Based upon the book of the same title by Eugene Kevane, this course focuses on the contributions to the field of evangelization and catechesis made by Augustine of Hippo, drawing upon Instructing Beginners in Faith (DCR) and On Christian Doctrine (DDC), but also upon some his other works, especially the Confessions and some of his early dialogues. It will propose a thematic paradigm for an Augustinian approach to the apostolate centered around the four themes of interiority, studiositas, sobriety and amicitia/societas.

The Catechism tells us that God’s self-disclosure in Revelation “involves a specific divine pedagogy,” by which he discloses himself to us gradually in history.  The GDC indicates that all catechesis is to echo that divine pedagogy and that all catechetical methods are to be regulated by it. In this course that meta-methodology will be examined and applied in particular methodologies of teaching and classroom management.

This course will examine the dynamism of kerygma, the initial proclamation of faith, as found in New Testament and early Church sources, as well as the catechumenal forms that followed these in the ancient practice of the Church. Since the catechumenate is to inform all other catechetical forms “in both their objectives and in their dynamism” (GDC 59), this study will inform not only the practice of the RCIA but all other catechetical and parochial ministries as well.

“This catechism is conceived as an organic presentation of the Catholic faith in its entirely. It should be seen therefore as a unified whole.” So speaks the Catechism of itself at paragraph 18.  In this course the body of the faith as an integrated whole is sought.  This involves both the account of doctrinal content and development, but also by way of reflection upon the methodological ordering of that content, such that the CCC establishes a “methodological-content,” and a paradigm for all forms of evangelization and catechesis. Other doctrinal and catechetical sources will be presented (Conciliar canons, Roman Catechism, etc.) so that a full doctrinal synthesis will be presented.

This course will present a survey of the catechetical practices and instruments used throughout the history of the Church for the purpose of grounding an ad fontes approach to catechetical practice, that is, to equip catechists to be good stewards, capable of drawing out both the old the new, in their catechetical practice.  Particular attention will be given to the ways in which the events and cultural movements of Church history have influenced the catechetical apostolate.

Since the Liturgy of the Church is one of the important loci for Tradition and the place where the faith is enacted and God is adored, it has a central part in the work of evangelization and catechesis.  As Pope John Paul II put it, “Catechesis is intrinsically linked with the whole of liturgical and sacramental activity, for it is in the sacraments, especially in the Eucharist, that Christ Jesus works in fullness for the transformation of men” (CT 23).  This course will show that fruitful reception of Holy Communion is an essential goal of all evangelization and catechesis (EN 14) and present specific strategies for making the sacraments the “source and summit” of Catholic life (SC 10).

Pope Benedict XVI called for a “biblical apostolate” in which Sacred Scripture inspires and informs all pastoral work. This class responds to his call by helping students to engage the Word of God so that it may enliven faith, transform the mind, and inform the way the gospel message is communicated. We will look at teachers of Scripture from across the history of the Church. Students will gain a deeper appreciation of the Word of God by an attentive reading of select biblical passages, considering them in light of their historical milieu, representative patristic sources, reflections offered by saints, and select contemporary scholarship. This class will be a seminar focused on practical application.

“It is written in the prophets, ‘And they shall all be taught by God.’” (John 6:45). These words of Christ set the stage for this course, one which offers an opportunity to reflect upon the nature of education in light of the Gospel. In this course, students, teachers, and administrators reflect upon the vocation of teaching, the history and goals of Catholic education, and the practices and tools of the craft of teaching. Students also examine particular challenges in the contemporary teaching context as well as the perennial challenges of following in the footsteps of Christ the Teacher.

This course considers the life and writings of St. Paul, exploring his Jewish origins, life-changing conversion, and vocation. Students encounter St. Paul’s writings in context and understood both as essential to the Church’s teaching and in light of varying exegetical approaches through the centuries. Students see St. Paul as a rabbi and a theologian, and also as a catalyst in the early Church, who simultaneously criticizes and utilizes the Greco-Roman and Jewish worldviews in his proclamation of the gospel. This course treats St. Paul’s mastery of rhetoric and his pastoral sensitivity in a way that prepares students to formulate effective strategies for evangelization.