Course Descriptions
Core Courses
Biblical Foundations of Spirituality
Contemporary methods of biblical criticism with a special focus on hermeneutics will be utilized in understanding the spiritual dimension within the biblical text as well as its implications for pastoral ministry in church and community leadership. Specific topics include revelation and faith; evolutionary creation; freedom, sin and grace; conversion; prayer and worship; personal, ecclesial, and cosmic eschatology.
Christian Spirituality through the Ages
Traces some of the major trends which have shaped the history of Christian spirituality from its origin through the High Middle Ages and into the Modern Period. Using both primary and secondary texts, spirituality will be examined from historical and theological perspectives through the writings of the great spiritual leaders of the tradition.
Pastoral Ministry and Spirituality
Presents the study of ministry in its historical, ecclesial and praxis centered contexts with special reference given to the pivotal place of spirituality in the life and practice of the minister. Areas of in-depth study include: the works of pastoral theologians, models of theological reflection and special examination of spiritually transformative events in the act of ministering and reflection. *(Interdisciplinary Forum)
Method in Spirituality: Pastoral Implications
Addresses the relationship between theology, spirituality and ministry. The course explores methods in spirituality including the examination of primary autobiographical and biographical sources, selected literary and sacred texts, and records of communal life and worship in several historical periods. Special attention to the topics studied will invite creative and meaningful appropriation of their content to contemporary pastoral concerns. *(Interdisciplinary Forum)
Seminar
Enables the student minister to integrate the academic components of the curriculum and his/her ministerial experience. Attention will be given to the construction of the thesis project proposal with reference to the students’ ministerial experience, major theological and spirituality resources, an evaluation tool, ministerial self-identity and the project’s contribution to the field of ministry.
Elective Courses
Franciscan Spirituality: Francis and Clare
Explores the religious experiences of Francis and Clare drawn from their own writings as well as biographical materials and examines the spiritual teachings that Clare and Francis bequeathed to the religious orders they founded. Special emphasis is placed on the balance they achieved between the contemplative and active lifestyles and on the evangelical values that characterize the Franciscan approach to ministry. Consideration will be given to representative Franciscan figures who have exemplified the interplay of theology, spirituality and ministry, suggesting outlines of the same for today.
Carmelite Spirituality: John of the Cross and Teresa of Avila
Studies the spirituality of the two most prominent Carmelite mystics of the 16th Century. Examines the writings of John (Ascent of Mount Carmel/Dark Night, The Spiritual Canticle, and The Living Flame of Love) and Teresa (Life, The Way of Perfection, and The Interior Castle) and their relevance to pastoral situations.
Augustinian Spirituality
An in-depth study of the spirituality of Augustine through the lens of his life and times, his conversion and, especially, his pastoral praxis and reflections as religious superior, bishop, theologian and polemicist. Elements of his spirituality include the formation of community in friendship, a profound search for God, singleness of love, the nature of ecclesial authority, the life of grace, and vivid reflections on the dynamism of eternity.
Ignatian Spirituality
Explores the theological, spiritual and pastoral implications of Ignatian spirituality as a resource for contemporary ministry in the church with a special emphasis on leadership in the Christian community. Topics addressed include: the worldview of Ignatius of Loyola, the Spiritual Exercises, Christian discipleship, mission, and prayer.
Redemptorist Spirituality: Alphonsus
Introduces students to spirituality in the Alphonsian tradition. It focuses in particular on the three central components of the spirituality of St. Alphonsus Liguori: the Incarnation, the Passion, Death, and Resurrection of Christ, and the Sacrament of the Eucharist. Students will understand 18th century Alphonsus and how his spirituality might speak to 21st century people who yearn for plentiful redemption.
Salesian Spirituality: Francis de Sales/Jane de Chantal
Invites a guided study and reflection into the lives of the 17thCentury spiritual leaders, Francis de Sales and Jane de Chantal. Through the use of primary and secondary texts, major themes in spirituality including the call to holiness, discernment, living the virtues and friendship will be explored in light of ministerial experience and applicability.
The Cosmic Christ for the 21st Century
Examines the renewal of cosmic Christology today through the writings of contemporary mystics. The course will explore the meaning of Christ in view of global consciousness and the new science by examining the writings of Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, Raimon Panikkar, Thomas Merton and Bede Griffiths. Emphasis will be given to the renewal of Christian life in the emerging paradigm of the second axial period.
Social Justice/Public Worship
Living the two great commandments of love of God and love of neighbor as a community, particularly through public worship and social justice takes different forms that both reflect and shape a community’s spirituality. The course will explore twentieth century expressions of this through key figures from movements such as Virgil Michael and the liturgical renewal movement in the United States, Dorothy Day and the Catholic Worker movement, Martin Luther King,Jr. and the Civil Rights Movement, Oscar Romero and the Latin American liberation movement, and Joseph Bernardin and the Catholic Common Ground Initiative.
Spirituality and the Arts
Through the medium of the arts, the course will address the spiritual, theological and cultural interplay expressed in history from Jewish Christianity to Gothic, Reformation, Baroque, Modern and Post-modern periods. Field trips, discussion with artists, film and theater presentations are among some of the experiential features of the course.
* An interdisciplinary forum uses a teaching-learning methodology that explores with students and faculty several perspectives on selected course topics.