Course Descriptions

An overview of central elements of Catholic life and faith (e.g., revelation, creation, God, Christology, ecclesiology, sacramentality, anthropology, spirituality, etc.); in context of 21st century US culture and circumstances; parish life and culture, internal and external trends for the future. Requires structured field observation and analysis of pastoral ministry in theological context.

Explores the Biblical roots of ministry and the pastoral use of Scripture in the ministries of Word, worship, and service; correlates major goals of catechesis as enumerated in the General Directory for Catechesis with major themes and texts of the Bible (e.g., covenant, creation, grace, sin & redemption, community, prayer, eschatology, etc.) Requires close study of pertinent ecclesial documents illuminating and governing the understanding and use of Scripture in ministry and worship; including Providentissimus Deus, Divino Afflante Spiritu; Dei Verbum; Introduction to the Lectionary for the Mass; Interpretation of the Bible in the Church; The Jewish People and their Sacred Scriptures in the Christian Bible, Verbum Domini, etc. Prerequisites: THE 1310, PAS 1305.

Develops a theology of sacramental worship as bedrock for Catholic ministry and spirituality; considers the origins of sacramentality, the role of ritual and prayer in Christian life; leadership of prayer and worship as ministerial tasks; norms and strategies for sacramental preparation and liturgical formation; implications of sacraments for ministerial practice. Requires close study of pertinent ecclesial documents including, e.g., Sacrosanctum Concilium; General Instruction on the Roman Missal, General Instruction of the Liturgy of the Hours, The Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults, ritual texts for all other sacraments; Dies Domini; Ecclesia de Eucharistia, Sacramentum Caritatis, etc. Prerequisites: THE 1310, THE 2311, PAS 1305.

 A detailed examination of and reflection on the practice of ministry in the Church. Requires close study of pertinent ecclesial documents regarding ministry, including, e.g., Apostolicam Actuositatem, Christifideles Laici, Called & Gifted, Co-Workers in the Vineyard of the Lord, Code of Canon Law (selections), National Certification Standards for Lay Ecclesial Ministers, etc., as well as local norms of ministerial practice. Prerequisites: THE 1310, THE 2311, PAS 1305.

Historical and theological review of Vatican Council II and its vision of mission and ministry. Requires careful study of major conciliar and post-conciliar documents, including the four constitutions of Vatican II, Ad Gentes, Nostra Aetate, Evangelii Nuntiandi, Go and Make Disciples, Redemptoris Missio, etc. Prerequisites: THE 1310, THE 2311, PAS 1305.

Consideration and development of interpersonal attitudes, practices, and skills for professional ministry; for example, collaboration, pastoral communication, boundaries and relationships in ministry, managing conflict, personal and spiritual maturity, ministerial identity and ethics. Requires close study of excerpts of pertinent ecclesial documents regarding ministry, including, e.g., Pastores Dabo Vobis, Program of Priestly Formation, National Directory for the Formation, Ministry, and Life of Permanent Deacons, Co-Workers in the Vineyard, etc. Requires significant personal contact with pastoral practitioners representing a variety of different states of life, areas of ministry, and levels of responsibility. Prerequisites: THE 1310, THE 2311, PAS 1305.

Analysis of and reflection on systems and structures for ministry in the Church today; social and pastoral analysis of different ministerial contexts; interaction and collaboration between and among pastoral communities. Requires significant personal contact with and observation of administrative leadership in various pastoral settings. Prerequisites: THE 1310, THE 2311, PAS 1305, PAS 3335, PAS 3345.

Examines the ideas of conscience, sin, the virtues, natural law, and the relation of Scripture and ethics. The underpinnings of the Christian moral life, with various applications to specific moral issues. Involves a close reading of John Paul IIs encyclical Veritatis Splendor.

These courses, in content and form, are designed to ensure that successful pastoral ministry majors will be prepared to enter the ministerial workforce having met the standards set by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops Commission on Certification and Accreditation, and the National Certification Standards for Lay Ecclesial Ministers.

Survey of the history, theology, and practice of the ministry of catechesis; provides close reading of pertinent catechetical documents including Gravissimum Educationis, Catechesi Tradendae, the General Directory for Catechesis, Our Hearts Were Burning Within Us, the National Directory for Catechesis, etc. Prerequisites: THE 1310, THE 2311, PAS 1305, PAS 3335.

Students immerse themselves in the practice of catechetical ministry in a concrete setting of parish, school, or other catechizing community. The internship provides an opportunity for students to put into practice the vision, principles, and strategies studied in the foundations course, in the concrete circumstances and culture of the internship site. Under the structured professional supervision of a seasoned catechetical practitioner, students undertake meaningful, hands-on ministry in a wide variety of settings, at multiple levels. Prerequisite: PAS 1305, PAS 3335, PAS 3345, PAS 3360.

Students meet weekly in a ninety-minute seminar, concurrent with the ministry internships. Work focuses on student presentations of ministry at internship sites, systematic theological and pastoral reflection on implications and connections; identification and consideration of common motifs and issues across ministries; and concrete strategizing for communal and personal ministerial enhancement. Taken with PAS 4381. (1 credit hour). 

In the second semester internship, students plan, execute, and evaluate a major ministerial project intended to demonstrate conceptual mastery of the foundations of pastoral ministry in general and catechetical ministry in particular; thorough familiarity with the culture, needs and circumstances of the host community; and practical facility in the skills associated with catechetical ministry. The project is designed in collaboration with and approved by, the onsite supervisor, the supervising professor, and the chair of the Theology Department. Upon the successful completion of the project, a summative and integrative paper describing the project is to be submitted. 

Students continue to meet weekly in a ninety-minute seminar, concurrent with the ministry internships. Work focuses on student presentations of ministry at internship sites, systematic theological and pastoral reflection on implications and connections; identification and consideration of common motifs and issues across ministries; and concrete strategizing for communal and personal ministerial enhancement. Taken with PAS 4382. (1 credit hour). 

Survey of the history, theology, and practice of ministry with and for youth and young adults; provides close reading of pertinent ecclesial documents including Sons and Daughters of the Light; Renewing the Vision, Ecclesia in America, etc. Prerequisites: THE 1310, THE 2311, PAS 1305, PAS 3335.

Students immerse themselves in the practice of youth ministry in a concrete setting of parish, school, or other ministering community. The internship provides an opportunity for students to put into practice the vision, principles, and strategies studied in the foundations course, in the concrete circumstances and culture of the internship site. Under the structured professional supervision of a seasoned youth ministry practitioner, students undertake meaningful, hands-on ministry in a wide variety of settings, at multiple levels. Prerequisite: PAS 1305, PAS 3335, PAS 3345, PAS 3362.

Students meet weekly in a ninety-minute seminar, concurrent with the ministry internships. Work focuses on student presentations of ministry at internship sites, systematic theological and pastoral reflection on implications and connections; identification and consideration of common motifs and issues across ministries; and concrete strategizing for communal and personal ministerial enhancement. Taken with PAS 4383. (1 credit hour).

In the second semester internship, students plan, execute, and evaluate a major ministerial project intended to demonstrate conceptual mastery of the foundations of pastoral ministry in general and youth ministry in particular; thorough familiarity with the culture, needs and circumstances of the host community; and practical facility in the skills associated with youth ministry. The project is designed in collaboration with and approved by, the onsite supervisor, the supervising professor, and the chair of the Theology Department. Upon the successful completion of the project, a summative and integrative paper describing the project is to be submitted. 

Students continue to meet-weekly in a ninety-minute seminar, concurrent with the ministry internships. Work focuses on student presentations of ministry at internship sites, systematic theological and pastoral reflection on implications and connections; identification and consideration of common motifs and issues across ministries; and concrete strategizing for communal and personal ministerial enhancement. Taken with PAS 4381. (1 credit hour).