This course will consider broadly and in narrative fashion the existence of religious life and religious communities in the history of the church, primarily in the West. From the early days of the church, intentional communities have existed. Eventually, communities of desert monastics arose and monastic rules developed. Religious life came to be ordered in particular ways, eventually in what we would think of as religious orders with governing structures, but also in the form of confraternities and lay movements. This course will explore instances of religious life—lay, vowed, and clerical—from the deserts to the cities, from patristic times through the medieval, modern, and postmodern periods. The course will consider not only arrangements and institutions, but also the spirituality of various groups and the attempt to follow Christ more closely by Christian women and men throughout time.

General survey of Western Christianity, with special emphasis on institutional, theological, pastoral and spiritual issues. Lays the foundation for understanding many features of the Church today. Topics include monasticism, establishment of the modern papacy, lay apostolic movements (e.g. beguines), religious orders (e.g., Franciscans, Jesuits), heresies, crusades, inquisitions, scholasticism, saints (e.g., Hildegard of Bingen, Francis of Assisi, Ignatius of Loyola), popular devotions, women in church, mysticism, Protestant Reformation, church councils (e.g., Trent), overseas evangelization. Lectures, readings in primary sources, focused discussion.

Pilgrimage is a phenomenon that has shaped Christianity from its inception to our days. The immense popularity of the Camino de Santiago de Compostela, in Spain, has generated numerous reflections in recent decades, as well as a flood of works, both popular and scholarly. Taking a large view, the course will explore the history and theology of the practice of pilgrimage, especially in its Christian dimension, but extend also to its actuality as a spiritual practice at the frontier of the institution (within and without), and linked to the narrative construction of the self. The scope of documents read will include historical documents, spiritual texts, Church documents, contemporary narratives and studies, as well as films.

What John O’Malley, S.J. calls the Church’s “long nineteenth century,” from the French revolution to the 1950’s, although often considered a period of secularization, was also a great age of renewal for the Roman Catholic Church. It witnessed a tremendous institutional growth of the Church, the assertion of doctrinal and administrative control from Rome known as ultramontanism, the flowering of spirituality and devotional life, and the spread of the faith from Europe throughout the world by means of extensive missionary activity. This course will consider the institutional and intellectual transformation of the Church in the nineteenth century, but will also pay close attention to changes in popular piety and the social role of the Church. Focus will be both topical and regional.

Throughout the Middle Ages the Old Testament Book of Job attracted the attention, scholarly acumen, and artistic insight of a number of Christian clerics, exegetes, theologians, philosophers, historians, poets, and painters. This course surveys some of the most important medieval Christian engagements with and interpretations of Job, both in exegetical and theological works (e.g., the Moralia of Gregory the Great; the commentaries of Thomas Aquinas, Albertus Magnus, and Nicholas of Lyra; and commentaries on the Sentences of Peter Lombard), on the one hand, and in vernacular and popular works (e.g., artistic depictions, Old English literature, the sermons of John Wycliffe and his followers), on the other.

This course provides an introduction to the theology of Thomas Aquinas (c. 1225-1274) in its historical, intellectual, and institutional contexts, with a focus on reading and understanding the primary texts of Thomas (in English translation). The course considers Thomas’s treatment of central theological topics including the nature and extent of theology, the status and interpretation of Sacred Scripture, the existence and essence of God, divine providence and predestination, God’s triune nature, creation, human nature, evil and sin, grace and its effects, merit, faith and its relationship to reason, the Incarnation, Christ’s passion and death, His resurrection and ascension, and the sacraments. Throughout attention will be given to Thomas’s assumptions and working method as a scholastic master and the uses he makes of various authorities (scriptural, patristic, philosophical, etc.) in the development of his theology.

A study of the spiritual doctrine of St. Ignatius Loyola as articulated in the text of the Spiritual Exercises, but with reference to other texts such as Ignatius’ Testament, letters, and the Constitutions of the Society of Jesus. The focus is how Ignatius’ treatment of prayer, discernment of spirits, and discernment of God’s will, work together to form a “contemplative in action.”

Liturgy in the West from Gregory the Great to the eve of the Reformation. Focus will be on the Eucharist and the Liturgical Year.

Just four women have been designated Doctors of the Church. They were, variously, church reformers, subjects of inquisitions, founders of religious movements, counselors to prelates, spiritual directors, theologians, preachers, visionaries, mystics, artists, religious nun or laywoman. We will examine how world events, ecclesiastical politics, and theological currents shaped and were shaped by them. The course will examine their writings; how each women understood herself, the Church, and Christian life in their respective eras; how their contemporaries understood or misunderstood them; and what motivated popes to declare them Doctors of the Church; and what they have to teach us today.

This course examines Book IV of the 1983 Code of Canon Law, the sanctifying munus of the Church. It presents a canonical study of the Sacraments of the Catholic Church, other Acts of Divine Worship, and Sacred Places and Times. Special emphasis is placed on the Sacrament of Marriage, not only on substantive norms (cann. 1055 – 1165) but also on Book VII as regards the Process for Declaration of Marriage Nullity. A comparison with selected norms of the 1990 Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches will highlight some specificities of Sacramental Law of the Eastern Catholic Churches.

This course introduces the primary sources of the Catholic moral traditions from the Commandments and Beatitudes to the moral and theological virtues as a call and response to Christian discipleship. Attention will be given to the tradition’s warrants aligned with moral thought and the philosophical traditions of the virtues and the natural law. Key subjects considered are freedom, authority, sin, conscience, and virtue as well as discernment of the ways to be in a world paradoxically coherent with and contrary to the invitation God extends to all, development of those skills and practices that contribute to growth as a moral agent, and recourse to the remedies of failures encountered along the pilgrim’s way.

This course builds on Catholic social teaching found in the magisterial documentary history and brings the insights on social sin to bear on responsibility, accountability, and justice. Attention will be given to primary sources in light of the contemporary critique of abusive/sinful practices among persons with institutionalized power and authority exposed in anti-racist, post-colonial, and liberation thought. The course a) presents the common good as justice developed in these traditions, b) explores responsibility for the social, economic, educational, health, legal, and political status of vulnerable persons, and c) considers accountability by realizing the preferential option for the poor.

The main objective of the course is to be able to read the New Testament in the original. This is the second part of the two semester course where we will finish all Croy’s lessons, provided that a good understanding and working knowledge of the material has been attained. We will cover a chapter every two class meetings and the third meeting we will have a review, a quiz and may introduce a new chapter depending on the progress. The students will be expected to master the basic grammar and most common vocabulary of the New Testament Greek, complete all assignments on time and participate actively in class.

The purpose of the course is to teach fluent reading while reviewing grammar, syntax and vocabulary as needed. It presupposes that the student has taken one full-year course of Greek and that the student has a working knowledge of the elements of Greek morphology and syntax. In accomplishing the course's purpose, the student is introduced to a variety of NT and LXX texts as well as other texts by Greek authors.

Disability visibility has increased concern in ecclesial, academic, and social milieu for understanding how the Church (and the churches) respond and work to be inclusive with and for persons with disability (PWD). This module will explore the moral imperatives of inclusion, the diversity of disability in the human community, and the development of ministerial practices directed to participation. Specific attention will be given to 1) consciousness-raising on the generally discriminatory experience historically and today of PWD, 2) understanding disability using the social model developed by PWD, 3) reviewing some of the literature developed by scholars with disability and their collaborators, 4) building relationships between PWD and the non-disabled, and 5) studying the Church's documents in reference to PWD.

This module explores the consequences and lessons of COVID-19 that are still unfolding among us. Operating primarily from the perspectives of pastoral care and organization health, the class will look at some of the ways in which the pandemic -- and pandemic response -- has highlighted structural social inequality and the importance of community in responding to crises. Attention will be given to innovations and challenges related to the faithful use of technology, new ways of building community, and how to discuss social issues related to health and science informed by care for the common good.

The dynamics of human living, including experiences of God, are multidimensional: intrapersonal, interpersonal, group, structural, cultural, and global. Given these interrelated interior and exterior dynamics, what are the sources, mediums, aims, and risks of care? This course responds to this question using the literatures of spirituality studies, peace studies, practical theology, and pastoral care.

A social construction at its core, the modern idea of race has been given power through the years. Accruing strength and mostly negative use over time it has cut across the private sphere and become a portentous social idea in the form of systemic racism, institutionalized within government, laws, medical science, religion, culture, and society. This course explores the historical foundations of race and racism, and ranges over different manifestations of institutional racism in the spheres of criminal justice, employment, housing, health care, political power, education, and religious and congregational life. It also looks into recent movements for racial justice in thought and practice, and considers ways in which theological ideas and church practices can be refocused to contribute to racial justice within the academy, ecclesial communities, and the larger landscape of society.

The study of death and dying is a complex, multidimensional, and evolving field. This course draws on contemporary theory and research to explore death and dying from multiple perspectives, including religious, theological, pastoral, and psychological. Topics include societal attitudes toward death; facing one's own death; cultural features of death and dying; end-of-life issues; children and death; funerals and the use of ritual in ministry to the dying; pastoral sensitivities and skills for ministering to the dying; and pressing contemporary concerns, such as death in the workplace, institutional death, violent death, and death in global perspective.

Over the course of our lives, many people suffer from serious acute or chronic illnesses, traumas, and disabilities. We all mourn the losses of loved ones. We all, at some point, confront dying, death and grief. Despite their certainty, many approach these life events with anxiety, fear, and avoidance. This course will address human sickness, trauma, disability, and the processes of dying and grieving from psychosocial, theological, clinical-pastoral, liturgical, and experiential perspectives. Building on current studies, research, and dynamics related to the care of persons who are sick, disabled, traumatized, and dying, this course will enhance the knowledge and skills needed to intervene and respond effectively to the spiritual and emotional needs of people who may look to a compassionate caregiver for guidance, comfort, and healing in times of crisis and loss. This course is intended for a diverse group of caregivers—pastoral counselors, healthcare, prison, and school chaplains, lay and ordained ministers, and other health care professionals—who provide assistance and care both in institutional settings and within families and communities.

This course explores how aesthetics and imagination shape expectations and hopes we have for our communities. The class begins with an exploration of “theopoetics,” which affirms that how we express experiences of the divine shapes what we think the divine is. Content builds from there to the role of imagination in religious reflection more broadly. Readings are profoundly interdisciplinary, with scholarship from philosophical and sociological treatments of imagination, psychology, theology, and literary criticism. Some customization of work is possible and students will be able to deepen their focus in directions of their choosing by selecting texts that speak to them.

In this foundational course, we develop an understanding of critical dimensions of competent and compassionate pastoral care and counseling today. This course has four primary foci. First, we consider theoretical perspectives that may ground this large ministerial field. Second, we study concrete methods and skills for effective pastoral care. Third, we examine some challenging realities to which all pastoral caregivers must respond at some point, including domestic violence, grief and loss, and suicide. Finally, we consider the person of the pastoral caregiver, including the necessity of resilience in ministry and next steps in developing as a pastoral caregiver. Throughout the course, we explore pastoral care/counseling from contemporary theological, psychological, and cultural perspectives. We also consider the specific roles and possible strategies of the pastoral caregiver and the faith community in supporting individuals and communities as they harness strengths and resources to negotiate challenges and create or maintain stability and well-being. This course includes lecture, readings, discussion, and exercises.

The dynamics of human living, including experiences of God, are multidimensional: intrapersonal, interpersonal, group, structural, cultural, and global. Given these interrelated interior and exterior dynamics, what are the sources, mediums, aims, and risks of care? This course responds to this question using the literatures of spirituality studies, peace studies, practical theology, and pastoral care.

A practicum designed to prepare ordination candidates in the Roman Catholic Church for the ministry of liturgical presidency. Students will meet twice a week (once for theory and once for practice) as well as in small groups and for videotaping.

A practicum designed to prepare ordination candidates in the Roman Catholic Church for the liturgical ministry of confessor in the celebration of the Rite of Penance.

This course considers the process of identity formation, which comes to the fore in adolescence and is refined and integrated throughout adulthood. This course examines the questions and concerns that surround that discovery and integration process, particularly attending to how identity is problematized within postmodern contexts. Participants in this course pursue the question: how might we attend ministerially to young people growing through this process? Conducted in seminar format, participants are responsible for conducting topic discussions for the class. Prior coursework in youth and young adult ministry and/or developmental theory is required for registration. Permission required.

Catholic education and catechesis are rooted in particular appropriations of the Christian faith articulated as schools of spirituality. From these appropriations emerge commitments to specific charisms and pedagogical practices. It is imperative that Catholic educational efforts continue to affirm the spiritual legacies that have sustained schools, missions, and parochial programs throughout history. In this course we read some foundational texts of major schools of spirituality and explore how they have inspired life-giving philosophies of Catholic education. The guiding principle throughout the course is that a good philosophy of Catholic education and catechesis is always sustained by a deep spirituality.

This course is designed to assist students in developing religion curriculum for adolescents, particularly within the setting of Catholic secondary schools. It considers the place of religious instruction within the larger ambit of the Catholic school’s mission, including interaction with campus ministry and service learning. It attends to frameworks of faith development within adolescence. It includes the development of learning outcomes and assessment tools; pedagogy; curricular maps; units and lesson plans. Finally, it calls participants to be self-aware of the teacher’s role through the development of a pedagogic creed.

When a school presents itself to the world as offering Catholic education, it signals, at a minimum, that it is committed to educating from and for faith. It is to educate from deep spiritual convictions that are core to Catholicism and for a Transcendent as well as an immanent perspective on life, preparing students to live well into an Ultimate Horizon – God as revealed in Jesus Christ. What does this ask of the curriculum of a Catholic school, of its faculty and administrators? We once took for granted our response to such questions, for example when 95% of faculty and staff were vowed religious and all students were decidedly Catholic. That era has passed, bringing new challenges and opportunities. Note, for example, the growing number of students from other or no faith tradition attending, likewise an often diverse faculty and staff, and many Catholic students who are more cultural than affiliated in their faith. This changed reality, coupled with the secular and postmodern culture of our time, offers new opportunity for a fresh address of what makes education Catholic.

This course provides a historical, literary and theological overview of the prophets and the prophetic books in the Hebrew Bible. Although we will look at the Former Prophets, most of the class will focus on the Latter (Writing) Prophets. When possible, we will read prophetic books in their entirety, but for longer books we will read selected texts. By the end of this course I hope that you will better appreciate the rich diversity of form, style and theology we find in the prophetic books.

The New Testament is a collection of diverse writings that are central to Christian faith and life. This course will introduce students to the literary characteristics, historical context, and theological content of these writings and to the methods and approaches associated with the modern discipline of biblical studies.

Our study of Matthew's Gospel will attend to its literary features, social context, and theological content. In addition to helping us understand how the Matthean author used various sources to write his distinct narrative of Jesus' ministry, Passion and Resurrection, historical-criticism will assist in contextualizing both author and community within a late first-century multi-cultural context. As the most commented upon Gospel in the early Church, we will also consider how Matthew's emphasis on the OT and understanding of Jesus were received by early Christians who sought to articulate Christianity in light of the controversies at that time (e.g., Marcionism).

This seminar will engage in sustained critical examination of recent scholarly work that represents, or has the potential to become, groundbreaking for the discipline of biblical studies. At the end of this course, students should be able to comprehend and critically engage scholarly work of the highest quality in the disciplinary field.

This course will begin with an overview of feminist biblical hermeneutics – its history and variety – and then we will examine depictions of women throughout the Christian Bible. Part of this analysis will consist of looking at these depictions from different feminist perspectives. Another part of our analysis will be a consideration of the stories’ social and cultural contexts, especially what archaeology can tell us about women’s lives in antiquity.

This course examines how the Hebrew Bible addresses questions around human suffering. After surveying different biblical perspectives, we will immerse ourselves in the Book of Job, in which Job and his friends (and, ultimately, YHWH) consider the meaning of Job’s suffering. While this course is primarily interested in the theologies of the Book of Job, we will also take into account the book’s literary artistry, redaction history and historical context. By the end of this course I hope you will have a better understanding of this important book, which is as timeless, complex, and inexhaustible as the mystery it contemplates.

A literary, historical, and theological introduction to the Old Testament (Hebrew Bible)—the Pentateuch, Historical Books, Wisdom Literature and Psalms, and Prophets.

This is an introductory core course on the four New Testament Gospels. Among the primary aims of this course is to provide an overview of the structure and content of each of the four Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) and an analysis of various scholarly methods for interpreting them. This course will review what scholars call the Synoptic Problem, an investigation into the relationship of the Synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke) to one another, and discuss the arguments for and against the hypothetical source known as Quelle. This course will also discuss the relationship between the Gospel of John to the Synoptic Gospels, and the relationship between the Gospels and other relevant texts like the Gospel of Thomas. This study of the Gospels will be situated in an ecclesial framework that includes a theological perspective.

This course will reflect on the theology of the Eucharist as it has developed throughout the history of the Church, and will seek a contemporary understanding of traditional doctrines in light of Vatican II and the reformed ritual for the Eucharistic liturgy.

What does it mean to “teach as Jesus taught,” especially in situations where human dignity is threatened and compromised by vulnerability, catastrophe, terror, uncertainty, and misery? Using the writings of Brazilian theorist Paulo Freire as a point of reference for theological inquiry and critical reflection, this course sets Freire’s insights in conversation with those of contemporary biblical scholars, theologians, educators and philosophers who believe “another world is possible.” The course examines the interconnectedness of love, hope, faith, freedom, wonder, dialogue and moral agency in promoting the Gospel of life and the culture of death.

This course presents the methods and insights of patristic treatments on the topics of theology through a study of major figures and texts. After an overview of the culture and context of the early church, we will treat patristic reflection on: Scripture, faith and reason, Christ, Trinity, the church, liturgy, ethics, and prayer. Authors and literature include, but are not limited to: Ignatius of Antioch, Justin Martyr, Irenaeus, Clement of Alexandria, The Martyrdom of Perpetua and Felicity, Origen, Tertullian, Athanasius, Basil of Caesarea, Gregory of Nazianzus, Gregory of Nyssa, Hilary of Poitiers, Ambrose, Augustine, and John Chrysostom.

This course examines the relationship between history and eschatology through the lens of the "Kingdom of God" that is central to Jesus' preaching. It proposes a hermeneutic that will take as point of departure the church´s eschatological statements. We will examine these statements within the framework of the human historical process and the pilgrimage of God's People towards the reign of God.

This course is a study of the mystery of God from the perspective of aesthetics and art. In other words, we will try to understand God’s saving presence and action in our lives, in the world, and in history, based on the transcendental and liberating experience of art, and we will try to speak about God – who has revealed God’s self in Christ – using aesthetic categories. We will also explore different ways to establish a conversational relationship between theology and the arts.

This seminar will unfold by first examining Johann Metz's early relationship and subsequent break with the theology of Karl Rahner. Next we will explore Metz's critical dialogue with the thinkers of the Frankfurt school and the manner in which this encounter led to the formulation of Metz's early political theology. We will then turn to Metz's mature political theology as a "theology after Auschwitz." Some of the themes to be considered include Metz's assertion of the need for "anamnestic rationality," his focus on "the theodicy question," his apocalyptic eschatology, and his articulation of a mystical-political spirituality.

In the United States, feminist and African-American/Black theologies have received much deserved recognition for their original contributions to the task of theological construction. However, it should be noted that right alongside these liberation and justice oriented theologies, even if with less publicity until recently, Latino and Latina theologians have been developing their own distinctive form of contextual and liberation theology written from the perspective of their lives in the United States. This course examines their theological expression, offering an overview of the historical development, main academic theologians, core themes and methods, and the promise and challenge of U.S. Latino(a) theology in the process. Besides offering students a solid introduction to U.S. Latinx theology, the course grants an opportunity to enhance one's cultural competence; to learn about the characteristics of the largest ethnic minority group in the United States (i.e. Latinos and Latinas); and to become more familiar with U.S. social history, the legacy of colonialism, and contemporary decolonial thinking.

This course seeks to clarify what it means to confess that Jesus of Nazareth is the Christ, and why this is a significant claim. The course examines the New Testament, the early councils of the Church, the writings of early and medieval Christian theologians, the dogmatic teachings of the Church and the contributions of contemporary theologians. Two main questions will be addressed: Who is Jesus? How does Jesus save us?

The ecclesial dimension of Christian faith is the focal point of this course. The course will locate the church within both a Trinitarian theology and a theological anthropology. Specific topics for exploration include the place of the church in the Creed, the sacramentality of the church, a theology of mission, and of structure and authority. The course will also explore current issues shaping the church's life and its place in the wider culture.

The course will offer the Scriptural sources, the dogmatic development and the works of contemporary theologians that have contributed to the Church?s reflection on God, One and Triune, as revealed through the life and praxis of Jesus of Nazareth. This fundamental path will permit us to offer a systematic Trinitarian theology of God as Mystery of salvation and liberation of all.

Issues of embodiment relating to theology, spirituality, and ministry form the substance of this course. We will probe understandings of the body found in the historical Christian tradition and draw insights regarding human bodiliness from contemporary theology, philosophy, psychology, and social theory. Finally, we will examine the role of the body in lived Christian faith with a particular emphasis on spirituality, education, and pastoral care.

An introduction to the theological corpus of Elizabeth Johnson, one of the foremost women's voices in theology today. The course will examine Johnson's writings, turning a keen eye turned toward the methodologies, source materials, and commitments apparent in her work. It will explore Johnson's expansive reading of the Christian tradition, as evident in her presentation of God, Christ, the human, and the world.

A study of major works of Christian literature as sources for theology. We study hymns and verse from the early church, including the Odes of Solomon, the works of Ephrem, and the hymns of Ambrose, before examining the literature of the Middle Ages, including selections from Dante's Inferno, and the poets and playwrights of the Renaissance. We conclude with major Christian novelists of recent decades, including Flannery O'Connor and Marilynne Robinson. There will be discussion on issues of form and content in theology as well as special attention to literary approaches to Christian doctrine and mystery.

What is the Christian vision of humanity? This course examines key aspects of human life in the light of Christian revelation including: the human person as created in the image of God; finitude, suffering, and sin; forgiveness and sanctification; grace and nature; gender and sexuality; community; and Ignatian spirituality.