Press to see Academic Curriculum for Year II

Academics for Year I
2009-2010
CALENDAR & LISTING

ACADEMIC CALENDAR - YEAR I

• ADVISOR & PARTICIPANT MEETING
  Choose one of two locations:
  Wednesday, September 23, 2009 from 7:00 pm to 8:30 pm
  St. Xavier University, Chicago
  OR
  Wednesday, September 30, 2009 from 7:00 pm to 8:30 pm
  University of St. Mary of the Lake, Mundelein
• CHURCH HISTORY/ECCLESIOLOGY
  7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
  Week of September 14, 2009 thru Week of November 16, 2009
• INTRO TO CATECHISM & CATHOLIC DOCTRINE
  7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
  Week of November 23, 2009 thru Week of December 14, 2009
  Christmas Break
  Week of January 4, 2010 thru Week of February 1, 2010
• OLD TESTAMENT
  7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
  Week of February 8, 2010 thru Week of May 17, 2010
• No classes week of April 5, 2010 - Easter Week

ACADEMIC LISTING - YEAR I

Ecclesiology/Church History (Fall/Ten 2 hour sessions)

Back to Calendar Year I

In order for people to be effective ministerially in their local community, they need to be aware of the self-understanding of the Church in the modern world and to appreciate the character of her history. This course focuses on the dynamic mission of the Church as it has unfolded over the past two thousand years. Participants examine our Catholic heritage as manifested in the lives of key figures. Then they reflect on the understanding of the Church and its mission as expressed in central documents of Vatican II.

While participants come to appreciate the Church as organic and developing, the approach is more pastoral than exclusively historical. Participants are encouraged to situate the local church and their own ministry in the context of the church universal.

Text:  Anthony E. Gilles, People of God: The History of Catholic Christianity,
          St. Anthony Messenger Press

Introduction to the Catechism and Catholic Doctrine(Fall/Nine 2 hour sessions)

Back to Calendar Year I

The Catechism of the Catholic Church is a foundational document and important resource for all people in ministry. This introductory class will take the participants through the “four pillars” that provide the structure of the Catechism, giving them familiarity and the ability to utilize the Catechism personally and in ministerial situations. Another goal of this course is to lay the foundation for the rest of the Called & Gifted program by helping the participants understand the relationship of Scripture and Tradition along with an appreciation of the teaching authority of the Church. Lastly, the class will familiarize the students with basic theological and ecclesial vocabulary in addition to giving them a basic overview of the following elements of Catholic teaching.

Texts:  Catechism of the Catholic Church; A Concise Dictionary of Theology;
            The Catholic Way

Old Testament (Spring/Fourteen 2 hour sessions)

Back to Calendar Year I

Those who minister in the Catholic Church need to situate their faith and service within the tradition of God’s chosen people. For this reason, the program provides comprehensive study of the Scriptures with an introductory survey course. The three major divisions of the course are:

Topics covered within this course are:

Each section is approached from historical, theological, & literary perspectives. Biblical foundations of social justice are also covered. In addition to grasping the basic material, the participants learn to:

Text:  The Catholic Bible: Personal Study Edition, New York, N.Y., Oxford University
           Press, 1995
 

Tentative Academics for Year II
2009-2010
CALENDAR & LISTING
Back to Top

ACADEMIC CALENDAR - YEAR II

• SUMMER READING - Due: September 15, 2009
• MINISTRY VISIT - Due: February 15, 2010
• NEW TESTAMENT
  7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
  Week of September 15, 2009 thru Week of December 15, 2009
• SACRAMENTAL THEOLOGY
  7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
  Week of January 4, 2010 thru Week of February 22, 2010
• CHRISTOLOGY
  7:00 pm - 9:30 pm
  Week of March 1, 2010 thru Week of March 29, 2010
• No classes week of April 5, 2010 - Easter Week
• CATHOLIC IDENTITY IN A PLURALISTIC SOCIETY
  7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
  Week of April 12, 2010 thru Week of May 10, 2010
• CONVOCATION
  May 8, 2010 at 3:00 pm - USML AUDITORIUM
• LITURGY OF THANKSGIVING
  May 23, 2010 at 3:00 pm - Place to be advised

ACADEMIC LISTING - YEAR II

New Testament (Fall/Fourteen 2 hour sessions)

Back to Calendar Year II

A person’s call to ministry comes through membership in the community of the disciples of Jesus. Familiarity with the record of the earliest disciples’ experience of Jesus and of their efforts to follow him is the goal of the study of the New Testament. The three major division of the course are:

This course begins with introducing participants to the world of the New Testament and how the gospels were written. Each gospel’s specific setting, structure, and theological themes are explored. Parables, miracles and the passion and resurrection narratives are covered. Bridging from Luke into Acts, the rest of the course covers the early Christian community, Paul and his purpose in writing. Paul’s literary style and several Letters are explored.

Recurring questions are “Who is Jesus?” and “What difference does it make?”. As with the Old Testament, participants are encouraged to move from a literal perspective to a critical interpretation of Scripture. Reflection papers and small group discussions are designed to promote the integration of course content with one’s faith life, to increase the ability to articulate one’s faith, to attend to pastoral implications, and to grasp the social dimension of the gospel.

Text:  The Catholic Bible: Personal Study Edition, New York, N.Y: Oxford University
           Press, 1995

Sacramental Theology (Winter/ Eight 2 hour sessions)

Back to Calendar Year II

Regardless of one’s specific area of ministry, every minister in the Catholic community must be conversant with the sacramental life of the church and aware of the elements of communal prayer and worship. This course is designedly pastoral and ministerial in its approach, providing a background for authentic planning, preparation, and celebration of parish sacramental life.

Participants come to appreciate the sacramentality of life, to understand the church as a Eucharistic community, and view the other sacraments in this context. Participants study principles of and acquire practice in leading communal prayer.

Text:   Joseph Martos, Doors to the Sacred, Liguori, MO
           Liguori Publications 1981, 1982, 1991, 2001,  
           Gen. Ed. Vatican II Documents: Study Edition.
           Collegeville, MN Liturgical Press.

Christology (Spring/Five 2½ hour sessions)

Back to Calendar Year II

No one can minister in the name of Jesus without being able to answer Jesus’ own question, “Who do you say I am?”. Each generation finds its own words and images with which to articulate the church’s answer to that question.

New insights and movements shed light on previous understandings. This course will investigate the search for the historical Jesus; the humanity and development of Jesus; the Church’s articulation of its understanding of Jesus through church councils and magisterial teaching; the Jesus of History vs. Jesus of faith; the insights of contemporary Christology’s (liberation, feminist); and living the paschal mystery in one’s own life.

Text:  True God True Man, Loyola Press

Catholic Identity in a Pluralistic Society (Spring/Five 2 hour Sessions) “What does it mean to be Catholic?”  What gives us a distinctively Catholic world view?  In a world in which we daily encounter members of other Christian denominations and of other faiths, how do we understand the difference being Catholic makes? These questions interest many people, both within and outside the Church.  Non-Catholic Christians and those of other faiths often wonder about the particulars of the Catholic faith and where these particulars find their grounding.  Sometimes, those outside the church have a better understanding than some Catholics themselves of what being Catholic is supposed to mean.  This course names and clarifies the “particulars” of the Catholic faith, using the particulars (like Marian devotion, Saints, Mystical Body, Eucharist, Reconciliation, Good and Evil, Suffering, Community and Sexual Morality.) to get at the larger theological foundation, i.e., the faith claims that characterize Catholicism and distinguish it from other forms of Christianity.  The class will challenge students to claim an authentic Catholic identity and to live their Catholic faith with conviction and charity within a pluralistic world.  Among other questions, we will engage the following: ·         What insights, convictions, and practices make us Catholic? ·         How do we better live a specifically Catholic discipleship in the world? ·         What must we cherish & hold close in order to retain our Catholic identity?   ·         To what must we surrender and what can we never compromise?                                           Texts:                                                                                                    Edward Wm. Clark, Five Great Catholic Ideas, New York, Crossroad Publishing Company, 1998 George Weigel, The Truth of Catholicism; New York, HarperCollins, 2001.

Back to Calendar Year II