600
This course begins by exploring the fundamental conviction that evangelization is the deepest identity of the Church and therefore influences every facet of her life. The Church's liturgy - because it makes present the Pascal Mystery - is both summit and font of this evangelistic mission. Students will investigate not only the nature and interdependence of evangelization and the liturgy, but also their importance to the contemporary renewal of catechetical practice. Students will additionally come to understand how a close study of sacramental theology can positively influence catechetical practice, particularly by way of well-conceived approaches to sacramental preparation and mystagogical catechesis.
"The 'study of the sacred page' should be the very soul of sacred theology. The ministry of the Word... pastoral preaching, catechetics, and all forms of Christian instruction... is healthily nourished and thrives in holiness through the Word of Scripture" (DV 24). This course focuses on the centrality of Scripture in the work of evangelization and catechesis. The content of the apostles' teaching and their use of Scripture, the scriptural basis of the catechesis of the Fathers and current magisterial documents related to Scripture and catechesis will be covered. Finally, this course explores the implementation of Scripture for evangelistic and catechetical purposes.
This course will explore the effective delivery of the content of the Deposit of Faith for the purpose of promoting conversion to Jesus Christ. Kerygmatic catechesis and its emphasis on the means of insertion into the Mystery of Christ will provide the foundation for this exploration. A technique for analyzing doctrine for effective delivery will be employed with specific emphasis on the way in which such a delivery informs the faith, hope and love of the prospective disciple. Finally the challenges to employing a doctrinal delivery in the catechetical field today will be discussed.
This course explores the foundational methodological vision and principles described in the magisterial catechetical documents. A theoretical study and practical application will be made of primary principles of catechetical methodology, including the interconnectedness which exists between catechetical methodology and the Deposit of Faith, the centrality of the pedagogy of God to a proper formulation and evaluation of catechetical methodology, the importance of teaching to the aim of conversion and the spiritual life of the catechist as the "soul of catechetical methodology."
All catechetical methodology must be rooted in the Divine Pedagogy-how God teaches. This course will study the pedagogy of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Because catechesis must always be Christocentric, methodologies will be examined in the context of incarnational dynamism. Since God is truth, beauty, and goodness, this course will also look at specific methodologies in the context of these transcendentals, particularly in the use of art, music, literature, and film. This course should be taken at the end of the program and will evaluate a student's graduate level research and catechetical scholarship.