Theology
| Dr. Stephen Hildebrand, Chair |
Dr. Robert Rice, Graduate Online Catechetics Program Director |
| Prof. Ronald Bolster, Catechetics Director |
Dr. Michael Sirilla, Graduate Theology Program Director |
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Dr. Jacob W. Wood, Graduate Theology Online Program Director |
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| Dr. Donald Asci |
Dr. Mark Miravalle |
| Dr. John Bergsma |
Dr. William Newton |
| Dr. Robert Cassidy (Austrian Program) |
Sr. Johanna Paruch, FSGM, PhD (Catechetics) |
| Fr. Donald Frinsko, TOR |
Dr. James Pauley (Catechetics) |
| Dr. Scott Hahn |
Prof. Amy Roberts (Catechetics) |
| Dr. Regis Martin |
Dr. Alan Schreck |
| Dr. Stephen Miletic |
Prof. Scott Sollom (Catechetics) |
| Dr. Kevin Miller |
Dr. Petroc Willey (Catechetics) |
| Dr. Andrew Minto |
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Mission Statement
Mission: The mission of the Theology Department is to educate students toward a deeper understanding of the divinely-revealed mysteries that make up the Deposit of Faith, with a commitment to dynamic orthodoxy. As part of this commitment, we affirm the rich Franciscan theological tradition, along with a Marian model of receptivity to God’s Word and Spirit.
Principles: For all students, theology is the summit of liberal education, and a capstone for integrating studies across the liberal arts and sciences and in professional programs, in accord with the University’s mission. This is so because the truths theology considers are the highest truths about God and man, and they reveal the full significance and the coherence of other truths relevant to human life.
For undergraduate majors and graduate students, the study of theology is a necessary preparation for competent academic and apostolic work for Christ and the Church, in the power of the Holy Spirit.
Fulfillment: The fulfillment of our mission entails reasoned investigation of God’s Word in Scripture and sacred Tradition, in the light of faith, in accord with the teaching of the magisterium. It also entails study of various theological issues and movements in the historical development of Christianity. Finally, it entails not only mastery of that which is proper to theology as an autonomous discipline, but also, from the perspective of such mastery, dialogue with other disciplines, insofar as our faculty are able to engage in it and draw students into it.
Programs: In the Bachelor of Arts program, we apply faith and reason in these ways to foster some fluency in the Church’s theological discourse, from the past to the present. Besides the BA in theology, the Theology Department offers a BA major in catechetics to prepare our graduates to serve the Church more effectively as religion teachers, catechists, youth ministers, and other in services involving instructing others in the Faith. In keeping with our affirmation of the Franciscan theological tradition, we also offer a Franciscan Studies Minor. Thirty-four credit hours in theology (not including THE 102) are required for the Theology Major.
Note: For non-majors, THE 101 and THE 110 are prerequisites for all upper division theology courses (except THE 102, THE 103, THE 115 and THE 341 which have no prerequisites).
In the Master of Arts Program, we foster a more advanced level of spiritual insight, critical inquiry, and historical understanding on the part of our graduate students, along with the ability to apply theology in pastoral ministries. As a result, graduates will be prepared for professional ecclesial service (e.g., diocesan, parochial) or for further graduate study and academic work.
The catechetics specialization, an option in the MA Theology program, prepares graduate students to grasp the intelligibility and coherence of the divine mysteries, in order to equip them to apply proper pedagogical and apostolic means for conveying the scriptural, doctrinal, moral, and liturgical aspects of the faith, as it is lived in communion.
Assessment Learning Goals
By the end of their academic program, theology majors should be able to:
- Demonstrate reasonable competency in the basic categories of the discipline, particularly sacred Scripture, systematic theology and moral theology.
- Understand theology from within an ecclesial context, which is to say, from within the faith-commitments of the Roman Catholic Church.
- Utilize effective theological methods of research and argumentation.