Archbishop Cupich announced Aug. 28 the appointment of Father John Francis Kartje as the rector/president of the University of St. Mary of the Lake/Mundelein Seminary, effective immediately. The archbishop made the announcement at the conclusion of the Mass of the Holy Spirit which celebrated the beginning of the academic year. Kartje succeeds Bishop- elect Robert Barron, who was appointed an auxiliary bishop of the Los Angeles Archdiocese by Pope Francis on July 21. “Father Kartje is a well-respected priest in the Archdiocese of Chicago, with a keen mind, pastoral heart and mature personal spirituality,” Archbishop Cupich said. “These qualities will serve him well as he takes on this new office. I am confident he will build on the already well-established tradition that has distinguished Mundelein Seminary both nationally and internationally.” Kartje has served at the seminary since 2009 as the acting president of the Pontifical Faculty of Theology, assistant professor in the Department of Biblical Studies, seminarian spiritual director and team member of the formation faculty. He has also served since 2009 as a summer program faculty member of the Institute for Priestly Formation in Omaha, Nebraska, and was director and chaplain of the Sheil Catholic Student Center at Northwestern University from 2009 to 2013. While he completed doctoral studies in Scripture at the Catholic University of America from 2004 to 2009 he served at St. Thomas the Apostle Parish in Washington, D.C. After his ordination he served as associate pastor at St. Benedict Parish, 2215 W. Irving Park Road, from 2002 to 2004. “Father Kartje represents the spirit of St. Mary of the Lake Seminary,” said William H. McEssy, chairman of the Mundelein Seminary Board of Advisors. “His intellectual and academic prowess are matched by his exceptional commitment to the formation of our seminarians in the compassionate pastoral tradition that has characterized our archdiocese and been a gift to the global church.” A native of East Chicago, Indiana, Kartje is a graduate of Bishop Noll Institute in Hammond. He earned bachelor’s degrees in mathematics and physics in 1987 from the University of Chicago. He received a doctorate from the University of Chicago’s Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics in 1995. The title of his doctoral dissertation is“Models of the Optical/Ultraviolet Continuum Polarization in Active Galactic Nuclei: Implications for Unification Schemes.” Kartje was ordained in the Archdiocese of Chicago and received a bachelor’s degree in sacred theology degree from the University of St. Mary of the Lake in 2002. He earned a doctorate in sacred theology from the Catholic University of America’s Department of Biblical Studies in 2010. The title of his dissertation is “Wisdom Epistemology in the Psalter: A Study of Psalms 1, 73, 90, and 107.” “I am humbled by the honor of serving our archdiocese and the church as rector/president of St. Mary of the Lake University/Mundelein Seminary,” Kartje said. “This is a place where I found peace and support as I fulfilled my vocation and I look forward to helping form men for the priesthood and teaching others about the faith through our many programs.” “I have known Father Kartje as a colleague and brother priest for many years,” said Bishop-elect Barron. “His ability to reach and inspire the minds and hearts of seminarians is extraordinary and I look forward to watching as his leadership moves our alma mater to even greater achievement heights in faith and scholarship.” The University of St. Mary of the Lake/Mundelein Seminary is the major seminary of the Archdiocese of Chicago with a national and international reach. A graduate school of theology, it has an enrollment of 337 degree students, including 225 seminarians preparing for service as diocesan priests in 39 dioceses. Additionally, its institutes of diaconal studies and lay formation and the Instituto de Liderazgo Pastoral prepare more than 300 women and men for roles of service in the church. The University of St. Mary of the Lake/Mundelein Seminary’s ongoing formation program offered courses to 1,980 participants last year.