St. Bernard’s new faculty members bring passion for teaching, love of Church

St. Bernard’s School of Theology and Ministry recently welcomed two additional faculty members onto its Albany campus, and they couldn’t be more compatible. 

In their new positions, Dr. Anthony Coleman is both an assistant professor of historical theology and director of the Albany campus, alongside Dr. Marco Stango, assistant professor of philosophy and campus manager.

“Combo-positions,” such as working simultaneously as professor and administrator, Coleman explained, are part of what makes St. Bernard’s faculty unique.

“That’s really part of the entrepreneurial spirit of St. Bernard’s — everyone still teaches. The current president (Dr. Stephen Loughlin) came from academics (and) even the president still teaches a class. He, like Marco, is a philosopher. The dean (Dr. Matthew Kuhner), like me, he’s from theology, he still teaches a class,” Coleman said, “We don’t have jobs where administrators are in ivory towers moving chess pieces. Everybody still has a foot in the classroom.”

Both Stango and Coleman agree they couldn’t do their job of managing the campus without the other’s help. When Stango isn’t teaching philosophy and assisting Coleman, his responsibilities include working with adjuncts, helping with the pre-seminary program and assisting students on the Albany campus.

“These are not things I do alone, again we try to coordinate and work together, both Anthony and I and (administrative assistant) Caterina (Lucke), who’s also part of the team here in Albany. And, of course, our job, Caterina and I, is to help Anthony in his duties,” Stango said. “So we help each other. We work very much as a team and this has been very clear since we started, which is not something we take for granted, that there’s unity among us.”

“We’ve only known each other since the end of September. It was such a blessing we were hired together,” Coleman added. “A, because I can’t see one person doing what we have responsibilities for. And B, as Marco stated, it was no guarantee that we were going to get along and we all do. It’s wonderful.”

Although St. Bernard’s main campus is located in Rochester, an extended campus thrives in Albany, located within the Pastoral Center.
While the Pastoral Center remains closed to all with the exception of diocesan employees, in-person classes have continued at the St. Isaac Jogues House of Formation. Ample space allows residents of the house to participate in-person while other Albany students follow along via Google Zoom.
Using technology to connect with students in the classroom is hardly a new concept for the school. Before it became a safety precaution, students had the option to participate via Zoom, in-person, or a hybrid of the two when participating in courses. While many universities saw enrollment go down when COVID hit, St. Bernard’s numbers slightly went up.

“One of the things that resonated with me when taking this job was the educational model they had; they prioritized in-person instruction, but if your needs meant you need a hybrid class, we can build a hybrid class,” Coleman said.

Coleman credits his past online teaching experience in helping in the smooth transition. Before getting his position at St. Bernard’s, he spent a year as the assistant director of an online theology program at Saint Joseph’s College in Maine. Stango’s experience teaching hybrid classes at DeSales University in Pennsylvania, such as operating Zoom and recording lectures, lent him the vital skills needed to teach remotely at St. Bernard’s.

Above all else, Coleman and Stango are excited to combine both their passion for teaching with their love for the Church.

“I’m super excited about the people I’ve met here at St. Bernard’s and about the mission of the school. (And) my job coincides with my love for the Church and my love for philosophy,” Stango said.

“I am in a blessed position where I’ve received this intellectual formation, and I can now share that with others in their desire to become closer to our Lord, and what a blessing and a gift that is,” Coleman said. “But at St. Bernard’s, more specifically, I get to do that and feel part of a team that all feel that way. The president, the dean, the registrar, all our fellow professors — it’s the first time in my experience where I really feel an entire institution is dedicated like that, and it’s really special.”