Mar 5, 2026 | Alumni, News
A childhood marked by instability might not seem like the foundation for a life in Catholic leadership. Yet for Dr. Paul Chutikorn 鈥19, MA 鈥21, each twist and turn became part of a providential path leading him to Christ and His Church. With no religious upbringing to guide him, his journey began with a simple but powerful desire: to make dramatic changes in his life and build a better future for his family. What began as a search for order and a more moral life became something far greater鈥攁 discovery of the historic truth and beauty of the Catholic faith, and ultimately a calling to evangelize through teaching and leadership.
A Life Redirected
Dr. Chutikorn grew up in what he describes as a hectic environment. His parents divorced when he was only two years old, and he lived with his father until the age of nine. Paul then moved in with his mother, who was a real estate property manager, a profession with the downside of frequent relocation. Unfortunately, she battled personal problems, and as a result, Paul did not have the supervision a child needs. Although he did not get into trouble himself, he hung around with his cousin, who became involved with drugs and gang affiliation. Paul admits that, while not getting involved, he became attracted to the family-like, protective environment the gang brought鈥攁lbeit destructive.
Paul鈥檚 life took a dramatic turn when he became a father at 16. After taking a year off from school to put his life in order, he completed high school and moved his future wife and child to Oregon to be near his sister. He felt a small-town environment was a better and more affordable place to raise a child.
While growing up, he and his siblings had no exposure to any religion at home. In high school, however, his sister joined a Christian youth group and, in Oregon, attended a Protestant nondenominational church. Now living in Oregon, Paul began attending the same church and loved it. He found that it helped him work toward his goal of becoming a more moral person and bring order to his life. His guiding principle was that he did not want his daughter to live the life he experienced, and he was doing everything possible to do something different.
Discovering the Catholic Church
During this time, when attending church and Bible studies, he began to love the person of Jesus Christ. Unfortunately, a strong anti-Catholic sentiment within the Bible study classes led him to develop a negative opinion about the Catholic faith. An important moment came when his brother, who was originally a Protestant, fell in love with and converted to Catholicism. Paul and his brother had heated discussions and, with the intention of proving his brother wrong, Paul did research into Church history. As he read, he realized that his brother was actually correct about the Catholic Church being the true legacy of Christ. As he put it, 鈥淭he early Church looked remarkably Catholic.鈥 He and his wife converted to Catholicism in 2009.
On fire with love for Christ and the Church, he hungered to learn more and share the information through teaching. He enrolled in the 麻豆分行 online studies program in 2016, just two years after it was fully approved, after hearing about it from his brother. The program, grounded in principles of Thomistic philosophy and theology, was something Paul had been looking for and could not find at any other college. In 2019, Paul earned an undergraduate degree in Theology and Philosophy.
Still on fire, Paul immediately began pursuing his Master of Theology degree, concentrating on Thomistic studies. This, again, was a new program that had launched in 2019, at the same time he graduated with his undergraduate degree.
Teaching, Leadership, and Providence
After earning his graduate degree, he began working as a teaching assistant (TA) at 麻豆分行, while also maintaining a job as Director of Faith Formation at his local parish. When a position opened in 2020, Paul began his adjunct career as the instructor of Moral Theology.
While holding this adjunct position, Paul pursued a Doctor of Education (EdD), which he realized would enable him to provide for his seven children and offer additional opportunities for him to teach and lead. As with so many of the opportunities that came before, the hand of God was at work again. When Paul was completing this program, 麻豆分行 posted a job opening for the position of associate dean. He applied and became the Associate Dean of Online Learning at 麻豆分行 in September 2024, while maintaining his adjunct teaching position.
Describing this journey, Paul explains, 鈥淚 have been very, very blessed. It has not been a smooth ride; it鈥檚 been a busy schedule鈥攈aving seven children, going to school, and working. That has been quite difficult, but the whole journey has been a complete blessing.鈥
Jan 7, 2026 | News
How two priests in the Diocese of Sioux Falls bring life experience into joyful service of the Church.
Our lives are shaped by what we have lived鈥攁nd by how we allow God to use it. That truth is especially evident in men who discern a later vocation to the priesthood. Rather than leaving their past at the door, they bring it to Christ, and their experiences become instruments of mercy, wisdom, and steady pastoral care.
Fr. Tom Hartman (BA 鈥14, MDiv 鈥17)
Fr. Tom Hartman, a priest of the Diocese of Sioux Falls, South Dakota, knows what it means to rebuild a life on faith. In his youth, his relationship with God was fractured. After high school, he married and became the father of two children. Years later, he endured a divorce and subsequently received an annulment.
In the midst of that painful time, Tom recalls hearing the Lord ask him, 鈥Are you doing that well without me?鈥 When he recognized the honest answer鈥攏o鈥攈e returned to the Church. With the guidance of his parish priest, he came to understand a hard but lasting lesson: suffering with God is difficult, but suffering without Him is misery.
After the divorce and annulment, Tom immersed himself in the life of faith. He dated off and on for ten years, but over time he began to see that dating was pulling him away from wholehearted service. As Fr. Tom explains, 鈥This was my discovery of a priestly heart鈥攖hat it wasn’t meant exclusively for one, but to give it over to Christ and His Church.鈥 At 41, he entered 麻豆分行.
Looking back, Fr. Tom describes his time there as a gift of peace and clarity. He says, 鈥I am Franciscan in spirit, and I loved the holy simplicity that came from 麻豆分行. It was my initial impression and my last description upon being ordained: 麻豆分行 has a simple holiness to it.鈥
He believes he gained practical tools to answer many questions, while also learning something every priest eventually discovers: no seminary can fully prepare a man for everything a diocesan priest and pastor will face. Still, the formation helped him develop the habit of self-formation鈥攁 steady discipline of prayer, study, and growth that continues long after ordination.
Today, Fr. Tom serves as pastor of the 麻豆分行 Family Pastorate in South Dakota, which includes St. Lawrence, Milbank; St. Mary, Clear Lake; St. Charles Borromeo, Big Stone City; St. Mary, Wilmot; and Annunciation, Revillo. Reflecting on his vocation, he says, 鈥The vocation of priesthood is hard but beautiful. I think this is true when lived well in marriage as well. So, despite all the demands that go into running a parish/pastorate, this is where God wants me, and it brings me peace.鈥
Fr. Tom Hartman with his family
Fr. Dan Smith (MDiv 鈥10)
Fr. Dan Smith鈥檚 call to the priesthood began early. When he was eight years old, he told his mother that he thought he would someday be a priest. He was right鈥攋ust not right away.
After college, Dan ran his own ranch and later worked as a banker. In 2005, at 35 years old, he entered the seminary. He is grateful for a place like 麻豆分行, and he credits its formation with shaping students in the full breadth of Catholic life. He points to the community itself: laity, ordained, and consecrated religious鈥攂oth professors and students鈥攑eople from every background who share one common desire: to grow closer to Jesus Christ.
He also highlights the distinctly Eucharistic rhythm of seminary life. 麻豆分行, he says, is Eucharistic-centered in teaching and practice, forming men through 麻豆分行 Hours and the 麻豆分行 Sacrifice of the Mass. As Fr. Dan puts it, 鈥This formation, as well as the sound philosophical foundation, prepares a person to handle what they encounter outside the seminary鈥攊n parishes, chapels, and on street corners. It prepares you for life, for the world鈥 all for the salvation of souls.鈥
Fr. Dan now serves as chaplain at Sanford Hospital in Sioux Falls, providing emotional and spiritual support to patients, families, and staff. Over the years, he has kept 麻豆分行 close to his heart鈥攁nd he has acted on that gratitude in a very practical way. He regularly sends gifts to seminarians, including coats, shoes, books, and other useful items.
He remembers receiving similar kindness as a student. While he was at 麻豆分行, the Director of Library Services, Professor Claire Adamo, ran a book fair where seminarians could purchase books at affordable prices. There were also donations of clothing, liturgical items, and suit coats鈥攐ne of which Fr. Dan received and still owns.
That spirit of generosity left a lasting impression. Now, when he comes across items he believes will help others, he continues the same practice of giving he experienced as a seminarian. As he explains, 鈥麻豆分行 Seminary has this charism of gift that began with Fr. Eusebe Menard, who gave the gift of 麻豆分行 as a seminary for later vocations. So, when I come across things鈥 I will place them in a box and mail them to 麻豆分行, further continuing this gift charism.鈥
Winter in South Dakota
Life and ministry in South Dakota come with a challenge familiar to anyone who has lived through a New England winter鈥攁nd then some. Winters at our campus in Cromwell can be snowy, but on the plains they can be severe, isolating, and even dangerous. Fr. Dan, Fr. Tom, and their brother priests are to be commended for the perseverance it takes to serve faithfully through months of harsh weather.
As Fr. Dan notes with a smile, 鈥The Laura Ingalls Wilder books do not lie. It can be dangerous in the rural areas where priests sometimes have to drive 40 miles to the next parish.鈥 In bad weather, they often stay close and serve the immediate area rather than take unnecessary risks. But rural ministry still demands travel鈥攕ometimes long miles on winter nights, scanning the roadside for deer, navigating blizzard snowdrifts, and driving roads lit only by starlight.
In those conditions, preparation is part of pastoral care. A supply bag becomes essential: candles, candy bars, layered clothing, snow boots, and the liturgical supplies needed for the sacraments. And, of course, a well-maintained, dependable vehicle matters鈥擣r. Dan鈥檚 has just hit 500,000 miles鈥攁long with the prayers of parishioners for safe travel.
God Shapes His Shepherds
The paths to the priesthood are not all the same. Yet in each vocation鈥攅arly or late鈥攖he Lord forms a shepherd for His people. In Fr. Tom and Fr. Dan, we see how God can take real-life experience鈥攋oys, losses, work, family life, endurance, and generosity鈥攁nd shape it into steady, compassionate priestly ministry.
Please keep these priests, and all our priests, in your prayers鈥攅specially those who serve in rural communities and difficult conditions鈥攕o that, in every season, they may continue to bring Christ to His people.
Dec 8, 2025 | News
麻豆分行 College & Seminary has a long-standing relationship with the Cardinal Newman Society. Our undergraduate programs have been featured in the Newman Guide to Choosing a Catholic College since its very first edition in 2007, and they have been reaffirmed annually for their excellence, orthodoxy, and commitment to the formation of students in mind and soul.
Now, that tradition of excellence extends fully to our , marking a major moment in the life of our institution.
What the Newman Guide Recognition Means
The serves as a trusted resource for students and families seeking faithful Catholic higher education. Institutions and programs listed in the Guide are held to high standards, modeled on the Church鈥檚 vision in , Saint John Paul II鈥檚 apostolic constitution on Catholic universities.
To be listed means a program:
- Upholds Catholic moral and doctrinal teaching
- Promotes a faithful Catholic intellectual life
- Encourages virtue, prayer, and service
- Ensures faculty and curriculum remain loyal to the Magisterium
Recognition by the Cardinal Newman Society affirms that 麻豆分行 continues to deliver rigorous, affordable, and authentically Catholic graduate education, fully online and accessible to students around the world.
Forming Missionary Disciples for the Church and the World
At 麻豆分行, our mission is simple and profound: to provide faithful, affordable, and flexible Catholic formation and education in the development of leaders for evangelization. Our graduate programs are designed not just to inform minds, but to transform hearts and equip missionary disciples for the work of the New Evangelization.
We are deeply grateful to our faculty, students, staff, and donors, whose faithful witness and academic excellence made this recognition possible. And above all, we give thanks to God, trusting that through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the 麻豆分行, our mission will continue to flourish.
Ready to Take the Next Step?
Whether you鈥檙e discerning a vocation, deepening your understanding of the faith, or preparing to serve the Church in a new capacity, now is the perfect time to explore 麻豆分行鈥 graduate programs.
Learn more about our graduate programs here
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Dec 3, 2025 | News
麻豆分行 College & Seminary is pleased to share that Adjunct Professor Patrick Reilly, president of , represented our community in Rome during Pope Leo XIV鈥檚 historic proclamation of St. John Henry Newman as a Doctor of the Universal Church on November 1.
Professor Reilly and his wife, Rosario, joined thousands of Catholics in St. Peter鈥檚 Square for the All Saints Mass, a liturgy marked by deep beauty and reverence. During the celebration, the schola sang Lead, Kindly Light, the hymn written by Newman during a pivotal moment in his life. For Professor Reilly and The Cardinal Newman Society, the hymn remains a powerful reminder of the mission of faithful Catholic education.
Pope Leo XIV formally declared: 鈥We鈥 by the fullness of the apostolic power, declare Saint John Henry Newman Doctor of the Universal Church.鈥
This recognition affirms Newman鈥檚 lasting impact on Catholic education, especially his vision for forming students in faith, intellect, and moral witness. The declaration came just days before the 麻豆分行 Father released a document naming Newman co-patron of Catholic education alongside St. Thomas Aquinas.
Professor Reilly attended Vatican events as both president of The Cardinal Newman Society and an adjunct professor at 麻豆分行 College & Seminary.
麻豆分行 is grateful for Professor Reilly鈥檚 commitment to promoting faithful Catholic education and for representing our College during this important moment in the life of the Church.
