cheyenne, Wyoming is the chairman of the Board. Additionally, it uses the Great Books curriculum. It is the college's policy that that every effort will be made to get a student into the school despite the student's and his or her family's financial resources. Excellent.

A true Catholic education.

Could that happen in Idaho, with a population of nearly 1.5 million? You bet. The top boys at the Diocese obviously have to support it, but it could be done. In addition, we need to believe and think above the mediocre. It can be done!

After reviewing the curriculum and student life section, I checked the teaching staff. Another behold! Guess who is on the staff of the College effective July 1, 2007? Dr. John Mortensen, a candidate in a degree of sacred theology. He grew up in Boise. He is the son of Bob & Connie Mortenson, dear folk whose family attends Holy Apostles Catholic Church in Meridian, Idaho.

Congratulations John, to you and your wife and children, may peace & faith follow you all the years of your life. Welcome to your new home. Here is John's curriculum vitae (to date).

John R. Mortensen, Assistant Professor of Philosophy, Vice President for Administration

B.A. (Liberal Arts), Thomas Aquinas College, Santa Paula, California; S.T.M. and S.T.L., International Theological Institute, Gaming, Austria; Ph.L. and Ph.D., Pontificia Università della Santa Croce, Rome; S.T.D. candidate, Universität Freiburg, Switzerland

Dr. John Mortensen grew up in Boise, Idaho, before attending Thomas Aquinas College in California. He spent the next ten years in Europe where he studied theology and philosophy in Austria, Oxford, and Rome. Since 2002 he has been an Assistant Professor at the International Theological Institute, an institute of papal right in Gaming, Austria, teaching courses in logic, natural philosophy, metaphysics, fundamental theology, and Trinitarian theology. During these years he also held the positions of Director of Finance and subsequently Vice President for Administration. He completed a doctorate in philosophy at the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross in Rome, and is currently working on his doctoral dissertation in theology. He specializes in the work of Aristotle and Aquinas, but his interests also include spiritual theology, music theory, Catholic literature, and computer programming. Dr. Mortensen will join WCC's faculty in July 2007.