Theology

This course provides an overview of the Catholic faith (using basic principles and teachings found in the Catechism of the Catholic Church). It facilitates increased understanding of the Church and Sacraments, further appreciation of the Trinity, and commitment to a life of loving service.

This course provides a general study of the Hebrew Scriptures for one semester; students are presented a Catholic understanding and interpretation of Sacred Scriptures. The study of moral theology in the second semester provides students the skills needed to live a moral life.

This course is designed to provide students a first-hand experience at living out the Gospel message through service to the Sacred Heart-Griffin school community. Students will take an active role in creating and implementing the Campus Ministry program in the SHG community through daily prayer, liturgical roles, retreat planning, participation and leadership. At its core, the class will provide individual and small group spiritual development. The student Campus Ministers will assist the Campus Ministry department in planning and implementing all Campus Ministry activities. The goal of the course is to put faith into practice. Course content includes Hebrew Scriptures and Moral Issues.                                        

This one-week, 40-hour course is designed to train students in the Dominican Charism. Through study of the main elements of Dominican spirituality, students come to appreciate their role as preachers within the school, home, and church communities. Upon completion of the Institute, students will assist in training of others with the charism.

REQUIRED SEMESTER 1: CHRISTIAN SCRIPTURES: HISTORY AND LITERATURE

The Second Vatican Council declared that the Gospel is the source of all saving truth and moral discipline (Dei verbum 7). As followers of Christ, we look to the New Testament, especially the four gospel accounts of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, to understand the one Gospel that our Lord Jesus Christ proclaimed. Through a careful reading of New Testament passages and the textbook, this course will seek to deepen the student’s understanding of the Gospel while fostering a closer personal relationship with Jesus. It will examine the Catholic approach to scripture which is rooted in both Sacred Tradition and the Magisterium.

In 1998, the U.S. Catholic bishops issued a statement entitled Sharing Catholic Social Teaching: Challenges and Directions. In this document, the bishops make clear that Catholic social teaching is an essential part of our faith life. We are called to be leaven for the transformation of the world. Through an examination of various papal and conciliar documents along with a careful reading of the textbook, this course will explore the need to build a just society in our modern world. We will examine the central themes of Catholic social teaching and apply them to our world. We will come to appreciate more deeply how our faith calls us to action on behalf of the poor and neglected.

In lieu of the Social Justice course, this formative credit would allow students to experience Gospel values through service placements in the community. Service must fundamentally express our solidarity with others, and this course is designed to teach students that service is not working for others, but is an opportunity to work with others. Through the Catholic social teaching model of “See, Judge, Act” students will be given the opportunity to live Catholic social teaching in the community. Twenty-five hours of services will be required in addition to meetings with the supervising teacher, doing assigned readings from the text(s), and completing a journal. Class size is limited.

This course is designed to provide students a first-hand experience at living out the Gospel message through service to the Sacred Heart-Griffin school community. Students will take an active role in creating and implementing the Campus Ministry program in the SHG community through daily prayer, liturgical roles, retreat planning, participation and leadership. At its core, the class will provide individual and small group spiritual development. The student Campus Ministers will assist the Campus Ministry department in planning and implementing all Campus Ministry activities. The goal of the course is to put faith into practice. Course content includes New Testament and Social Justice.

Students are required to take Sacraments and World Religions or Sacraments and Philosophy Honors. Students enrolled in the Mission class and Campus Ministry/Theology IV will fulfill the Theology IV requirement.

In this course, students will recognize the reality that theology cannot be done in isolation and all of theology is rooted in community. This course is a practical reflection of what it means to live a life filled with compassion and true to the Gospel. Students will identify the interconnectedness of all creation, all while taking an in-depth look at Christian communities. Students will explore the sacramental framework the Catholic community has in place. Special emphasis is placed on vocation. Students will be challenged to consider their own role in the formation of community, while discovering and honoring their most authentic selves.

This course will examine the major religions of the world with respect to their theoretical, practical, and sociological expressions. The intent is to achieve an informed understanding of diverse traditions while appreciating the unique gift of our Catholic Christianity. A special emphasis will be placed upon current political, social, and economic problems that have a religious component.

Students will learn about the Seven Sacraments and their philosophical underpinnings. Using philosophical methods to study the nature of the sacraments, students will also study philosophy with an eye toward application. Both philosophy and the sacraments will be approached as a shared goal: finding meaning in life. The course will use two texts sometimes simultaneously and sometimes alternately.

This class focuses on the mission of the Dominican order, and in turn, SHG. This class is open to seniors who would like to explore the Dominican charism while taking a position of leadership in the school. Through a sacramental approach, students will collaborate to implement the four pillars of the Dominican charism through development of diversity events, planning prayer services, and development of their own spirituality through service learning. Class size is limited.