To: Priests, Deacons, Directors of Religious Education and Bulletin Editors
From: Msgr. Edward J. Dillon, Chancellor, Holy Spirit College
We are pleased to announce our Spring 2019 Course offerings. Please contact Kim Schulman at kschulman@holyspiritcollege.org to register.
Introduction to Dante (6-Week Course)
Mondays, beginning February 25
9:30 a.m. – 11:00 .m. | Malta Hall at Holy Spirit College Fr. Josh Allen, STL
Dante Alighieri completed his monumental Divine Comedy in 1320. It consists of three parts, the Inferno, the Purgatorio, and the Paradiso. Dante draws heavily on the theological thought of St. Thomas Aquinas in his presentation of life after death. This course will serve as a beginner’s look at the Divine Comedy through a theological lens. We will especially be concerned with how Dante interprets St. Thomas and incarnates the doctrine of the Last Things in his poetry. Because of the introductory nature of the course, we cannot spend much time on the literary style and allusions of Dante, though these are very interesting. However, a student completing this course would be well situated to do a more in-depth reading on his or her own or via other courses. We will spend two weeks each on the three sections of the work, and specific passages will be assigned to assist us in efficiently digesting the material and making it accessible to students who might not have much exposure to poetry or to theology. (Audit fee of $150)
Theo 695 Basic Catechist Certification Course (1.5 Credit Hours)
Wednesdays, beginning January 16
7:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. | Malta Hall at Holy Spirit College Dr. Eric Wearne
The Basic Catechist Course is intended to equip beginning catechists with sufficient background knowledge and skills to begin teaching. It centers around the four dimensions that should be developed and balanced within a catechist: the catechist as an individual, theology, characteristics of learners, and teaching methods. Topics of discussion include the spirituality of the catechist, overviews of scripture, of Catholic morality, of Church history, and of liturgy and the sacraments, among others. The course also includes discussion of child/adolescent development, various teaching methods, and session planning and management. Some experiences outside of class are required. This course follows the curriculum of the Archdiocese of Atlanta as outlined in the document “Communicating the Catholic Message,” except Safe Environment Training, which should be completed at one’s local parish/school. (1.5 credit hours; $735 for credit; $150 audit fee)
Theo 650 – Moral Theology (3 Credits)
Monday/Wednesday evenings, beginning January 9
7:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. | Classroom 15 Dr. Chris Guastafson
This course examines the moral life in the light of human reason illumined by faith in Christ – a faith mediated by the Scriptures, the Catholic tradition and the living Magisterium of the Church. The course first treats basic questions of fundamental moral theology, such as the question of human purpose, happiness, the meaning of moral freedom, the role of conscience and its relationship with the moral teachings of the Church, the character of natural moral law and the way it is perfected by the revealed law of love, the structure of the human act, virtue and vice, and the gifts of the Holy Spirit as related to the moral life. On this basis, the course then examines Catholic teachings regarding social ethics, social justice, marriage and family, human sexuality, and health care ethics. Pope John Paul II’s Veritatis Splendor is a primary text of the course. Many of these topics will be explored with reference to Aquinas’s Summa theologiae. (3 credit hours; $1,470 for credit; $735 audit fee)