This course provides an introduction to the methods and content of systematic theology, particularly as they play out in three key sub-fields of this discipline: Creation, Revelation, and Eschatology. The class is intended to orient those who are newer to theological study and to help guide students in on-going reflection on major questions in the world of systematics. The semester will begin with an examination of the question "What is theology?" as well as a exploration of theological methods. The subsequent weekends will consider the topics of creation, revelation and eschatology employing a variety of methodological tools.

Understandings of the person, presence and mission of Christ in scripture, in doctrine and dogma, and in contemporary theology.

This course explores the emergence and development of the doctrine of the Trinity. The doctrine of the Trinity represents the Christian way of naming the mystery of God, how this mystery is shared in history, and the pastoral/practical consequences that follow as a result of this sharing. The course surveys the biblical, philosophical, sociological, and theological landscape that has contributed to this doctrine from early Christianity to contemporary times.

This course examines the nature and structure of the Roman Catholic Church from its apostolic origins to the present. Various models used in understanding the Church will be studied (e.g. the Church as communion, the Church as sacrament, etc.) The local and universal nature of the Church, and issues related to magisterium, authority, evangelization, ministry, and missiology will be discussed.

This course undertakes a Christian exploration to the question: What does it mean to be human? As a theological discipline, Christian theological anthropology draws from a wide range of sources. These sources include the doctrine of creation, the doctrine of sin and grace, the doctrine of the Trinity, Christology, ecclesiology, and eschatology. This course examines these sources and underscores the historical evolution of Christian theological anthropology.

Students study the biblical foundations, historical development, systematic theology, and canonical structures of ordained and lay ministry in the Church. Cross-listed with PTHM 413.

Eschatological dimensions of the Christian experience.

Scriptural, Christological and ecclesiological bases of the Church's view of Mary. The development of Marian devotions and their place in the history of spirituality and in contemporary spiritual life.

The roots of Christian worship in symbol, language, and social dynamics. Theological reflection on the sacramental life in the Church. Contemporary approaches to a theology of sacrament especially in relation to Trinitarian, theology, Christology, Pneumatology, Christian anthropology, and ecclesiology. Cross-listed with LTGY 424.

The Second Vatican Council has impacted virtually every area of Catholic life and thought. The council invited and guided the church to know itself and its relation to the world more deeply, and the implications of this enhanced understanding continue to unfold today. This course approaches the Second Vatican Council as a historical and theological event. It examines the development of Vatican II, its final documents and the council's interpretation. Emphasis will be given to seeing the council as a whole and the way that each particular document -- and all the documents together -- are an expression of the council's general aims and overarching goals. Additionally, students will be asked to think independently about the connections between particular documents and how the council's teachings inform contemporary issues.

This course will initiate students into contemporary Christian theological discussions that have arisen in view of and in response to mental health issues. After learning the basic features of two major conditions—trauma and depression—students will engage texts that explore the implications of these conditions for a wide range of Christian doctrines and issues including sin and grace; Christology, soteriology, and eschatology; and theodicy and other theologies of God. Cross listed PTHM 468

Survey of church history from the apostolic age to the Council of Chalcedon in 451, with special emphasis on the Apostolic Fathers, the Christianization of the Roman Empire, and the formation of Christian doctrine.

This course will examine the development of the Christian tradition, including the expression of seminal doctrines within the Christian church, from its origins to the eleventh century. The course will explore the main trends in the development of the institution and primary doctrines of the church within the larger philosophical, social, and political contexts of the first millennium, paying attention to the ways in which the lived experience of Christian peoples informs and shapes its thinking.

Medieval and Reformation theology and spirituality are often construed as oppositional in their uses of scripture, understandings of justification and sanctification, approaches to sacramental life, and their presentations of discipleship. This course will put seminal theological and spiritual texts from the medieval and Reformation periods into context and conversation, exploring areas of deep continuity as well as points of significant departure for the way in which medieval and Reformation thought can be said to continue to inform present-day Christian life, thought, and practice, including its ecumenical dimensions.

This course will examine the development of the Christian tradition, including the expression of seminal doctrines within the Christian church, from the twelfth century to the present day. The course will explore the main trends in the development of the institution and primary doctrines of the church within the larger philosophical, social, and political contexts of the second millennium, paying attention to the ways in which the lived experience of Christian peoples informs and shapes its thinking.

This course examines historical perspectives on what it means to be “Catholic” in a distinctively “American” setting. At the heart of this inquiry will be the question of the mutual influence and relationship between Catholic religious and American political/cultural identities. Our task will be to explore the ways in which “being Catholic in America” may differ from being Catholic in other places, and in doing so, to probe the ways in which American life can be said to shape Catholic perspectives and practices. The course explores American Catholicism from the 16th Century to present day, focusing on questions including religious freedom, social action, cultural diversity.

Survey of church history from the age of Luther to the present. This course will introduce students to the historical dynamics that transformed the united “Christendom” of the Middle Ages into a diverse and truly global twenty-first century church.

The rise of monasticism within the early church of East and West to the time of Benedict. Cross-listed with MONS 402.

The development of Western monastic life and reform movements from the early middle ages through the fifteenth century. Cross-listed with MONS 404.

The decline of Western monasticism in the sixteenth century through its revival in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Cross-listed with MONS 406.

An exploration of the significant formative elements, experiences and writers of Christian spirituality in its first seven hundred years. Cross-listed with SPIR 424.

A study of the Christian spirituality of the Middle Ages, especially from the end of the seventh century to the Reformation. Special attention will be given to notable figures, writings, events, institutions and movements that shaped the expression of Christian convictions and practice, up to the dawn of the "modern" period. Cross-listed with SPIR 425.

Significant persons and movements in the development of Judaism.

The development of Christian spirituality from the Protestant and Catholic Reformations to the present. Also included will be events in Asia, Africa, North and Latin America. Cross-listed with SPIR 426.

This course involves critical and reflective reading of works that might be classified as "spiritual autobiography" in the Christian theological and spiritual tradition. Examining these "self-presentations" as theological fonts, the course introduces students to this genre and an understanding of each work in its historical and theological context. Particular attention is given to presentations of life as a "journey" with emphasis on those experiences which advance the person in his or her relationship with God. Themes such as grace, sacramental action, self-examination, prayer, and good works inform the way in which the course considers progress in the life stories, and the course will invite students to think about how biography might shape on-going insights into current Christian thought and practice.

An overview of the grammatical structure of the language and practice in reading short works. The course is graded pass/fail.

An overview of the grammatical structure of the language and practice in reading short works. The course is graded pass/fail.

Students will develop technical skills and knowledge of performance practices at the graduate level, including the ability to play a large variety of repertoire fluently and with understanding. Secondary organ students will develop sufficient techniques and familiarity with the instrument to play knowledgeably and/or coach others in parish settings.

Development of technical skills and knowledge of performance practices, including the ability to play a large variety of repertoire fluently and with understanding. Study and performance of major works of significant periods and schools of organ literature. For secondary organ students, development of techniques and familiarity with the instrument to play knowledgeably and/or coach others in pastoral settings.

Fundamentals of singing and vocal pedagogy (breathing, efficient use of voice, diction, etc.) addressing differing musical styles and their interpretation based on the performance practices of given periods in music history. Study and performance of significant bodies of solo repertoire. Technique and pedagogical skills appropriate to choral directors, section leaders, and coaches for cantors and song leaders.

Individualized coaching in advanced composition of sacred music and music appropriate for liturgical use. Work in various forms and styles, depending on the needs and interests of individual students. Prerequisite: permission of the instructor and the liturgical music program director.

Introduction to the basics of Gregorian Chant, with the primary aim of facility and confidence in singing easier Latin chants. Overview of historical development; Latin pronunciation; four-line notation and chant reading skills with text-based interpretation; simple psalm tones; introduction to modality; repertoire for liturgical use; conducting basics. Knowledge of the basics of music theory is expected.

Expanded treatment of historical development, modality, solemn psalm tones, Latin pronunciation, and repertoire for liturgical use, with extensive study of lineless notation (St. Gall, Laon) and its application to the interpretation of advanced chant repertoire; advanced conducting. Prerequisite: Gregorian Chant I or equivalent.

A liturgical choir open to all graduate students which sings regularly for worship in Emmaus Chapel. One third Gregorian Chant (in Latin and English), two-thirds choral music in a wide variety of styles including contemporary and world music.

Select Mixed Choir. Choral masterworks from the Renaissance to the present. National and international touring. Audition required.

Great choral works from Palestrina to the present. National and international touring. Open to all male students. Audition required.

Select women's chamber group. Choral music of representative periods. Open to all female students. Audition required.

Large Choral ensembles -- Mixed voice (upper voices and lower voices). Meets once weekly. No audition required.

Advanced seminar on singing Latin chant expressively, based on scholarly investigation of genre, modality, rhythm, and liturgical spirituality. Weekly readings in historical evolution of genres; singing of varied genres of chant (introit, gradual, office responsory, etc.). Weekly concluding lecture or, if possible 45-minute synchronous online session. Prerequisite: Gregorian Chant II or equivalent.

Directed independent study in chant history, interpretation, and conducting.

Fundamental treatment of the nature of the liturgical assembly and the theological basis for sung congregational participation. Introduction to resources for all genres of congregational song – dialogues and chants; psalms, with emphasis on responsorial psalmody; service music and Mass settings; and hymns and songs, including historical survey of repertoire from various cultures. Principles of theological and liturgical appraisal of congregational repertoire.

Individualized small-group lessons on the basics of conducting techniques such as beat patterns, cueing, expression and dynamics, and score preparation.

Advanced study of conducting technique, including lab conducting of other singers.

Development of skills in leading and enabling the assembly's singing. Leadership and accompaniment of hymns, service music, and song forms. Sight-reading, modulation, transposition, and extemporization. With advising and instructor permission, may be in either organ or piano.

Survey of repertoire for liturgical choirs, with emphasis on liturgical appropriateness. Practical aspects of programming choral music through the liturgical year and for various rites.

How the voice works; healthy vocal technique and habits for vocal health; vocal exercises for practice and teaching; exploration of teaching repertoire. For singers, voice teachers, and choral conductors.

Students study musical and liturgical theology, including the history of liturgical music; official documents; issues, problems, and positions in liturgical music practice; worship aid evaluation; presentation of music/liturgy plans. This course is required each term for four semesters for MA Liturgical Music students.

Survey of the history of Christian rites in Eastern and Western traditions, from New Testament to the present using primary texts. Basic introduction to the methodologies of liturgical studies and to disciplines related to the study of worship.

The origins of rites of initiation and eucharist, East and West, and their historical development. Theological and doctrinal perspectives. Examination of the postconciliar Roman rite and its attendant documents, with some treatment of other Christian traditions. Issues in contemporary pastoral practice.

Through a critical reflection on the church's tradition of lex orandi, lex credendi, students will be introduced to the theory and practice of good liturgical celebration. Contemporary liturgical practice will be evaluated in its historical, cultural, and theological context. Students will learn how the historical development of Christian liturgy, its anthropological dimensions, and important church documents influence how we worship today

Introductory study of the nature of ritual, and the place of sacraments and rituals in the life journey of the Christian. Treatment of the rites of vocation (marriage, religious profession and holy orders), healing (reconciliation, anointing of the sick), and burial of the dead.

This course studies the theology, history, and practice of the Liturgical Year as the unfolding of salvation history in the Christian life. Students will consider how the feasts and seasons of the Church's year coincide with Christian prayer, devotional practices, and the lectionary cycles, and discuss practical dimensions of drawing upon the Liturgical Year as source for catechesis and spiritual development in pastoral settings

The Liturgy of the Hours historically and theologically considered. An analysis of the origins and evolution of the Office in the patristic and medieval periods. Study of the reformed Roman Liturgy of the Hours and of daily prayer in other traditions.

The roots of Christian worship in symbol, language, and social dynamics. Theological reflection on the sacramental life in the Church. Contemporary approaches to a theology of sacrament especially in relation to Trinitarian, theology, Christology, Pneumatology, Christian anthropology, and ecclesiology. Cross-listed with DOCT 424.

Training in all aspects of liturgical presiding for those will lead worship as priests and deacons, including study of rubrics and directives in the relevant official documents. Use of gesture and voice to relate well to the assembly and to other liturgical ministers. Training in singing the ministerial chants in the liturgical books. For future priests, focus on celebrating Mass. For future deacons, focus on their role at Mass, as well as presiding at Sunday Celebrations in the Absence of a Priest and other rites such as baptism. For non-ordination candidates, Sunday Celebrations in Absence of a Priest, and other rites such as funeral vigils. Prerequisite: Introduction to Pastoral Liturgy.

Fundamental treatment of the nature of the liturgical assembly and the theological basis for sung congregational participation. Introduction to resources for all genres of congregational song – dialogues and chants; psalms, with emphasis on responsorial psalmody; service music and Mass settings; and hymns and songs, including historical survey of repertoire from various cultures. Principles of theological and liturgical appraisal of congregational repertoire.

Introduction to the interrelationship between liturgy, art and architecture. Exploration of how artists, architects and liturgists think about the worshiping community and its spaces from the perspective of their fields. Treatment of architectural process and tools, basic visual approaches, media and kinds of art found in a church, and basic knowledge of ritual space; also the church community and its traditions. Introduction to the Analysis Project in which a space is described by a participant-observer, involving analysis of a community, its worship, its existing space, ritual needs, and assessment of possibilities for revision.

Study of official church documents on the building and renovating of churches and chapels. Practical questions such as beginning the building/renovation project; engaging the entire congregation in the process from beginning to completion; finding competent architects and artists and working with them; commissioning art works; creating furnishings and appointment; attending to diversity in the community and its appropriate expression in art and architecture; accessibility; rituals for leave-taking of old spaces and dedication and blessing new and renovated spaces. Students will be able to prepare proposals for consultancy with a variety of communities.

Study of the history of the church’s use of art liturgically and for the sake of evangelization, including the church’s embrace of the arts as it emerged from a Jewish aniconic tradition; how the relationship between the church and art evolved over the centuries; the different forms of sacred art; the possible differences between sacred art, liturgical art and devotional art; and implications for the establishment and maintenance of art collections. Cross Listed with PTHM 441.

Sacred Architecture. Historical overview of sacred architecture with attention to the theology and practice of the worshipping community. Communalities between sacred architecture from varied faith traditions, with emphasis on the unique aspects of Christian architecture. Acoustics and lighting in relationship to their impact on the symbolic and practical functioning of a building. Varieties of American Christian religious architecture as reflections of traditions, exploring commonalities and differences. Cross listed with PTHM 443.

Independent, directed reading and research with weekly meetings with professor in one of three areas: historical liturgical sources; liturgical movement and liturgical renewal; art and architecture in worship.

Students study musical and liturgical theology, including the history of liturgical music; official documents; issues, problems, and positions in liturgical music practice; worship aid evaluation; presentation of music/liturgy plans. This course may be repeated for different topics/content with instructor’s permission.

The rise of monasticism within the early Church of East and West to the time of Benedict. Cross-listed with HCHR 413.

The development of Western monastic life and reform movements from the early Middle Ages through the fifteenth century. Cross-listed with HCHR 415.

The decline of Western monasticism in the sixteenth century through its revival in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Cross-listed with HCHR 417.

The multiplicity of expressions of monastic life: from intentional communities to heritages, from traditional Benedictine and Cistercian communities to ecumenical, inter-faith and Protestant communities, from solely vowed religious to various forms of affiliation of lay membership. The changing face of monasticism in the 21st century.

The Rule and its sources; exegesis of the text; issues of interpretation.

The history of Benedictine monastic structures of governance, including individual monasteries and congregations. The present laws governing monasteries. The rights and obligations of monastics. Visions for the future.

The liturgical shape of organized monastic life: the Liturgy of the Hours, the Eucharist, rites of admission and profession, the consecration of virgins, the blessing of abbots and abbesses, rites of the refectory, rites of hospitality, the washing of feet, rites concerning faults, sin, and reconciliation, rites for the sick, dying and dead.

The formation of the Christian in the context of the faith-giving community. Conversatio, stability and obedience. Conveying and supporting faith in the monastic context through eagerness for the work of God, for obedience and for humble service. Special emphasis on lectio divina. Examination of the ways monasticism has traditionally realized community: common prayer, common meals, common decision-making and common support of work.

The development of monastic spiritual theology will be studied from the perspective of monastic primary sources. Texts will be studied as guides and sourcebooks for models of monastic spiritual progress and human maturity. Special emphasis will be placed on: (1) the original meanings of "active" and "contemplative" in the vocabulary of early monasticism; (2) models of spiritual development in the early church and in the early monastic movement; (3) the interrelationship between the cenobitic and eremetic lifestyles; (4) the theory and practice of lectio divina; (5) the mystical interpretation of the scriptures and the practice of liturgical prayer; (6) monastic reform and renewal; (7) spiritual guidance in the monastic tradition. Cross-listed with SPIR 434.

The development of Christian asceticism will be studied from the perspective of primary sources, drawn chiefly from the Christian monastic tradition. Texts will be studied as guides and sourcebooks for models of conversion, growth in human maturity, and spiritual progress. Special emphasis will be place on: (1) classical and Christian understandings of ascesis; (2) repentance and the call to conversion as the basis for authentic ascetical practice; (3) the dynamic interrelationship between ascetical practice and contemplative vision; (4) philosophical and monastic models of virtue and vice; (5) the contrasting and interdependent asceticism of hermitage and cenobium; (6) friendship as the form and ascetical school of virtue; (7) spiritual exercises and the love of learning-implications for monastic reform and renewal. Cross-listed with SPIR 435.

This course will examine early Christian and monastic attitudes toward the biblical text and the interplay between the Bible and forms of prayer. Topics will include: methods of interpreting the Bible; ways of encountering the Bible (reading, memorization, meditation), kinds of early monastic prayer and their biblical basis. There will also be some attention to the subsequent history of those traditions and a consideration of present-day implications. Cross-listed with SPIR 436.

Fourth century Christianity gave birth to a spirituality which called women out of conventional understandings of wife, courtesan, and/or mother into lives of prayer, service, and the founding of communal households and monasteries. An exploration of writings by and about such foremothers on the monastic movement as Macrina, Melania, Paula, Eustochium, Marcella, Syncletica, Mary of Egypt, and Egeria, their social and historical realities, and their influence then and now.

This course explores important themes in the Rule of St. Benedict, such as doing good works in order to reach God’s kingdom, being an apprentice in the spiritual life, having the right interior dispositions (e.g., humility), and the usefulness of observances. In addition to reading the Rule, we will look at some materials from the historical context in which St. Benedict wrote and some contemporary treatments of related topics. This course will be valuable for those looking to engage the perennial wisdom of the Rule more deeply.

This course will examine how the Rule of Saint Benedict creates a community of moral obligation based in covenantal love, paying special attention to how these relationships today participate in and enact the covenantal love of Jesus Christ, true God and true human.

In this class we'll discuss ways in which the Benedictine values of stability, conversion of life, hospitality, respect for community, and prayer can form us in unexpected but important ways.

Growth is a dynamic process, and the Church’s spiritual traditions envision this with different accents and insights. How does Saint Benedict and the long monastic tradition following him describe spiritual growth? This course will investigate how certain Benedictine authors describe spiritual growth and the practices which accompany it, focusing on lectio divina, community life, and desire for God. Through both ancient and contemporary wisdom, we will explore how Saint Benedict and his followers can contribute to our own journey to God with one another today.

This course will look at the curious history of acedia, the 8th “bad thought” of the 4th century monastics. They considered acedia, anger, and pride to be the worst of the common temptations faced by people trying to live a monastic life. Acedia was considered especially treacherous, as it could cause a monk to lose all faith in God and abandon a life of prayer. By the 6th century acedia had been subsumed into sloth, as one of the “seven deadly sins,” and came to mean physical laziness rather than what the monks knew it to be: a profound inertia caused by spiritual despair. This course will look at that history and the implications of a rediscovery and reclaiming of acedia in the present day, including its emergence during the COVID pandemic.

In his Rule, Saint Benedict instructs monks to pray “the full complement of one hundred and fifty psalms every week” (RB 18:23). In light of this counsel and the traditional Benedictine psalmody that follows from it, this course will investigate the transformative spiritual wisdom of the Psalter that emerges when one studies and prays all of the psalms together. To do so, we will engage with contemporary scholarship on individual psalms and the theological development across the whole book. We will also consult traditional interpretations and prayerful uses of the Psalter, with an emphasis on Benedictine sources.

Brief overview of monastic liturgy, with a view toward its renewal since the Second Vatican Council; the nature of ritual in a monastic context; spiritualities of monastic prayer; music in monastic worship; and the place of Eucharist in monastic life.

This course considers the influences of Monastic Lives written between the 4 th and 7 th century, and places them in their literary, historical and theological contexts. It focusses especially on three Lives written by renowned church fathers: Athanasius’ Life of St. Antony, Gregory of Nyssa’s Life of St. Macrina and the Second book of Gregory the Great’s Dialogues. It considers ways in which the authors’ wider theological positions are conveyed in the Lives as well as ways these monastic Lives shed light on how these theologians foresaw their positions being lived out in a concrete way.

This course covers the foundations of the Christian moral life and of Christian moral decision making. The fundamental themes to be covered include, but are not limited to: freedom, conscience formation and moral agency, moral normativity, what constitutes moral reasoning, the use of scripture, tradition and natural law in moral decisions, the interplay between sin and grace, virtue ethics, and the ecclesial aspect of moral decisions.

The implications of Christian faith and theological reflection for contemporary society. The social dimensions of biblical ethics and the social teachings of the Catholic Church.

This course examines how the application of fundamental moral themes informs particular issues of Christian morality. Particular issues potentially covered fall under the global nature of moral theology, life and death, sexuality, biomedical ethics, ethics of pastoral ministry, and the intersection of church and state.

Virtue ethics is a rich strand of the Catholic ethical tradition. The discipline begins with a simple, common human question: what is it to be happy? Christianity proposes a distinctive answer. This this course, we will begin with questions about the good life, continue by examining the role of the passions in making us happy, and finally focus on the virtues as constitutive of human happiness/flourishing. Our readings draw from a range of authors — Aristotle, Augustine, Aquinas, and contemporary theologians. The point of the course is to help students become conversant in this intellectual tradition and articulate in sharing it with others.

An examination of major social issues affecting rural America, the social justice dimensions of these issues, and their implications for ministry in the Church. Cross-listed with PTHM 456.

Inspired by the integral ecology of Laudato Si’, this course explores Catholic commitment to care for our common home. It does so from a theological perspective, focusing especially on the spiritual roots of the crisis and spiritual resources from within the Catholic tradition (such as Benedictine spirituality) that can inform one’s response to that crisis. That is, this course aims to help students express how one might live in right relationship with God, neighbor, and creation and promote ecclesial practices that hear the cries of the earth and the poor. Cross listed with SPIR 468.

This course examines contemporary theologies and principles of evangelization and catechesis; theories of human and faith development; and various models and methods of evangelization and catechesis. Particular attention will be given to advancing catechetical leadership skills in assessment and strategic planning for program improvement.

Utilizing practical theology methodology, this course introduces students to theological foundations for ministry, including historical and contemporary theologies of ordained and lay ministry. Students will explore the vocational call to ministry as well as the spiritual, human, and pastoral foundations for ministry. Finally, students will identify the theological principles that are foundational to their ministerial leadership.

The course addresses theological approaches to the “care of souls,” including theologies of suffering, grief, and death. Students develop skills in interpersonal dynamics of listening, empathy, systems assessment, professional judgment, and liturgical response in relationship to pastoral care of persons and communities.

Pastoral care is the ministry of compassion for the well-being of persons and communities. Traditionally the ministry has included four dimensions of care: healing, guiding, sustaining, and reconciling. This class focuses on healing and sustaining in the midst of loss, grief, illness, dying, and elder care and is grounded in a theology of Christ the healer and good shepherd.

Pastoral care is the ministry of compassion for the well-being of persons and communities. Traditionally the ministry has included four dimensions of care: healing, guiding, sustaining, and reconciling. This class focuses on guiding and reconciling. Guiding pertains to caring for people as they search out their calling and seek spiritual growth and maturity. Reconciling ministry is learning to help people and communities practice seeking and granting forgiveness. Both of these practices take place across a wide range of life experiences. This class will focus on life transitions, discerning callings, trauma and abuse, divorce, addictions, mental health, prison ministry, and community and social conflict. The course is grounded in a theology of Christ the reconciler and savior and future hope.

While some communities seem to form spontaneously, most require careful attention and consistent work in order to put down roots and thrive. This is the challenge of pastoral leadership. Outcomes for the course include identifying the principles that frame community as a theological, pastoral, and socio-cultural reality; learn and practice a model of gift discernment related to leaders and community members; create a framework for applying the functions of pastoral ministry to building and sustaining community life; articulate one’s personal vision of leadership for the sake of community; and exploration of the impact of culture, ethnicity, place, and mission on forming communities.

MDIV Students are required to participate in a basic unit of an accredited Clinical Pastoral Education program. MAM students may choose CPE as part of their field education practicum. Clinical pastoral education is conducted at an accredited CPE center.

Students study the biblical foundations, historical development, systematic theology, and canonical structures of ordained and lay ministry in the Church. Cross-listed with DOCT 413.

This course will address the theological, spiritual, and practical dimensions of Christian vocation. Students will examine the history and development of Catholic and Protestant theologies of vocation, with attention to creation, providence, and the gifts of the Holy Spirit. The course emphasizes vocation both as general, the calling Christians share together, and as particular, the unique ways God calls each person. We will study callings as they pertain to the whole of life, across the lifespan (children, teens, young adults, adulthood and the elderly), and in regards to work and professions. We will examine practices of discernment as well as interfaith perspectives on vocation. Cross listed with SPIR 414.

This course explores both the understanding of sexuality and celibacy in the Christian tradition in literature and art and the spiritual dimensions of sexuality and celibacy through prayer and personal development.

Why is spiritual practice on the rise? What do contemplation and social justice have to do with each other? Can people from different religions borrow practices from others? Students in this course will examine spiritual practices and ways of thinking about them that have become prominent in recent decades. These movements include the retrieval and redefinition of ancient practices (e.g., lectio divina, centering prayer, and the Jesus Prayer); the intersection of spiritual practice and social issues (e.g., the influence of other religions; the environment; and social justice); and contemporary theological emphases (e.g., work, the body, art, science, and gender). Students will explore recent scholarship on the rise of spiritual practice, the theological foundations as well as the actions and disciplines that comprise these approaches. Cross listed with SPIR 416.

Development of speaking, reading, and preaching skills at the eucharist and in other liturgical contexts such as marriage and family counseling or counseling the chemically dependent.

This course explores themes and practices integral to a Benedictine disposition for spiritual direction. Students will participate in experiential and reflective processes to learn and demonstrate contemplative listening in service of deepening relationship with God. Those who continue into the Practicum in Spiritual Direction will be well prepared for their responsibilities. Those who complete the course solely for personal and professional enrichment will have developed useful listening skills that apply well to other ministry contexts. Prerequisites: SPIR 437 The Practice of Discernment in Prayer.

Students study the theology, history and general principles of Church law. Students will build capacity to effectively analyze and solve canonical cases.

This course focuses on specialized training in modern tribunal and administrative determinations of civilly dissolved marriages. Students examine modern annulment practices in local dioceses.

Training in all aspects of liturgical presiding for those who will lead worship, including study of directives and rubrics in the relevant official documents. Use of gesture and voice, including singing, to relate well to the assembly and to other liturgical ministers. For future priests, emphasis on celebrating Mass. For future deacons, emphasis on their role at Mass, as well as presiding at Sunday Celebrations in the Absence of a Priest and other rites such as baptism. For lay students, emphasis on Sunday Celebrations in Absence of a Priest, and other rites such as funeral vigils. Prerequisite: Introduction to Pastoral Liturgy.

Capstone course for the Certificate in Spiritual Direction. This seminar serves as the capstone course for the Certificate in Spiritual Direction. Students will demonstrate their ability to integrate their studies and practicum experiences into an analysis and application of spiritual direction competencies. Particular attention will be paid to a Benedictine disposition for listening with the ear of the heart.

Study of the history of the church’s use of art liturgically and for the sake of evangelization, including the church’s embrace of the arts as it emerged from a Jewish aniconic tradition; how the relationship between the church and art evolved over the centuries; the different forms of sacred art; the possible differences between sacred art, liturgical art and devotional art; and implications for the establishment and maintenance of art collections. Cross listed with LTGY 441.

Historical overview of sacred architecture with attention to the theology and practice of the worshiping community. Communalities between sacred architecture from varied faith traditions, with emphasis on the unique aspects of Christian architecture. Acoustics and lighting in relationship to their impact on the symbolic and practical functioning of a building. Varieties of American Christian religious architecture as reflections of traditions, exploring commonalities and differences. Cross listed with LTGY 443.

This course allows students to explore the theology and practice of administration in relationship to: leadership theory, parish governance, human resources, financial systems, facility management, office services, technology management, and conflict management.

This course will explore the theological foundations of youth ministry, campus ministry, and parish young adult ministry within the broader conceptual framework of evangelization, catechesis, and initiation espoused by Pope Francis, the General Directory for Catechesis, the RCIA, Renewing the Vision, and Empowered by the Spirit: Campus Ministry Faces the Future. This course will foster the development of effective ministerial leadership practices addressing the current contextual context of “the rise of the nones.”

This course will provide an overview of pastoral and spiritual issues that ministers encounter with individuals and families in various life stages. Issues included in the course also include the lifecycle of a family and the cycle of healing for people.

Students will learn about major social issues affecting rural America, the social justice dimensions of these issues, and their implications for ministry in the Church. Cross-listed with MORL 456.

This course addresses catechetical methods for initiation into the sacramental life of the church and discipleship, including the sacraments of baptism, confirmation, Eucharist, reconciliation, and marriage. Issues of liturgical catechesis, readiness of candidates, preparation of the community and families will be incorporated.

This course examines social outreach programs, which include direct service ministries such as homeless shelters, prison ministry, food pantries, as well as initiatives that address systemic social, political and economic change. Students explore how the Catholic social teaching traditions inform a broad range of ministries at the parish, diocesan, and national levels.

Students work with an organization, project, or parish in the area of their ministerial interest. The supervised experience requires the students to integrate theological knowledge with pastoral practice in developing vocational identity as a public minister, exploring issues of leadership, power and authority; and gaining facility in articulating the Christian faith and in fostering the development of faith with others. Students will reflect on the practice of ministry in theological reflection groups.

Students work with an organization, project, or parish in the area of their ministerial interest. The supervised experience requires the students to integrate theological knowledge with pastoral practice in developing vocational identity as a public minister, exploring issues of leadership, power and authority; and gaining facility in articulating the Christian faith and in fostering the development of faith with others. Students will reflect on the practice of ministry in theological reflection groups.

This course marks the culmination of the student’s preparation for ministry. Students will demonstrate the ability to analyze and construct a response to pastoral situations utilizing biblical, theological, historical, and social scientific resources.

This course will initiate students into contemporary Christian theological discussions that have arisen in view of and in response to mental health issues. After learning the basic features of two major conditions—trauma and depression—students will engage texts that explore the implications of these conditions for a wide range of Christian doctrines and issues including sin and grace; Christology, soteriology, and eschatology; and theodicy and other theologies of God. Cross listed DOCT 468.

Media Mindfulness aims to teach those in any ministry in the Church to develop an understanding of the power of media and how it influences our lives. Participants will learn media mindfulness skills to critically analyze media messages through the lens of Gospel values so as to form missionary disciples prepared to engage the digital culture.

Survey of basic counseling concepts designed to enhance the pastoral minister’s interpersonal effectiveness, spirituality, assistance of others, crisis identification, and knowledge of referral procedures. In this course, students will develop skills and necessary disposition for effective listening, learn to identify qualities necessary for a listening ministerial presence, know appropriate referral procedures and mental health issues and appropriate intervention procedures, and develop an awareness of personal issues that may interfere with effective listening and pastoral ministry.

This course aims to teach those in any ministry in the Church to understand and implement an evangelizing catechesis situated in a digital culture. Participants will learn the core elements of Media Mindfulness catechesis, a model of faith formation that integrates faith with everyday media use, so as to form missionary disciples to be an evangelizing presence on the digital continent. 

This course explores margins at the ministry through the lens of a theology and practice of accompaniment that not only begins with systematic listening but also faithful seeing. Taking culture and place as a starting point, the course draws on theological and social scientific resources to discern: 1) who are the poor within a cultural context and 2) how different intersectionalities including caste/race, class, and sex make people poor within a cultural context. To equip students for ministry and accompaniment at the margins, students will develop a greater self-understanding of their own cultural identity and social location. Equipped with this self-understanding and a pastoral imagination informed by Pope Francis' teaching on mission and his social magisterium, students will explore practices of self and communal transformation that can help the Church center the periphery.

According to Thomas Merton, spiritual direction offers aid in discernment, facilitates the awareness of grace, and encourages a life of Christian freedom in the true self. Students preparing for ministerial leadership through the MAM and MDiv degree programs are required to participate in spiritual direction with a trained spiritual director. Students will meet with their spiritual director four times a semester each Fall and Spring semester that they are enrolled in the MAM and MDiv programs.

Group spiritual companioning is a process in which students gather together on a regular basis to assist one another in an ongoing awareness of God. Participants support one another as they seek to become more responsive to God. Students meet with their group four times a semester for two hours. Lay MDIV students and MAM students are required to complete three semesters of group spiritual companioning. Diaconal MAM students are required to participate semesterly in group spiritual companioning beginning in their third semester.

Students preparing for ministerial leadership through the MAM degree are required to document and self-assess their readiness for ministry by developing a Ministry Learning Portfolio and presenting it first to a peer group, and second to faculty review group. The Ministry Learning Portfolios are developed over the duration of one’s degree preparation. MAM degree students are required to present their Ministry Learning Portfolio in their last semester. Offered for S/U grading only.

Students preparing for ministerial leadership through the MDIV degree are required to document and self-assess their readiness for ministry by developing a Ministry Learning Portfolio and presenting it first to a peer group, and second to faculty review group. The Ministry Learning Portfolios are developed over the duration of one’s degree preparation. MDIV LEM students present mid-degree (39-42 credits), MDIV seminarians (54-60 credits). Offered for S/U grading only.

A general introduction to the history, literature and theology of the New Testament with special emphasis on reading the strategies appropriate to both pastoral work and further academic study. Particular attention is paid to the Gospels and the Pauline Letters.

The elements of New Testament Greek, with emphasis on reading comprehension with the aid of a dictionary. The study of grammar and its practical application in reading New Testament texts.

Continuation of SSNT 401, with particular focus on New Testament texts as primary translation sources.

Extensive investigation of the Gospel of Matthew within its theological, social, and historical context

A theological, historical and literary analysis of the second Gospel. Special emphasis is placed on the narrative quality of Mark and its relationship to the early Christian community.

A study of the major themes of the Lucan corpus through an historical critical examination of selected passages. Special attention will be given to Luke's soteriology.

A study of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, their history, literary style, and theological vision. Emphasis on hermeneutical questions, text formation, and the interrelation of the four books in forming a unified Gospel tradition.

A theological, historical and literary analysis of the Pauline letters. Topics may include the conversion and mission of Paul, the historical situation of the Pauline communities, the literary and rhetorical quality of the letters and major theological themes.

Extensive investigation of the Johannine corpus within its theological, social and historical context.

The Eucharistic revival in the Church today invites us to return to the source and summit of our faith in the celebration of the Eucharist. This course will explore the source of our understanding of the Eucharist, the Lord’s Supper, in Paul’s letters and the four Gospels. Beginning with Paul’s understanding of the liturgical gathering as the in-breaking of the messianic age, we will go on to the explore how the Gospel narratives were built around the experience of the resurrected Christ in Christian liturgy. Our study of the Eucharist in the New Testament, the original Eucharistic revival, will deepen our understanding of, and appreciation for, the celebration of the Eucharist in the Church today.

The Israelites forged their identity as a people and sustained their common bonds through interaction and communication with YHWH. This course will examine the testimony of the Old Testament to this relational dynamic between YHWH, the people, and their leaders through the exegesis of representative texts from the Pentateuch, the Prophets, and the Writings.

Study of the elements of Old Testament Hebrew, with emphasis on reading comprehension with the aid of a dictionary. The study of grammar and its practical application in reading Old Testament texts.

This course forms the educational component for the study tour of the Holy Land. This course studies the lands which gave birth to the Bible, particularly Israel and Palestine. In addition to Istanbul, the Turkish sites include the cities mentioned in the Book of Revelation. Depending on the political climate, parts of Egypt, Sinai, or Jordan may be added. While the primary focus of the course is the historical and archaeological context for both the Old and New Testaments, the class also visits places held sacred by Christians as well as those revered by Jews and Muslims.

Survey of the books of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy in the Hebrew Bible, introducing the student to their content, the traditions of interpretation and the methods employed in their exegesis. Themes of creating, liberating, and covenanting are emphasized.

Survey of the writings of the prophets in the Old Testament with special attention given to the historical contexts of the biblical prophets and the language, genres, images, and theological content of various prophetic texts. Further consideration of the relevance of the prophetic message in contemporary church and society.

Introduction to the wisdom material of the Old Testament with special attention given to the historical background of the wisdom tradition, and the structure and content of the wisdom books (especially Proverbs, Job, Qoheleth, Sirach and Wisdom), the development of the OT wisdom tradition in later writings including the New Testament, and the relevance of the wisdom tradition to the present.

Study of the backbone of Jewish and Christian prayer for three thousand years. In addition to the exegesis of selected psalms, topics include: the formation of the Psalter, various translations, the spirituality of the psalms, and the use of the psalms in Christian prayer, especially the Eucharist and the Liturgy of the Hours.

The Bible speaks of God from the beginning to the end. This applies to the Hebrew canon as well as the Christian Bible. God, however, is not a “topic” of the Bible. He is the ground that enables the Bible to be written.  Furthermore, the Bible does not speak of God “per se”, but of what God says, how God acts and how God is experienced. The concern of the biblical traditions is always with God in his relationship to the world and to humans and quite especially to Israel. How to grasp the fragility and the resilience of these relations? No one can know what God is really like. People can experience God in different ways, and they bring these experiences to expression. God’s action is experienced by people in a wide range of ways. The texts of the Old Testament speak of this. They bring these experiences to expression in their variety and also in their contradictoriness. So, talk of God in the biblical texts is anything but uniform. The Old Testament could in fact be regarded as an invitation to reimagine our life and our faith as an on-going dialogue in which all parties are variously summoned to risk and change. The course – apart from the study of selected Old Testament passages (Gen 1-3; Deut 32; Job 1-3; 42,1-6) – aims at helping students to learn how to read scholarly works critically.

This course will address the theological, spiritual, and practical dimensions of Christian vocation. Students will examine the history and development of Catholic and Protestant theologies of vocation, with attention to creation, providence, and the gifts of the Holy Spirit. The course emphasizes vocation both as general, the calling Christians share together, and as particular, the unique ways God calls each person. We will study callings as they pertain to the whole of life, across the lifespan (children, teens, young adults, adulthood and the elderly), and in regards to work and professions. We will examine practices of discernment as well as interfaith perspectives on vocation. Cross listed with PTHM 414.

Why is spiritual practice on the rise? What do contemplation and social justice have to do with each other? Can people from different religions borrow practices from others? Students in this course will examine spiritual practices and ways of thinking about them that have become prominent in recent decades. These movements include the retrieval and redefinition of ancient practices (e.g., lectio divina, centering prayer, and the Jesus Prayer); the intersection of spiritual practice and social issues (e.g., the influence of other religions; the environment; and social justice); and contemporary theological emphases (e.g., work, the body, art, science, and gender). Students will explore recent scholarship on the rise of spiritual practice, the theological foundations as well as the actions and disciplines that comprise these approaches. Cross listed with PTHM 416.

An exploration of the significant formative elements, experiences and writers of Christian spirituality in its first 700 years. Cross-listed with HCHR 424.

A study of the Christian spirituality of the Middle Ages, especially from the end of the seventh century to the Reformation. Special attention will be given to notable figures, writings, events, institutions and movements that shaped the expression of Christian convictions and practice, up to the dawn of the "modern" period. Cross-listed with HCHR 425.

The development of Christian spirituality from the Protestant and Catholic Reformations to the present. Also included will be events in Asia, Africa, North and Latin America. Cross-listed with HCHR 428.

This course involves critical and reflective reading of works that might be classified as "spiritual autobiography" in the Christian theological and spiritual tradition. Examining these "self-presentations" as theological fonts, the course introduces students to this genre and an understanding of each work in its historical and theological context. Particular attention is given to presentations of life as a "journey" with emphasis on those experiences which advance the person in his or her relationship with God. Themes such as grace, sacramental action, self-examination, prayer, and good works inform the way in which the course considers progress in the life stories, and the course will invite students to think about how biography might shape on-going insights into current Christian thought and practice. Cross listed with HCHR 429.

The relationship between concrete experience and theological inquiry as seen in the works of outstanding spiritual writers of the Christian tradition. Prayer in Christian life. Forms of spirituality and asceticism.

A study of the place of prayer in Christian life, with special emphasis on the Our Father, using various classical commentaries as a case in point. Theological problems and considerations related to doctrine of prayer are included, e.g. discernment in prayer, content of prayer, polarities in prayer (such as its apophatic and mystical, individual and communitarian, sacramental and liturgical aspects), and laws of the spiritual life emanating from teachings on prayer.

The mystical dimension of Christianity as exemplified in ancient and modern mystics. Questions of discernment of true from false mysticism; comparative studies; influence of psychology on studies of mysticism to the Church.

The development of monastic spiritual theology will be studied from the perspective of monastic primary sources. Texts will be studied as guides and sourcebooks for models of monastic spiritual progress and human maturity. Special emphasis will be placed on: (1) the original meanings of "active" and "contemplative" in the vocabulary of early monasticism; (2) models of spiritual development in the early church and in the early monastic movement; (3) the interrelationship between the cenobitic and eremetic lifestyles; (4) the theory and practice of lectio divina; (5) the mystical interpretation of the scriptures and the practice of liturgical prayer; (6) monastic reform and renewal; (7) spiritual guidance in the monastic tradition. Cross-listed with MONS 434.

The development of Christian asceticism will be studied from the perspective of primary sources, drawn chiefly from the Christian monastic tradition. Texts will be studied as guides and sourcebooks for models of conversion, growth in human maturity, and spiritual progress. Special emphasis will be place on: (1) classical and Christian understandings of ascesis; (2) repentance and the call to conversion as the basis for authentic ascetical practice; (3) the dynamic interrelationship between ascetical practice and contemplative vision; (4) philosophical and monastic models of virtue and vice; (5) the contrasting and interdependent asceticism of hermitage and cenobium; (6) friendship as the form and ascetical school of virtue; (7) spiritual exercises and the love of learning-implications for monastic reform and renewal. Cross-listed with MONS 435.

This course will examine early Christian and monastic attitudes toward the biblical text and the interplay between the Bible and forms of prayer. Topics will include: methods of interpreting the Bible; ways of encountering the Bible (reading, memorization, meditation), kinds of early monastic prayer and their biblical basis. There will also be some attention to the subsequent history of those traditions and a consideration of present-day implications. Cross-listed with MONS 436.

An exploration of how our personal image of God evolves as we discern God's ways of being present to us in prayer and in life. By both studying and practicing discernment of spirits we can become sensitive to inner movements, understanding where they come from and where they lead us. The course will include an introduction to the practice of lectio divina applied to our lived experience. Required: Access to computer with built-in camera OR attached web cam. Grading is S/U only.

This course explores important themes in the Rule of St. Benedict, such as doing good works in order to reach God’s kingdom, being an apprentice in the spiritual life, having the right interior dispositions (e.g., humility), and the usefulness of observances. In addition to reading the Rule, we will look at some materials from the historical context in which St. Benedict wrote and some contemporary treatments of related topics. This course will be valuable for those looking to engage the perennial wisdom of the Rule more deeply.

This course will look at the curious history of acedia, the 8th “bad thought” of the 4th century monastics. They considered acedia, anger, and pride to be the worst of the common temptations faced by people trying to live a monastic life. Acedia was considered especially treacherous, as it could cause a monk to lose all faith in God and abandon a life of prayer. By the 6th century acedia had been subsumed into sloth, as one of the “seven deadly sins,” and came to mean physical laziness rather than what the monks knew it to be: a profound inertia caused by spiritual despair. This course will look at that history and the implications of a rediscovery and reclaiming of acedia in the present day, including its emergence during the COVID pandemic.

In his Rule, Saint Benedict instructs monks to pray “the full complement of one hundred and fifty psalms every week” (RB 18:23). In light of this counsel and the traditional Benedictine psalmody that follows from it, this course will investigate the transformative spiritual wisdom of the Psalter that emerges when one studies and prays all of the psalms together. To do so, we will engage with contemporary scholarship on individual psalms and the theological development across the whole book. We will also consult traditional interpretations and prayerful uses of the Psalter, with an emphasis on Benedictine sources.

Brief overview of monastic liturgy, with a view toward its renewal since the Second Vatican Council; the nature of ritual in a monastic context; spiritualities of monastic prayer; music in monastic worship; and the place of Eucharist in monastic life.

Inspired by the integral ecology of Laudato Si’, this course explores Catholic commitment to care for our common home. It does so from a theological perspective, focusing especially on the spiritual roots of the crisis and spiritual resources from within the Catholic tradition (such as Benedictine spirituality) that can inform one’s response to that crisis. That is, this course aims to help students express how one might live in right relationship with God, neighbor, and creation and promote ecclesial practices that hear the cries of the earth and the poor. Cross listed with MORL 468.

A study of the artistic, cultural, and social foundations of Christianity through visits to many of the locales in various parts of Greece and Turkey mentioned in the Pauline writings and the Book of Revelation as well as other early Christian and monastic sites. Exploration of how one historical age influences another and the importance that art and archaeology play in theology and religion.

The research seminar is designed to direct and guide students in advanced theological research in preparation for writing a thesis. Students may prepare the thesis proposal in the course, or if approved, can begin writing the thesis. Students will be engaged in dialogue and critique of each others' work in order to enhance understanding of theological research and writing. The proposal will contain: a persuasive and debatable thesis statement, a description of the project that maps the argument with a brief summary of the positions and the lines of argument to be developed; a tentative outline, a preliminary bibliography of primary and secondary sources from current scholarship as well as the history of research on the topic. The bibliography will also include sources in the ancient and/or modern language being utilized in the thesis.

The Master of Theology degree requires submission and defense of a Master’s Thesis, an integrated research paper of at least 80 pages. The Master’s Thesis process consists of three steps: Development of a Thesis Proposal, Defense of the Thesis Proposal and writing the Thesis, and Public Defense of the Thesis. Students will explore an extensive bibliography of relevant primary and secondary sources, and foreign language sources and citations that support the content of the topic. The Master’s thesis is typically written over the course of an academic year.

This seminar provides a context in which students will prepare for the Comprehensive Examinations which complete the MA Degree in Theology. To that end, students will revise and submit a graduate paper begun in a previous course, and they will develop a research paper on a thesis that compares and contrasts content and method from two different theological areas of concentration (e.g., scripture, systematics, church history, etc.). The research paper must have a bibliography of at least twenty items (books and/or journal articles). Students will be expected to have (1) completed and submitted an approved graduate paper and (2) completed an initial draft of the integrative research paper by the end of the seminar. A completed and approved graduate paper and research paper will constitute the written portion of the MA comprehensive examination.

The Master of Theological Studies degree requires 48 credits: 45 credits of coursework and 3 credits for the Comprehensive Exam written process and the Oral Comprehensive Exam. In order to facilitate the full time enrollment of students in the Comprehensives term, THY 598 Reading for Comprehensive Exams has a variable 3-6 credits to assure full time status. The extra credits in THY 598 Reading co Comprehensive Exams would follow or accompany the final term of the completion of 45 credits of course work. In preparing for Comprehensive Exams students master a 10 book reading list and submit an annotated bibliography and summary of research of the texts in the booklist as preparation for the Oral Comprehensive Exam (registered under THY 599 at 0 credits).