Master of Arts: Leadership for the New Evangelization

This course helps students to understand the unity of God’s plan of salvation from Creation to the Second Coming. By a thorough overview of the Old and New Testaments, this course introduces Catholic exegetical approaches and theological interpretation, aiding students in reading Scripture as the word of God. Students engage some comparative primary texts and grapple with historiographical questions that help them to demonstrate the reliability of the Bible. With a special focus on the themes of covenant and mission, the course illustrates how Jesus fulfills God’s promises and how he invites his followers to share in his work of evangelization.

3 Credit Hours

This course presents a synthetic summary of the symbolum fidei, the Christian Creed, with particular reference to its effective presentation in catechesis. The presentation follows that of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, making reference to other statements in minor creeds and magisterial documents, with particular emphasis given to the relevant portions of the Summa Theologiae of St. Thomas Aquinas. Throughout the course, the unity and coherence of the fides quae (i.e. “the faith which is believed”) are stressed. In addition to the Catechism, two classic explorations of Catholic doctrine are considered: Ratzinger, Introduction to Christianity, and Sheed, Theology and Sanity.

3 Credit Hours

This course will investigate the history of discipleship, looking back to Scriptural times and the early Church to explore the foundations of a discipleship model as the cornerstone to effective evangelization and formation. There will be a treatment of the overall process of conversion and the unique stages of spiritual development involved, culminating in the practical arena by evaluating current ministry models to identify key earmarks of discipleship and formulating new methodologies in the practical implementation of a discipleship approach. Key texts include: Paul VI, Evangelii Nuntiandi; Pope Francis, Evangelii Gaudium; John Paul II, Redemptoris Missio; and Eims, The Lost Art of Disciple Making.

3 Credit Hours

Students will meet for a one-hour leadership seminar each week of their two years in the program. This seminar is the locus for the program’s effort in formation for lay ecclesial service and will serve to coordinate and consolidate both the individual mentoring of faculty advisors and also the students’ off-campus supervised internship work. Weekly meetings may be devoted to the discussion of a text read in common, a lecture by an Institute faculty member or guest speaker, or the periodic discussion of internship experiences.

1 Credit Hour

Among all the books of the Bible, the Gospels have “a special preeminence,” according to the Second Vatican Council, “for they are the principal witness for the life and teaching of the incarnate Word” (Dei Verbum, 18). This course examines Jesus’ life and mission in light of the Synoptic Gospels and the Gospel of John. Students engage insights from historical research into the life of Jesus and the world of first-century Judaism as well as gain a deeper understanding of the Gospels as narrative. In addition, the Gospels are also studied for their perennial theological and spiritual significance.

3 Credit Hours

Mystagogy is the ancient practice of learning to “see” the invisible Mystery made present in the visible signs of the sacraments. In this course, the Catechism and other sources of mystagogical practice serve as guides for a deeper knowledge of the plan of God made present in these wonderful gifts. After a theological and liturgical study of Christian worship, we gaze into each of the seven sacramental mysteries, learning to decode the signs they employ to dispose us better to receive what they reveal and communicate. In addition to the Catechism, texts considered include Ratzinger, Spirit of the Liturgy, and Corbon, Wellsprings of Worship.

3 Credit Hours

This course investigates the principles articulated by the Magisterium of the Church to govern and guide the practice of evangelization and catechesis—particularly as found in John Paul II’s apostolic exhortation Catechesi tradendae—and explores the various methods used to implement these directives for the sake of the New Evangelization. The content and arrangement of the Catechism of the Catholic Church will be proposed as a synthesis of past catechetical practice and a sure norm for teaching the faith in the present and the future. Attention will also be given to pedagogical methods and the pastoral strategies needed for the effective evangelization of adults, youth, and children in our current cultural setting.

3 Credit Hours

Students will meet for a one-hour leadership seminar each week of their two years in the program. This seminar is the locus for the program’s effort in formation for lay ecclesial service and will serve to coordinate and consolidate both the individual mentoring of faculty advisors and also the students’ off-campus supervised internship work. Weekly meetings may be devoted to the discussion of a text read in common, a lecture by an Institute faculty member or guest speaker, or the periodic discussion of internship experiences.

1 Credit Hour

This course explores the theological foundations for pastoral care in light of the universal call to holiness issued by the Second Vatican Council. It also considers the Council’s proper interpretation and implementation by the Magisterium down to the present day, with particular focus on John Paul II’s apostolic exhortation on the vocation of the laity, Christifidelis laici. The course treats ecclesial life and service, including the history and present reality of lay leadership in the Church, diocesan and parish structures, the practical application of canon and civil law as it relates to leadership in the Church, and also the special pastoral challenges posed by today’s secular culture.

3 Credit Hours

Through an investigation of human personhood and the vocation to love and beatitude, this course helps students to understand moral action and the habits of character it establishes. Students examine the Biblical foundation of Catholic moral teaching with particular attention given to the Sermon on the Mount, the new life realized in us by the gift of the Holy Spirit, and the virtues of Christian living. The course treats the dynamics of the moral law, sin, repentance, and grace, as well as prayer and the stages of the spiritual life. In addition to the Catechism and the Summa Theologiae, texts considered include: Pinckaers, The Sources of Christian Ethics, and Garrigou-Lagrange, The Three Conversions of the Spiritual Life.

3 Credit Hours

Students will meet for a one-hour leadership seminar each week of their two years in the program. This seminar is the locus for the program’s effort in formation for lay ecclesial service and will serve to coordinate and consolidate both the individual mentoring of faculty advisors and also the students’ off-campus supervised internship work. Weekly meetings may be devoted to the discussion of a text read in common, a lecture by an Institute faculty member or guest speaker, or the periodic discussion of internship experiences.

1 Credit Hour

This course examines the magisterial texts from Vatican II and the post-Conciliar pontificates in view of identifying the theological principles of the New Evangelization. Analysis of these principles focuses on: the Church’s missionary nature; holiness as the source and goal of evangelization; conversion as the condition for evangelization; and witness as the primary mode of evangelization. The course includes some pastoral indications based on these principles. Key texts include: Gaudium et spes, Ecclesiam Suam, Evangelii nuntiandi, Redemptoris missio, Tertio millennio adveniente, Ubicumque et semper, Porta fidei, and the documents of the Synod on the New Evangelization.

3 Credit Hours

This course transmits the leadership skills necessary to be effective “ambassadors for Christ” (II Cor 5:20), who can, in turn, form others in the faith. These skills include the ability to speak, to write, and to lead. Students study skills for collaborative work, goal setting and achievement, group dynamics, and leadership theory. Students are also expected to demonstrate a graduate-level mastery of written and oral communication for leadership in apostolic work. Key texts include: Phelps, The Catholic Vision for Leading Like Jesus; Havard, Virtuous Leadership.

3 Credit Hours

Students will meet for a one-hour leadership seminar each week of their two years in the program. This seminar is the locus for the program’s effort in formation for lay ecclesial service and will serve to coordinate and consolidate both the individual mentoring of faculty advisors and also the students’ off-campus supervised internship work. Weekly meetings may be devoted to the discussion of a text read in common, a lecture by an Institute faculty member or guest speaker, or the periodic discussion of internship experiences.

1 Credit Hour