Open Classroom

June 2–August 22

$400

CATE 604-AU CCC: Doctrinal Synthesis with Sean Innerst

“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.

CERTIFICATES FOR CATHOLIC EDUCATORS

June 2–August 22

$400

CEDU 150 The Religious Dimension of Learning Certificate
The essential mark of a Catholic school is that it presents “a Catholic worldview throughout the curriculum” (Archbishop Michael Miller, The Holy See’s Teaching on Catholic Schools, 2006).  This certificate program introduces educators to the holy wisdom found in a fully integrated Catholic education.  This program is guided by the Congregation for Catholic Education’s document “TheReligious Dimension of Education in a Catholic School,” which provides a practical roadmap for renewing a school by grounding all its activities in the faith. The program consists of seven 3-hour courses:

·     The Mystery of the Human Person

·     Our Philosophic Heritage

·     The Book of Nature: Science and Faith

·     A Providential God: The Drama of Human History

·     The Artistic and Literary Patrimony of Christianity

·     Educating the Christian Person

·     The Worshiping Person

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CERTIFICATES FOR CATHOLIC EDUCATORS

June 2–August 22

$400

CEDU 151 The Seven Pillars of Wisdom Certificate  
This certificate program provides training in the seven liberal arts, which are the streams that lead through the essential disciplines of the mind to the ocean of divine wisdom: God himself, the source of all truth and the end of all our striving for wisdom. The program consists of seven 3-hour courses:

·     Grammar and the Power of Words

·     Perfecting Thought Through Logic

·     Rhetoric: Empowering Truth

·     Imagination and the Art of Geometry

·     Arithmetic and the Power of Number

·     The Heavenly Art of Astronomy

·     Music: Understanding the Mysteries

June 2–August 22

$400

SCRP 502-AU Jesus and the Gospels with John Sehorn

The four canonical Gospels constitute “the principal witness for the life and teaching of the incarnate Word, our savior” (Dei Verbum 18). For believers, the highest aim of all study of the Gospels is to know Jesus Christ ever more fully. In this course, students will gain insight into how historical, literary, and theological tools can be fruitfully engaged to that end. The relationship between the Gospels and the Old Testament receives special consideration. The course primarily follows a canonical itinerary, attending to the distinctive characteristics of each of the Evangelists’ portrayals of the one Lord Jesus Christ.

January 13 - May 2, 2025

$400

This course will explore the literature of worship and wisdom in the Old Testament. Through an in-depth engagement with these ancient texts in light of recent scholarship, students will examine the historical background, literary provenance and poetic purposes of the diverse books of Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs, Sirach and Wisdom. Rather than limiting the scope to form-critical and compositional concerns, the course will consider the function of the Psalms in the cult of ancient Israel and the social role and development of wisdom literature in the life of post-exilic Judaism. Furthermore, this course will uncover the roots of Christological interpretation of the Psalms in the New Testament, and the use of Psalms in Jewish and Christian traditions of prayer. The course will highlight the theological significance of these texts’ structures, their inner coherence, their original meaning and their relevance for the life of the Church today.

June 2–August 22

$400

SCRP 611-AU Gospel of Matthew with Michael Barber

This course offers an in-depth study of the Gospel according to Matthew. Special attention is given to the Jewish character of the Gospel. After looking at issues pertaining to the authorship and dating of the book, the course will examine the Gospel’s literary structure, highlighting the way Jesus’ major discourses relate to the narrative sections that precede them. Along the way, students will see how the theme of the fulfillment of the scriptures is essential for understanding the Gospel’s Christology, its ecclesiology, its teaching on discipleship, and its eschatology. In all of this, students will discover that Matthew presents Jesus as Israel’s Messiah (the “son of David”), the only beloved Son of the Father who is sacrificed to bring blessings to all nations (the “son of Abraham”), the true interpreter of the Law (the New Moses), the Son of Man, the New Israel, and as Emmanuel, “God with us.”

June 2–August 22

$400

SCRP 615-AU Catholic Epistles with James Prothro

This course introduces the seven letters in the New Testament known since ancient times as the“Catholic Epistles”: James, 1-2 Peter, 1-3 John, and Jude. Although these are some of the shortest documents in the New Testament, they provide us with an essential window into the life and teaching of several “pillars” of the early Church: Peter, James, John, and Jude (although the identity of these is disputed). Moreover, as we will see, they are also some of the most controversial documents in the New Testament. For example, Martin Luther famously referred to James as an “epistle of straw” and regarded it as virtually (if not actually) non-canonical. Likewise, in modern times, the apostolic authorship of every one of these documents has been disputed, and some of them—such as 2 Peter, 2-3 John, and Jude—were even disputed during the patristic period. And yet the Church regards all of these books as inspired and canonical writings of the New Testament. Indeed, as we will see, in terms of their theological content, they are extremely consequential, providing essential New Testament teaching on such topics as faith and works, justification, sins of the tongue, anointing of the sick, the priesthood of the laity, Jesus’ descent into hell, redemptive suffering, divinization (Greek theōsis), sola scriptura, the end of the world, the new creation, the distinction between mortal and venial sin, the antichrist, the existence of hell, and the deposit of faith. Hence, the goal of this course is to familiarize the students with the contents of the Catholic epistles, the controversies surrounding their origins and meaning, as well as major commentators on these texts.

June 2–August 22

$400

SCRP 622-AU Teaching Scripture for the New Evangelization with Ben Akers

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 focus on practical application.

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June 2–August 22

$400

THEO 502-AU Mystagogy with Elizabeth Klein

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 theLiturgy, and Corbon, Wellsprings of Worship.

June 2–August 22

$400

THEO 515-AU Evangelization and the Body of Christ with Arielle Harms

This class explores contemporary social conditions and proposes evangelizing strategies and pastoral aids to bring those outside the Church or on the margins to Christ and the sacraments. The course also provides a vision for true Christ centered service in ecclesial communities and structures, including dioceses, parishes, schools, and apostolates.