Graduate program aims to reverse decline seen in Catholic art, literature Apr 6, 2021 catholic news service Joshua Hren, a fiction writer and publisher of Wiseblood Books, is seen in this undated photo. He is the co-founder of a new online master's degree program in writing Catholic fiction and poetry at the University of St. Thomas in Houston. (Credit: CNS photo/Courtesy Mike Mastromatteo.) The creation of a new master's of fine arts degree program in creative writing at the University of St. Thomas in Houston marks a breakthrough in a resurgence of Catholic literary arts, said its founders. The creation of a new master’s of fine arts degree program in creative writing at the University of St. Thomas in Houston marks a breakthrough in a resurgence of Catholic literary arts, said its founders.