Faith and Culture

In faith and ministerial formation, theological reflection is a foundational skill in processing and integrating life experiences through the lens of faith as experienced in community. This course is an introduction to systematic reflective praxis in theological reflection through collaborative dialogue and written reflection, culminating in the guided construction and presentation of a formal reflection paper using a four task approach. Prerequisites include completion of the UST Core Theology and Philosophy sequences, as learners are expected to apply foundational theological knowledge and skills in reflective exercises. Additional emphasis will be placed on rhetoric, development of formal writing and speaking skills, oral presentation, dialogue and group processing.

This course will address the dignity of the human person. This will include the Biblical foundations of our origin, our being made male and female, in God’s image; that, as incarnate spirits, we are created for and fulfilled in relationship (communio), destined as God’s adopted children in baptism for eternal life. It is the vocation to Trinitarian love in imitation of Christ that marks our destiny; it is lived out in family, church and community, and our baptismal call to discipleship in carrying out His mission in the world in the particular state in life to which we are called (missio). The importance of our capacity for moral integrity as a response to God’s initiative will be explored. Special emphasis will be placed on how the discipleship (communio and missio) of man and woman is lived out in the Sacrament of Marriage, an intimate partnership of mutual self-giving.

This course is an introduction to the history and development of the Church’s understanding and teachings on marriage of which God is the author. This will include: how Church law has changed in the last 100 years, away from a juridical to a personalist, spiritual understanding of marriage as a path to holiness (Lumen gentium, V) and “an intimate partnership of life and love” (Gaudium et spes, no. 48ff); marriage as covenant, sacrament and “vocation in service to communion” (Catechism, no. 1602 ff) is central to the call and mission of the domestic church. This will include an understanding of the goods of marriage, including the quality of intimacy and communication, as well as the quality of freedom required for valid consent to mutual self-giving of the vows. The contemporary challenges of fertility management, divorce, and related concerns will be addressed within the overall charism of marriage as covenant love, a living sign of Christ and his church.

This course is an introduction to the theology of the family and will include the Judeo-Christian tradition of the family. It will also explore the history and development of the Church’s understanding of the family as a domestic church and will include a study of the family’s inclusion in documents of Vatican II, particularly Gaudium et Spes and Lumen Gentium, as well as Gravissimus Educationis and Pope Paul’s Evangelii Nuntiandi. A primary focus will be on Pope John Paul’s Familiaris Consortio, and his Letter to Families, both of which followed the 1980 Synod on the Family. Special attention will be given to those resources published by the U.S. Catholic Bishops (A Family Perspective in Church & Society, Putting Children & Families First, and Follow the Way of Love) that were designed to explain in detail how to bring this perspective to parish and diocese. Pope Francis’ 2016 Amoris Laetitia will be covered in detail. In addition, the family as one of the basic principles of Catholic social teaching will be explored.

This course will focus on the growth and development of a person – including their faith formation – in the context of family. The purpose of the course is to understand the need for lifelong formation in the areas of marriage and family. The vision of John Paul II and Pope Francis– and other Church documents (e.g. Revised Code of Canon Law) stressed that preparation for marriage begins in the earliest years (“remote preparation”), through the immediate preparation prior to the wedding, with follow-up support necessary throughout the life of a marriage and family. Every area of ministry (catechetical, youth, social, etc.) should play a role in this formation. This vision also involves an understanding of the family as a system of relationships that develop and change over time. The focus should be on working with families to strengthen and support their own mission and their everyday “ministry” as spouses, as parents, as extended family members.

This course will include an overview of the available research and current statistics on marriage and family in today’s world. Sources will be varied and will include both ecclesial and secular sources. The latest statistics on cohabitation, out of wedlock births, and civil (vs) sacramental marriages will be covered. Given the number of growing population of immigrants from Mexico, Latin America and Africa, their influence will be addressed. Other topics to be addressed will be the changing societal trends that impact the Church’s ministry to families, such as: What are the pressing issues for the variety of structures/forms of marriage and family life? What are the special needs of the most vulnerable populations, e.g. the economically deprived, the elderly, the sick, those with no extended family or community support? In addition, the increase of childless marriages and the decreasing focus on children will be discussed in depth; abortion is only one of the multiple effects of a culture that overlooks the role and importance of new life in building a healthy society.

This course gives a historical overview of the family’s place in society across the ages. Whereas the family has always been the primary agent for performing certain tasks from birth to death, there have been significant changes in family responsibilities over the past 150 years. Many family functions have shifted to other institutions, and thus the family is often dependent on “experts” in health care, education, recreation, protection of children, etc. Pope John Paul II called a Synod to address such issues because of the family’s essential role as “the basic cell of church and society.” Pope Francis called another Synod thirty years later, asking once again how do we support and strengthen the family, how to “accompany” them through these challenging times. His post synodal exhortation Amoris Laetitia articulates the synodal teaching in today’s context. The focus of the course will be on the “partnership model” proposed in the U.S. Bishops’ document, A Family Perspective in Church & Society, and used successfully in a growing number of other institutions such as schools, hospitals, and social welfare agencies.

This course seeks to develop an appreciation of the strengths and challenges of the dominant American way of life as embodied in the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States. It studies the roots of the American Republic, the formulation of its worldview, its principal values, representative character, codes of behavior, and institutions. It then views these through the lens of the Gospel. The course is designed to lead students to appreciate what it means to be faithful citizens and American Catholics, enabling them to bring the Catholic voice into the public discourse.

Based on the understanding of the human person as it is articulated in the Second Vatican Council's Gaudium et Spes and subsequent papal teaching, this course examines the constitutive elements of the human person created in the image and likeness of God. It examines creation, grace, sin, freedom and the communitarian destiny of humankind. The course then will contrast this revealed understanding of persons in community with some of the philosophical understandings of the human person that underlie American individualism.

American political life, in attempting to separate religion from politics, has, at times, tried to separate politics from ethics and the development of virtue. The first part of this course will argue that such a separation, however well intentioned, cannot sustain effective civic life, and in fact runs the risk of falling into authoritarianism. In the classical and medieval periods—and in the formation of the United States of America—certain personal virtues have been thought to be foundational for a healthy society. This course will consider how those virtues still constitute that foundation. It will show how various political theories are based in suppositions about human nature, and examine those suppositions critically.

This course seeks to give the student a framework for living a life in Christ, which is rooted in Scripture and the Tradition of the Church. Special attention will be given to identifying major areas of contrast between the American way of life and the Christian call to spiritual transformation.

This course presents the origins of the Church in the mission of Jesus, and the development of the Catholic understanding of the mystery of the Body of Christ. Special attention is given to the ecclesiology of Vatican II in its discussions of the Church’s hierarchical and charismatic gifts, the communion of saints, the Catholic Church’s commitment to ecumenism and religious liberty, the universal call to holiness, and the mission of the Church today. Consideration will also be given to the Catholic social tradition as an articulation of the Church’s mission.

The best means for the Church to evangelize is through dialogue with the world (Redemptor Hominis). Christians, therefore, must be masters of dialogue. This course will focus on developing those communication skills that are essential for bringing the Good News into the public sphere.

This course explores the mystery of the Church as prefigured in Israel, as constituted in the ministry of Christ, the historical development of the Church’s self-understanding, the ecclesiological teaching of Vatican II, the mission of the Church in the contemporary world, and the significance of Mary as mother and model of the Church.

In faith and ministerial formation, theological reflection is a foundational skill in processing and integrating life experiences through the lens of faith as experienced in community. This course is an introduction to systematic reflective praxis in theological reflection through collaborative dialogue and written reflection, culminating in the guided construction and presentation of a formal reflection paper using a four task approach.

This course will address the dignity of the human person. This will include the Biblical foundations of our origin, our being made male and female, in God’s image; that, as incarnate spirits, we are created for and fulfilled in relationship (communio), destined as God’s adopted children in baptism for eternal life. It is the vocation to Trinitarian love in imitation of Christ that marks our destiny; it is lived out in family, church and community, and our baptismal call to discipleship in carrying out His mission in the world in the particular state in life to which we are called (missio). The importance of our capacity for moral integrity as a response to God’s initiative will be explored. Special emphasis will be placed on how the discipleship (communio and missio) of man and woman is lived out in the Sacrament of Marriage, an intimate partnership of mutual self-giving.

This course is an introduction to the history and development of the Church’s understanding and teachings on marriage of which God is the author. This will include: How Church law has changed in the last 100 years, away from a juridical to a personalist, spiritual understanding of marriage as a path to holiness (Lumen gentium, V) and “an intimate partnership of life and love” (Gaudium et spes, no. 48ff); marriage as covenant, sacrament and “vocation in service to communion” (Catechism, no. 1602 ff) is central to the call and mission of the domestic church. This will include an understanding of the goods of marriage, including the quality of intimacy and communication, as well as the quality of freedom required for valid consent to mutual self-giving of the vows. The contemporary challenges of fertility management, divorce, and related concerns will be addressed within the overall charism of marriage as covenant love, a living sign of Christ and his church.

This course is an introduction to the theology of the family and will include the Judeo-Christian tradition of the family. It will also explore the history and development of the Church’s understanding of the family as a domestic church and will include a study of the family’s inclusion in documents of Vatican II, particularly Gaudium et Spes and Lumen Gentium, as well as Gravissimus Educationis and Pope Paul’s Evangelii Nuntiandi. A primary focus will be on Pope John Paul’s Familiaris Consortio, and his Letter to Families, both of which followed the 1980 Synod on the Family. Special attention will be given to those resources published by the U.S. Catholic Bishops (A Family Perspective in Church & Society, Putting Children & Families First, and Follow the Way of Love) that were designed to explain in detail how to bring this perspective to parish and diocese. Pope Francis’ 2016 Amoris Laetitia will be covered in detail. In addition, the family as one of the basic principles of Catholic social teaching will be explored.

This course will focus on the growth and development of a person – including their faith formation – in the context of family. The purpose of the course is to understand the need for lifelong formation in the areas of marriage and family. The vision of John Paul II and Pope Francis– and other Church documents (e.g. Revised Code of Canon Law) stressed that preparation for marriage begins in the earliest years (“remote preparation”), through the immediate preparation prior to the wedding, with follow-up support necessary throughout the life of a marriage and family. Every area of ministry (catechetical, youth, social, etc.) should play a role in this formation. This vision also involves an understanding of the family as a system of relationships that develop and change over time. The focus should be on working with families to strengthen and support their own mission and their everyday “ministry” as spouses, as parents, as extended family members.

This course will include an overview of the available research and current statistics on marriage and family in today’s world. Sources will be varied and will include both ecclesial and secular sources. The latest statistics on cohabitation, out of wedlock births, and civil (vs) sacramental marriages will be covered. Given the number of growing population of immigrants from Mexico, Latin America and Africa, their influence will be addressed. Other topics to be addressed will be the changing societal trends that impact the Church’s ministry to families, such as: What are the pressing issues for the variety of structures/forms of marriage and family life? What are the special needs of the most vulnerable populations, e.g. the economically deprived, the elderly, the sick, those with no extended family or community support? In addition, the increase of childless marriages and the decreasing focus on children will be discussed in depth; abortion is only one of the multiple effects of a culture that overlooks the role and importance of new life in building a healthy society.

This course gives a historical overview of the family’s place in society across the ages. Whereas the family has always been the primary agent for performing certain tasks from birth to death, there have been significant changes in family responsibilities over the past 150 years. Many family functions have shifted to other institutions, and thus the family is often dependent on “experts” in health care, education, recreation, protection of children, etc. Pope John Paul II called a Synod to address such issues because of the family’s essential role as “the basic cell of church and society.” Pope Francis called another Synod thirty years later, asking once again how do we support and strengthen the family, how to “accompany” them through these challenging times. His post synodal exhortation Amoris Laetitia articulates the synodal teaching in today’s context. The focus of the course will be on the “partnership model” proposed in the U.S. Bishops’ document, A Family Perspective in Church & Society, and used successfully in a growing number of other institutions such as schools, hospitals, and social welfare agencies.

This course traces the historical development and understanding of sexuality, gender, feminism, and the sexual revolution in both secular philosophy and in Catholic Christian context.

This course traces the historical development and understanding of sexuality, gender, feminism, and the sexual revolution in both secular philosophy and in Catholic Christian context.

This course philosophically and theologically grounds the understanding of sex, gender, and human sexuality within the metaphysics of human personhood: the body, the soul, the mind, epistemology, ontology, and humans as rational animals.

This course philosophically and theologically grounds the understanding of sex, gender, and human sexuality within the metaphysics of human personhood: the body, the soul, the mind, epistemology, ontology, and humans as rational animals.

Informed by the relevant scientific and social science evidence, this course examines what we know about sexuality and gender. Are the causes genetic or environmental (nature vs. nurture), what is the effectiveness of various interventions, what are the comorbidities and other risks associated with various sexual identities?

Informed by the relevant scientific and social science evidence, this course examines what we know about sexuality and gender. Are the causes genetic or environmental (nature vs. nurture), what is the effectiveness of various interventions, what are the comorbidities and other risks associated with various sexual identities?

This course synthesizes and applies the philosophical, historical, and scientific knowledge gained in the rest of the certificate's courses and helps students learn to apply that new knowledge in professional and practical settings. Through practical application and case studies, the course will unify and also deepen students' command of multiple facets (legal, educational, medical, and pastoral) of sexuality and gender.

This course synthesizes and applies the philosophical, historical, and scientific knowledge gained in the rest of the certificate's courses and helps students learn to apply that new knowledge in professional and practical settings. Through practical application and case studies, the course will unify and also deepen students' command of multiple facets (legal, educational, medical, and pastoral) of sexuality and gender.

This course delves into the social science of the family and its status in public policy, exploring especially the family’s relationship to Church and State and its role in society. Are men and women disproportionately affected by marriage policy? What is the relationship between the philosophical and theological foundation of marriage, on the one hand, and what the data tells us about how it’s experienced in practice in the contemporary world?

Examines public policy related to transgenderism. We will explore the identities of men, women, the changing dynamics of sex, and the important ramifications transgender policy has on civil liberties.

This course provides an introduction to the history of the Catholic Church in the United States. It will concentrate on the creation and development of ecclesiastical structures within a democratic environment, and the assimilation of the immigrant population into the American Church. In addition, the course will emphasize the key social, political, ethical, and doctrinal issues observable in the development of the American Church.

This course will explore how the Bill of Rights has shaped the Catholic experience in America.

This course explores the shifting dynamics of the family in American culture, and how Catholicism can help shape its future.

This course provides a study of Catholic social tradition that begins with its foundation in the Bible, and concludes with modern papal and episcopal documents. It will address such topics as the criminal justice system, gangs, the death penalty, the just war tradition, pacifism, nuclear weapons, voting, and immigration.

This course will focus on the study of the cultural context in which the biblical texts were written. This approach will help students understand how Christians today can relate to the original cultural context as the basic background for biblical interpretation. The biblical interpretations that will be presented in this course will contextualize the relationship between notion of God, the human person, and how these two relate in the world through history.

This course will focus on the Catholicism’s dialogue with other Christian churches, ecclesial communities, and world religions. It will allow the student to appropriate Church teaching as contained in documents such as Unitatis Redintegratio, Nostra Aetate, Orientalium Ecclesiarum, Dominus Iesus, Ut Unum Sint, subsequent papal documents, and documents from the Diacastery for Ecumenical and Interfaith dialogue. The course will also expose students to the major accomplishments that have resulted from dialogue between the Catholic Church and other Protestant denominations. Students will be exposed to various levels and types of dialogue, and be given practical opportunities to experience them.

This leadership course will afford the student the opportunity to study, analyze, and acquire the attitudes and habits of leadership in the style of Jesus of Nazareth. It will provide the student with the vision, values, attitudes, and behaviors that any Christian leader must espouse for effective leadership either in the religious or the secular context. While much good can be found in contemporary leadership management courses, far more than management skills is expected of a leader who follows Christ.

This course seeks to introduce students to the moral teachings of Catholicism to help them better understand the fundamental principles of Catholic moral teaching in order to facilitate changes in their own lives, and in the culture. Topics such as the cardinal and theological virtues, sexual ethics, medical ethics, and end of life issues will be discussed.

The Second Vatican Council was a watershed in the history of the Catholic Church. As Saint John XXIII stated in his opening statement, “the greatest concern of the Ecumenical Council is this: that the sacred deposit of Christian doctrine should be guarded and taught more efficaciously.” This course will look at the historical context of the Council, the deliberations during its fourth sessions, and its central documents. Reference will also be made to conciliar and post-conciliar papal teaching related to the Council.

This course examines the ways institutional structures and community organizations shape identity in our society.

This course will examine Catholic education in the American context, and its role in the transformation of society. It will present an overview of the basic teachings of the church on education, and a brief history of Catholic and public education in the U.S., while highlighting the relationship and key differences between the two. Topics such as civic engagement, faithful citizenship, and social transformation will be discussed. Students will research and collaborate on contemporary topics of interest related to education, and will discuss what these challenges mean for people of faith in the U.S. Students also will demonstrate leadership skills by engaging with assigned topics and developing action plans and recommendations for change.

This course will consider the various aspects of democracy and republicanism, especially through the American experience since 1776. Most of the course will revolve around a reading of de Tocqueville’s masterpiece, Democracy in America, yet it will also draw upon the insights of Edmund Burke and Robert Nesbit. Topics of discussion will include: revolutionary violence, community norms, individual and natural rights, and religion as the basis of culture.

There is fascinating evidence from the far reaches of the outer universe to the inner workings of the atom that bear striking analogies to theistic religious beliefs. This class will discuss four ways that science and religion can relate: conflict, independence, dialogue, and integration. It will be made accessible in language that non-scientists can understand. A dialogue then will ensue on the analogies of those discoveries to theistic religious beliefs with particular emphasis on Christianity and Catholicism. The course starts with assumptions, and then proposes convergence trends in four broad categories: physics to metaphysics, chemistry to life, biology to consciousness, and psychology to mysticism. A discussion of the science of the brain will coincide with the experience of mysticism. The objective of the course is for students to have a better understanding of how faith and science in recent times have come to be mutually affirming over a broad range of disciplines including physics, chemistry, biology, and psychology.

This course will focus on the increasing impact that Latinx cultures and spirituality are having on the American society. It will explore the spread of Latin cultures in their diverse forms in North America from 1492 to the present. In particular, it will focus on the roots of the Latinx spiritual imagination both in Latin American theology and popular religion.

This course aims to equip students to identify issues of economic justice, and then define effective paths of proper conduct and just action. In this sense, the course has two objectives. The first is to develop a broader vision and deeper understanding of economic justice issues in America. The second is more practical; it is to put students within case-study situations where they must confront the complexities of economic justice and attempt to devise effective action plans. Three sources provide the motivation for this course. First, many people of faith are deeply aware of the economic injustices that exist in American society. By better understanding the Catholic Church’s social justice teachings, and also the objectives and proper workings of the market economy, a deeper framework will emerge for addressing economic justice issues within the American culture. A second motivation comes from the intensifying cycle of economic scandal which has inflicted the American economy from 1987-present. This course will provide a diagnosis of this cycle, and how this points to new frontiers for economic justice activism. The final motivation involves a perception that people of faith often enter their professional lives unprepared for the tensions they will encounter. This course aims to provide students with an opportunity to prepare for such conflicts between their faith and their work life.

This course explores the summons of Catholics to be peacemakers, starting with Jesus’ declaration that they “will be called children of God” (Matthew 5:9).

The course investigates the rich tradition of the Church teaching on education, while, at the same time, challenging students to bring this tradition to bear on related contemporary issues. It explores the many different ways that Catholic education—with its emphasis on beauty, enculturation, formation, and liturgy—stands apart from the dominant culture’s assumptions that education is ultimately ordered towards employment and financial success.

The course is for men and women who are in preparation for ministry or religious life, who are in the mission field, who are ecumenical officers or members of ecumenical commissions, or who are looking for a sabbatical experience led by qualified professors and ecumenists.

This course explores a topic related to the interests of the student, while under the supervision of a faculty member of the Center. Permission of the Director is required.

Treatment of selected topics of mutual interest to the professor and students.

The MAFC Program requires that all candidates of the MA degree complete a Service-Learning and Leadership Practicum as the final component of their degree program. This practicum is designed to provide the candidate with the opportunity to integrate and apply, in practical terms, their learning gained throughout the MAFC curriculum. Candidates, in collaboration with an approval of the MAFC Program Director and Site Supervisors, will develop projects in which they will show how they will work with various groups to communicate and instruct others how to integrate faith development with civic and social responsibility. The object of the project is to enhance the life of people of faith through the service provided by the candidates. At the end of the project, candidates will provide the MAFC Program Director with a self-evaluation and the evaluation of their performance given by their Site Directors.

This course explores God as a trinity of persons.