FC 5006: Theology of Family

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.