Is anyone familiar with Holy Cross Theological Seminary?

Discussion in 'Accreditation Discussions (RA, DETC, state approva' started by DrLinda, Feb 16, 2010.

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  1. DrLinda

    DrLinda New Member

    Hello, I am a new member of this forum. Does anyone know about or have an opinion about the validity of the following seminary:

    http://www.oldcatholic.org/holycross.htm

    I recognize that regional accreditation is not an issue with most seminaries and know that this particular institution claims no accreditation affiliation. Thank you.

    Linda
     
  2. major56

    major56 Active Member

    What would have you "recognize" that accreditation “…is not an issue with most seminaries”? :confused:
    Accreditation isn’t claimed because there is no legitimate accreditation to claim!
     
  3. emmzee

    emmzee New Member

    Probably what the OP meant was, as long as a seminary is ATS accredited, also having regional accreditation is good but not entirely necessary, since for say a MDiv or DMin degree ATS is the most important accreditation for a school.

    Re this seminary, given that it holds no accreditation at all, ATS or otherwise, I imagine within the denomination it would have value, but outside of the Old Catholic Church it wouldn't carry much weight.
     
  4. cdhale

    cdhale Member

    Sounds like they are trying to use the "name game" by selecting a name that is close to the Holy Cross that is affiliated with Eastern Orthodox Churches. That makes them even more suspect to me...
     
  5. major56

    major56 Active Member

    I have the same opinion toward this one …
     
  6. CalDog

    CalDog New Member

    The Holy Cross Theological Seminary (HCTS) is affiliated with the Old Catholic Church of America (OCCA), and is apparently based at the OCCA's headquarters in DeForest, Wisconsin. According to Wikipedia, the OCCA is an independent Catholic denomination established in 1926. It is apparently a rather small group, with only a dozen parishes and fewer than 1,000 adherents worldwide.

    Based on a search at archive.org, the HCTS website has been up and running, apparently without much change, since August 2002. The State of Wisconsin has a religious exemption for degree-granting institutions, so it most likely operates on a perfectly legal basis, despite the lack of recognized accreditation.

    If you are seeking Holy Orders in the OCCA, then HCTS may be an ideal choice. If that's not your plan, then a degree from HCTS may have little or no value. An HCTS degree may not be accepted by other denominations (except possibly other independent Catholic groups), and would probably have limited value in the secular world (given the absence of accreditation).

    The name "Linda" suggests that the Original Poster is female. If so, then the OP is completely out of luck, because the HCTS (like Roman Catholic seminaries) does not accept female students. On the contrary, their application requires an answer to the following question:
    They do offer a program for consecrated women as a possible alternative.
     

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