Graduate Registration

APO 512 Catholic Apologetics Prof. Trenton Horn
This course introduces the student to the art of fulfilling this biblical mandate to cogently and convincingly explain and defend Christian truth, and focuses on the “what” and “how” of apologetics to present a compelling defense of the Faith.

APO 535 Moral Apologetics Prof. Trenton Horn
This course focuses on engaging apologetics from a moral dimension.

CHH 631 Mystical Theology and the Church Fathers Fr. Patrick Kassab
This course focuses on selected writings of representative Eastern and Western Church Fathers to gain a better understanding of and appreciation for their teachings on contemplative prayer and the journey of the soul to Divine Union.

CLA 715 Canon Law of Marriage Dr. Philippe Yates
This course introduces student(s) to the canon law of marriage through a systematic presentation and study of the 1983 Code of Canon Law, reflecting on the sacred canons themselves (cc. 1055-1165 and 1671-1707), their purpose, nature, context, history, and theological meaning.

DTH 645 Nature and Grace Dr. William Dunn
This course examines the natural desire to see God; the controversy over the desire to see God; the state of human nature; the nature of the law; the new law of Christ – sanctifying grace; and the nature, necessity and effects of sanctifying grace.

DTH 890 Spiritual Theology Dr. Francisco Romero Carrasquillo
This course is designed to give the student a working knowledge of what is traditionally called ascetical and mystical theology but which implements the call of the Second Vatican Council to the various experiences and stages of growth in prayer in the universal call to holiness.

ENG 550 Advanced Academic Writing Prof. Cynthia Gniadek
This course prepares students to write clearly and strongly at the graduate level. The course walks through the stages of designing, drafting, formatting, and revising a research paper. Common writing issues will be addressed.

MTH 851 Contemporary Moral Issues Dr. J. Marianne Siegmund
This course researches and evaluates selected significant moral questions confronting the Church and the world today, including such issues as abortion and euthanasia in their contemporary aspects, pressing issues in social justice, issues in business, environment, and media ethics, and critical issues in sexual ethics.

PAS 511 Mission and Evangelization Dr. Kristina Olsen
This course explores biblical-theological foundations of mission, the forms of evangelization, education for evangelization, specific missionary vocation, challenges in evangelization and an exploration of St. John Paul II’s call for new ardor, expression, and method in evangelization.

PAS 602 Fundamentals of Practical Theology Dr. J. Marianne Siegmund
Practical, or pastoral theology is the “practical application of scientific theology to the care of souls in the sacred ministry”(John A. Hardon, Modern Catholic Dictionary). Unfortunately, in today’s world, the “unrestricted application of scientific methods to matters of faith appears to be sheer presumption, whereby man oversteps his limits and undermines his own foundations” (Joseph Ratzinger, The Nature and Mission of Theology, 8). Consequently, practical theology must first be grounded in theology itself. Firmly rooted in “scientific theology,” the course seeks to apply the doctrinal truths of the Faith to various pastoral situations confronting today’s minister. Since Sacred Scripture is to “inspire all pastoral work,” this course copiously invokes it (Benedict XVI Verbum Domini#73).

PAS 641 Methods in Counseling Fr. Gregory Lockwood
This course presents appropriate methods in pastoral counseling.

PAS 660 Theology of Suffering (Thanatology) Dr. J. Marianne Siegmund
This course examines the topic of suffering, dying and death from doctrinal, pastoral, spiritual, and human dimensions. The psychological and social aspects of dying and death will also be considered, along with a brief study on end of life issues. This course enables one in any ministry to address concerns and questions that arise in life, especially with a view to family and youth ministry, hospital chaplaincy, grief ministry, the elderly, and care for the physically and mentally challenged.

PAS 671 Spiritual Direction: Skills and Practice Fr. Gregory Lockwood
This course equips the participants with the technical skills for spiritual direction, skills which enable the participants to go through personal discernment and help others in both personal and communitarian discernment for discovery of personal vocation and decision making.

PAS 683 Pastoral Counseling I: Spiritual Helping and Accompaniment
Fr. Gregory Lockwood This course explores the theology of suffering and how to properly frame common spiritual, emotional and relational problems, help the faithful discover paths for addressing these problems using solution-focused questioning techniques, spiritual resources, and basic pastoral interventions.

PAS 705 Hospital Spiritual Care Dr. Peter DePergola
This course locates the place of spiritual care in health-care management/services. Spirituality forms a significant piece of the puzzle in the holistic care of a person who happens to be sick. Discussed are the ethical issues, professional expectations, philosophical and theoretical bases.

PAS 805 Trinity and the Incarnation Dr. Edward Trendowski
This course provides a pastoral understanding of two central mysteries of the Catholic Faith: the Holy Trinity and the Incarnation of our Lord, Jesus Christ. Since pastoral ministry concerns putting people in “communion with the Person of Christ” and helping others to follow Him, this course focuses upon Jesus Christ as the Way to the Father (John Paul II, Catechesis Tradendae #5). A second pastoral focus highlights the practical dimensions by which we can live our communion with the Blessed Trinity in family life, pastoral settings, and in the various ministries in the Church.

ENG 550 Advanced Academic Writing Prof. Cynthia Gniadek
This course prepares students to write clearly and strongly at the graduate level. The course walks through the stages of designing, drafting, formatting, and revising a research paper. Common writing issues will be addressed.

ENG 891 Academic Research, Design and Writing Prof. Cynthia Gniadek
This course walks through the process for producing quality academic research papers, beginning with topic selection, research, and writing. The course culminates in the production of an academic research paper and thesis proposal.

ENG/PHS 583 Dante’s Divine Comedy: Thomistic Philosophy in Narrative Dr. Michela Ferri
This course examines Dante’s Divine Comedy, one canto a day for one hundred days with breaks following the Inferno and the Purgatorio. The work is read as a narrativization of the works of St. Thomas Aquinas, a way to experience a successful merger of theology and philosophy.

MTH/PAS/PHE 680 Marriage and Theology of the Body Dr. Lucy Knouse
This course approaches marriage from an interdisciplinary perspective, covering the biblical foundations for the Theology of the Body as expressed in the works of St. John Paul II, seeking to relate the Theology of the Body in the practical encounters of life, love and Marriage, and introduces Catholic sexual ethics using the work of John Paul II, and examines the significant philosophical thought of Karol Wojtyla on this topic in his Love and Responsibility and Theology of the Body.

PHE 505 Narrative and the Moral Life Dr. David Arias
This course examines the ethical influence of stories by focusing on philosophical analyses of narrative and moral life. Topics may include: the sources and limits of narratives’ moral power; their nature and structure; principles for the ethical evaluation of stories and their readers; and stories in Catholic spirituality.

PHE 615 Nichomachean Ethics Dr. John Stefanczyk
The course will consist of large selected portions of The Nicomachean Ethics of Aristotle The intent is to show the pagan material which aided St. Thomas Aquinas in his formulation of his Christian Moral Theology and Moral Philosophy.

PHE 663 Natural Law Dr. David Arias
This course includes topics such as enlightenment jurisprudence and the “Culture of Death,” the foundations of the natural law, how the natural law works, natural law as a basis for good laws, and natural law in Catholic moral teaching.

PHH 605 Ancient and Medieval Philosophy Dr. Timothy Smith
This course covers some of the most important figures and themes of Ancient & Medieval philosophy, including Plato, Aristotle, Aquinas, the nature of man, education, the ultimate end of human activity, the meaning of life, God, Providence, and faith and reason.

PHH 620 Modern and Contemporary Philosophy Dr. Randall Colton
This course is an historical introduction to the thought and texts of principal modern philosophers from Descartes to Hegel and of principal contemporary philosophers from Kierkegaard to the present.

PHH 781 Philosophy of St. Thomas Aquinas Dr. Matthew Minerd
This course covers Aquinas on medieval education, the rise of universities, faith and reason, Aristotelian thought, Aquinas on the world and man, man as a moral agent, the meaning of life, the ultimate end of human action, difference between knowledge and faith; God.

PHH 792 Philosophy of Edith Stein Dr. John Finley
This course examines the intellectual life and writings of Edith Stein, or as she was later called, Sister Teresa Benedicta of the Cross, including her attempt to relate the phenomenological and Thomistic traditions of philosophy and her analysis of human personhood, her account of the nature and vocation of woman, and her discussion of the ways in which we can know God.

PHH 793 Plato’s Republic Dr. Derya Rix
This course provides a Catholic investigation of one of the great seminal works of philosophy. The Church has a tradition of faith and reason by which man flies to the fullness of truth, we will be trying to give the wing of reason a good work out.

PHH/SAI 560 Medieval Christian Wisdom and Sacred Art Dr. Marguerite Mullee
This course will explore medieval philosophies of art and beauty, their classical beginnings and their influence on artistic expression. Delving into medieval sacred art and music, students will examine how the arts reflect society and offer us a deeper knowledge of the transcendent aspects of the human experience.

PHS 610 Philosophical Anthropology Dr. John Finley
This course studies human nature from the perspective of the perennial tradition of Catholic philosophy, as well as that of Catholic phenomenological and existential insights.

PHS 611 Logic & Epistemology Dr. Philippe Yates
This course surveys twin foundations upon which all philosophy depends, relying on Aristotelian insights as developed by the great Christian philosophers of the Middle Ages, and develops these in the light of contributions from modern and contemporary philosophy.

PHS 621 Philosophy of Nature and Metaphysics Dr. Timothy Smith
This course explores the fundamental aspects of the natural world knowable to philosophy and science, including a discussion of the methodology and limits of the scientific and philosophical methods, along with the metaphysics of Aristotle; presuppositions of metaphysics, the subject matter of metaphysics, the scandal of generality, substance and essence, from finite to Infinite Being, the nature of existence, the names of God.

PHS 721 Philosophy of Science Dr. Peter Mango
The course examines the purpose of science and the reliability of scientific theories as these overlap with metaphysics and epistemology and consider the historical origins, methods and implications of “science” in both its ancient and its modern sense as well as the sociocultural implications of scientific claims within the history of ideas and of appeals to “science” for philosophical anthropology and ethics.

PHS 731 The One and the Many Dr. Eduardo Bernot
This course is a study of the teaching of St. Thomas Aquinas concerning the nature of the metaphysical principles of unity and multiplicity and the essential role that these principles play in the existence of things and all other principles of being, becoming, and knowing, including those of experience, art, philosophy, science.

PHS 751 The True, the False, the Lie, and the Fake Dr.Eduardo Bernot
This course is a s study the teaching of St. Thomas Aquinas about truth and its opposites, the false, the lie, and the fake in relationship to unity and multiplicity, being and non-being, and good and evil; and different kinds of falsehood, considered in themselves and in relation to their existence within human knowing faculties, appetites, and in relationship to God.

APO 512 Catholic Apologetics Prof. Trenton Horn
This course introduces the student to the art of fulfilling this biblical mandate to cogently and convincingly explain and defend Christian truth, and focuses on the “what” and “how” of apologetics to present a compelling defense of the Faith.

APO 535 Moral Apologetics Prof. Trenton Horn
This course focuses on engaging apologetics from a moral dimension.

BIE 625 Catholic Bioethics Prof. Judith Babarsky
This interdisciplinary course prepares students for pastoral service through an intensive review of the teachings of the Catholic Church regarding the sanctity and dignity of human life from the moment of conception until natural death. Topics include the most challenging and difficult moral and medical issues in the field of contemporary bioethics.

BIE 796 Bioethics in the Post-Christian Culture Dr. Hermann Frieboes
This course examines the relationship between Catholic bioethics and secular culture.

BIE/MTH 750 Magisterial Teaching Related to Major Catholic Bioethic Issues Dr. Lucy Knouse
This course is a study of Magisterial and Church documents that provide the basis of many Catholic Church bioethics teachings. By taking this course, students will understand the continuity of Church teaching over time on matters of chastity, marriage, and respect for life as well as have an opportunity to synthesize their understanding for their own appreciation, for future study and for their work in evangelizing the culture.

CHH 613 Church in America Fr. Gregoire Fluet
This course surveys the Church’s growth in America, especially in the United States, from 1492 to the present. Topics such as patronage, missionary activities, religious orders, persecution, the immigrant Church, the maturing of the Church, and contemporary tensions are studied.

CHH 620 Reformation and Counter-Reformation (Formerly: The Catholic Reformation) Dr. Matthew Vander Vennet
This course explores the period of Church history known as the Catholic Reformation. Topics explored include: 1) the Catholic Reformation as a proactive reform movement within the Church; 2) the challenge of Protestantism and its impact upon the reform; 3) the Council of Trent; and 4) the various religious orders that emerged during the period and their various apostolates.

CHH 631 Mystical Theology and the Church Fathers Fr. Patrick Kassab
This course focuses on selected writings of representative Eastern and Western Church Fathers to gain a better understanding of and appreciation for their teachings on contemplative prayer and the journey of the soul to Divine Union.

CHH 712 Medieval Church History Dr. Lucy Underwood

CHH 881 Patristics Dr. John Joy
This course surveys selected writings from the principal Fathers of the Church. The focus is on the development of Catholic Doctrine from the Apostolic Fathers to St. Gregory the Great, with emphasis on the Trinitarian and Christological questions.

CHH/DTH 671 Documents of Vatican II Fr. Gregoire Fluet
This course introduces the history of Vatican II and the content of the documents. Topics include the background of the Council, the nature of the Church, inner spiritual renewal, the Church and the world, and the effects of the Council.

CLA 715 Canon Law of Marriage Dr. Philippe Yates
This course introduces student(s) to the canon law of marriage through a systematic presentation and study of the 1983 Code of Canon Law, reflecting on the sacred canons themselves (cc. 1055-1165 and 1671-1707), their purpose, nature, context, history, and theological meaning.

DTH 600 Faith and Revelation Dr. Joan Gilbert
This course will provide an exploration of the teachings of the Church on the mysteries of faith and revelation, through the study of related Magisterial documents and various writings of St. Thomas Aquinas. Topics include: the meaning of Revelation; the relationship between Sacred Scripture, Tradition, and the Magisterium; the relationship between faith and reason; the necessity, character, and effects of grace; the object, act, and virtue of faith; sins against faith; and the nature and mission of theology

DTH 645 Nature and Grace Dr. William Dunn
This course examines the natural desire to see God; the controversy over the desire to see God; the state of human nature; the nature of the law; the new law of Christ – sanctifying grace; and the nature, necessity and effects of sanctifying grace.

DTH 731 One and Triune God Fr. Thomas CreanThis course is a doctrinal study of the nature and attributes of God as known by revelation and reason. The God we know and love is One and Three. Topics in this course address both the unity of God and the three-ness of God. The work of St. Thomas Aquinas is used to expose students to these truths to be believed and to form a foundation for further growth and study. This course is a pre- requisite to DTH 751 Christology.

DTH 751 Christology Fr. Yosyp Veresh
This course considers the person of Jesus Christ and the theology of the Incarnation, with particular attention to the development of Christological doctrine and to the theology of Thomas Aquinas. Students registering for Christology must have already completed DTH 731 One and Triune God.

DTH 757 The Holy Spirit (Formerly: Pneumatology) Dr. Francisco Romero Carrasquillo
This course studies the Person and work of the Holy Spirit, including the power and presence of the Holy Spirit in the Old Testament, the life of Jesus, the New Testament, and the Church, with emphasis on the Spirit’s primary role in the New Evangelization.

DTH 760 Theology of the Church (Formerly: Ecclesiology and Ecumenism) Dr. Matthew Vander Vennet
This course investigates the nature and characteristics of the Church, its attributes, its structures, its mission and its relation to the world, and the development of Catholic thought concerning ecumenical and inter-religious dialogue.

DTH 890 Spiritual Theology Dr. Francisco Romero Carrasquillo
This course is designed to give the student a working knowledge of what is traditionally called ascetical and mystical theology but which implements the call of the Second Vatican Council to the various experiences and stages of growth in prayer in the universal call to holiness.

ENG 550 Advanced Academic Writing Prof. Cynthia Gniadek This course prepares students to write clearly and strongly at the graduate level. The course walks through the stages of designing, drafting, formatting, and revising a research paper. Common writing issues will be addressed.

ENG 890 Summative Evaluation: Comprehensive Exam & Professional Paper (Theology) Dr. James Gentile
This course prepares M.A. Theology students to pass the oral-comprehensive exam in Dogmatic and Moral Theology during Final Exam Week and to write a ten-page professional paper in the student’s concentration. The professional paper will be written under the direction of an advisor the semester after passing the ENG 890 oral exam.

ENG 891 Academic Research, Design, and Writing Prof. Cynthia Gniadek
This course walks through the process for producing quality academic research papers, beginning with topic selection, research, and writing. The course culminates in the production of an academic research paper and thesis proposal.

ENG/PHS 583 Dante’s Divine Comedy: Thomistic Philosophy in Narrative Dr. Michela Ferri
This course examines Dante’s Divine Comedy, one canto a day for one hundred days with breaks following the Inferno and the Purgatorio. The work is read as a narrativization of the works of St. Thomas Aquinas, a way to experience a successful merger of theology and philosophy.

MTH 611 Fundamental Moral Theology I Dr. Matthew Minerd
This course presents fundamental moral principles from the perspective of the classical Catholic moral tradition especially as represented by Thomas Aquinas and John Paul II. Primary questions include the end of man, human acts, moral determinants, freedom, sin, moral responsibility, and conscience.

MTH 841 Catholic Social Teachings Dr. Kristina Olsen
This course traces major themes in Catholic social teachings by using the U.S. Bishop’s document, Sharing Catholic Social Teaching: Challenges and Directions and includes topics therein.

MTH 851 Contemporary Moral Issues Dr. J. Marianne Siegmund
This course researches and evaluates selected significant moral questions confronting the Church and the world today, including such issues as abortion and euthanasia in their contemporary aspects, pressing issues in social justice, issues in business, environment, and media ethics, and critical issues in sexual ethics.

MTH/PAS/PHE 680 Marriage and Theology of the Body Dr. Lucy Knouse
This course approaches marriage from an interdisciplinary perspective, covering the biblical foundations for the Theology of the Body as expressed in the works of St. John Paul II, seeking to relate the Theology of the Body in the practical encounters of life, love and Marriage, and introduces Catholic sexual ethics using the work of John Paul II, and examines the significant philosophical thought of Karol Wojtyla on this topic in his Love and Responsibility and Theology of the Body.

PHS 607 The Perennial Philosophy (Formerly:Philosophy for Theologians) Dr. Matthew Minerd
This course teaches basic philosophy, which is at the basis of the theology of the Catholic Church, for graduate students. This material is necessary to understand the terminology used in Catholic theology.

SAS 561 Gospel of John Fr. William Mills
This course studies the Gospel of John considering the historical, religious, and cultural background of this gospel and major themes such as covenant, Kingdom of God, grace, redemption, wisdom, prophecy, creation, Trinity, faith, angels, resurrection and priesthood.

SAS 571 Letters of St. Paul Fr. William Mills
This course studies the life and mission of St. Paul. It will also examine the composition, structure, purpose, historical background and theological themes of the Pauline letters with special concentration on Galatians, ! Corinthians, Philippians, and Romans.

SAS 602 The Soul of Theology (Formerly: Methods of Theology & Scripture Analysis) Dr. John Joy
The course examines concepts and criteria used in Biblical and Theological Sciences: word, Revelation, transmission, Truth in Scripture, Canonicity, Authenticity, Integrity, Magisterium, Tradition, etc., and acquaints the students with the Books of the Bible per se: languages; traditions.

SAS 651 Synoptic Gospels Dr. Matthew Ramage
This course explores the stylistic and literary characteristics of Matthew, Mark, and Luke. Students study the Synoptic Gospels’ theological, spiritual, and historical background.

SAS 712 Pentateuch (Formerly SAS 639) Dr. Nathan Schmiedicke
The Pentateuch is the foundation of the inspired epic we call the Bible. It opens the channels of written revelation about God and his plan for the world fulfilled in Christ, and reveals our part in it. With mature study guided by the insights of saints and scholars, students will have the opportunity to discover the source and import of the major truths that govern the rest of Scripture, especially: God, creation, the fall of man, the promise of a savior, God’s election and formation of a people, sacrificial redemption from sin and death, and the promise of life together with God.

SAS 716 Gospels Dr. Andrew Blaski
This course is a study of the background, purpose, composition, structure, and historical and theological content of the Four Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John). Students will be introduced to a variety of patristic, medieval, and contemporary interpretive approaches to the gospels as found in the rich Catholic spiritual and intellectual tradition. The course will examine the Gospels as individual works while simultaneously highlighting their historical and theological unity, centered in their common proclamation of the life, death, and bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ.

SAS 717 Luke and Acts of the Apostles (Formerly: SAS 657) Fr. Thomas Crean
This course studies the Gospel of Luke taking into consideration the historical, religious, and cultural background of this rich and inspirational gospel along with the structure, purpose, authorship, historical background and theological themes of the Acts of the Apostles; its relation to the Gospel of Luke; and an exegesis of selected passages. 

GRK 502 Greek II Prof. Hannah Murphy
This course builds on Greek I, emphasizes basic grammar and vocabulary drawn from philosophic and biblical Greek texts, and provides a working vocabulary of terms used in both Attic and Koine dialects. Prerequisite for Greek Readings.

PHS 607 The Perennial Philosophy (Formerly:Philosophy for Theologians) Dr. Matthew Minerd
This course teaches basic philosophy, which is at the basis of the theology of the Catholic Church, for graduate students. This material is necessary to understand the terminology used in Catholic theology.

SAS 602 The Soul of Theology (Formerly: Methods of Theology & Scripture Analysis) Dr. John Joy
The course examines concepts and criteria used in Biblical and Theological Sciences: word, Revelation, transmission, Truth in Scripture, Canonicity, Authenticity, Integrity, Magisterium, Tradition, etc., and acquaints the students with the Books of the Bible per se: languages; traditions.

SAS 712 Pentateuch (Formerly SAS 639) Dr. Nathan Schmiedicke
The Pentateuch is the foundation of the inspired epic we call the Bible. It opens the channels of written revelation about God and his plan for the world fulfilled in Christ, and reveals our part in it. With mature study guided by the insights of saints and scholars, students will have the opportunity to discover the source and import of the major truths that govern the rest of Scripture, especially: God, creation, the fall of man, the promise of a savior, God’s election and formation of a people, sacrificial redemption from sin and death, and the promise of life together with God.

SAS 716 Gospels Dr. Andrew Blaski
This course is a study of the background, purpose, composition, structure, and historical and theological content of the Four Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John). Students will be introduced to a variety of patristic, medieval, and contemporary interpretive approaches to the gospels as found in the rich Catholic spiritual and intellectual tradition. The course will examine the Gospels as individual works while simultaneously highlighting their historical and theological unity, centered in their common proclamation of the life, death, and bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ.

SAS 717 Luke and Acts of the Apostles (Formerly: SAS 657) Fr. Thomas Crean
This course studies the Gospel of Luke taking into consideration the historical, religious, and cultural background of this rich and inspirational gospel along with the structure, purpose, authorship, historical background and theological themes of the Acts of the Apostles; its relation to the Gospel of Luke; and an exegesis of selected passages.

APO 512 Catholic Apologetics Prof. Trenton Horn
This course introduces the student to the art of fulfilling this biblical mandate to cogently and convincingly explain and defend Christian truth, and focuses on the “what” and “how” of apologetics to present a compelling defense of the Faith.

APO 535 Moral Apologetics Prof. Trenton Horn
This course focuses on engaging apologetics from a moral dimension.

BIE 625 Catholic Bioethics Prof. Judith Babarsky
This interdisciplinary course prepares students for pastoral service through an intensive review of the teachings of the Catholic Church regarding the sanctity and dignity of human life from the moment of conception until natural death. Topics include the most challenging and difficult moral and medical issues in the field of contemporary bioethics.

DTH 731 One and Triune God Fr. Thomas Crean
This course is a doctrinal study of the nature and attributes of God as known by revelation and reason. The God we know and love is One and Three. Topics in this course address both the unity of God and the three-ness of God. The work of St. Thomas Aquinas is used to expose students to these truths to be believed and to form a foundation for further growth and study. This course is a pre- requisite to DTH 751 Christology.

DTH 751 Christology Fr. Yosyp Veresh
This course considers the person of Jesus Christ and the theology of the Incarnation, with particular attention to the development of Christological doctrine and to the theology of Thomas Aquinas. Students registering for Christology must have already completed DTH 731 One and Triune God.

DTH 760 Theology of the Church (Formerly: Ecclesiology and Ecumenism) Dr. Matthew Vander Vennet
This course investigates the nature and characteristics of the Church, its attributes, its structures, its mission and its relation to the world, and the development of Catholic thought concerning ecumenical and inter-religious dialogue.

MTH 611 Fundamental Moral Theology I Dr. Matthew Minerd
This course presents fundamental moral principles from the perspective of the classical Catholic moral tradition especially as represented by Thomas Aquinas and John Paul II. Primary questions include the end of man, human acts, moral determinants, freedom, sin, moral responsibility, and conscience.

MTH 851 Contemporary Moral Issues Dr. J. Marianne Siegmund
This course researches and evaluates selected significant moral questions confronting the Church and the world today, including such issues as abortion and euthanasia in their contemporary aspects, pressing issues in social justice, issues in business, environment, and media ethics, and critical issues in sexual ethics.

PAS 511 Mission and Evangelization Dr. Kristina Olsen
This course explores biblical-theological foundations of mission, the forms of evangelization, education for evangelization, specific missionary vocation, challenges in evangelization and an exploration of St. John Paul II’s call for new ardor, expression, and method in evangelization.

PAS 602 Fundamentals of Practical Theology Dr. J. Marianne Siegmund
Practical, or pastoral theology is the “practical application of scientific theology to the care of souls in the sacred ministry”(John A. Hardon, Modern Catholic Dictionary). Unfortunately, in today’s world, the “unrestricted application of scientific methods to matters of faith appears to be sheer presumption, whereby man oversteps his limits and undermines his own foundations” (Joseph Ratzinger, The Nature and Mission of Theology, 8). Consequently, practical theology must first be grounded in theology itself. Firmly rooted in “scientific theology,” the course seeks to apply the doctrinal truths of the Faith to various pastoral situations confronting today’s minister. Since Sacred Scripture is to “inspire all pastoral work,” this course copiously invokes it (Benedict XVI Verbum Domini#73).

PAS 660 Theology of Suffering (Thanatology) Dr. J. Marianne Siegmund
This course examines the topic of suffering, dying and death from doctrinal, pastoral, spiritual, and human dimensions. The psychological and social aspects of dying and death will also be considered, along with a brief study on end of life issues. This course enables one in any ministry to address concerns and questions that arise in life, especially with a view to family and youth ministry, hospital chaplaincy, grief ministry, the elderly, and care for the physically and mentally challenged.

PHS 607 Perennial Philosophy (Formerly: Philosophy for Theologians)
Dr. Matthew Minerd This course teaches basic philosophy, which is at the basis of the theology of the Catholic Church, for graduate students. This material is necessary to understand the terminology used in Catholic theology.

SAS 561 Gospel of John Fr. William Mills
This course studies the Gospel of John considering the historical, religious, and cultural background of this gospel and major themes such as covenant, Kingdom of God, grace, redemption, wisdom, prophecy, creation, Trinity, faith, angels, resurrection and priesthood.

SAS 651 Synoptic Gospels Dr. Matthew Ramage
This course explores the stylistic and literary characteristics of Matthew, Mark, and Luke. Students study the Synoptic Gospels’ theological, spiritual, and historical background.