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From the foundation of the American National Catholic Church (ANCC), we have recognized a need for theological formation for the women and men wanting to join us in ordained ministry.

St. John the Beloved Seminary was our first attempt at theological education for our seminarians. The model was based on the traditional program found in most Roman Catholic residential seminaries. We soon discovered we would need a different model.

We began to use the Sacred Theological Educational Program (S.T.E.P.) at the University of Notre Dame. The courses were delivered on-line and the program was used by several Roman Catholic dioceses for the training of their deacons.

Our seminarians found the S.T.E.P. experience cost effective and helpful with a broad selection of courses in Catholic theology and in exposing them to others around the country who were studying for ministry. One drawback for ANCC seminarians was the very traditional Roman Catholic theological perspective on women, LGBTQ people, and divorced Catholics.

Several of our seminarians asked the bishop if he could add to the material in the S.T.E.P. courses with a weekly colloquium. The colloquia were so successful that we have built on them and added to them with the development of Catholic doctrinal courses with a Vatican Council-II perspective.

The experiment continued and with the addition of talented clergy, the American National Catholic Theological Institute was born. Our first Rector, The Very Rev. Joseph Harmon, has developed a hybrid theological Institute, utilizing a variety of educational modalities for the delivery of online theological education for those preparing for clerical and lay ministry in the ANCC and other independent jurisdictions of Catholicism.