To: Clergy, DREs, bulletin editors, principals and campus ministers
From: Msgr. Edward J. Dillon, Chancellor, Holy Spirit College
Registration is currently underway for our 2020 Spring classes. To register, please contact Kim Schulman at kschulman@holyspiritcollege.org.
The following courses will be offered:
THEO 650: Introduction to Moral Theology
Fr. Paul Burke, JCL
Mondays, January 6 – April 27
9:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. | Malta Hall
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. It also discusses the role of conscience and its relationship with the moral teachings of the Church, the character of natural moral law and the way in which this law 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 Theologica. (3 credit hours; $300 audit fee)
Reformation and Revolt: An Early History of Protestantism and Its Consequences
Mr. John Henry Spann, MTS
Thursdays, January 16 – March 25
7 p.m. – 9 p.m. | St. John Bosco Academy
This course will delve into the first 170 years of Protestantism in Western Europe and elsewhere. The course will cover the origins of Protestant thought and trace the early theological, structural and historical evolution of the Protestant movements following Luther’s break with the Catholic Church. It will examine the Church’s response to and the consequences of the spread of Protestantism, and will include the Church’s positions with a focus on apologetics. (Audit fee $99)
Holy Icons in Christian Worship Through the Centuries
Fr. Panayiotis Papageorgiou, Ph.D.
Mondays, January 27 – March 2
7 p.m. – 9 p.m. | Malta Hall
This course is a historical overview of the development and use of holy icons as an aid to Christian worship. The course will cover:
• The beginnings of Christian symbols which gradually develop into teaching tools of the Biblical events and proclamations of the Christian Faith.
• The continuous use of holy icons in the Christian East as enhancements to worship and reminders of the major feasts.
• An overview of the historical developments in the Christian West, which led to changes from Christian iconography to Christian art.
• Answers to the question: What can holy icons do for us today?
(Audit fee $99; $735 for credit – students may obtain 1.5 hours of credit for additional meetings and assignments, in consultation with the College).
Catechist Certification Course
Saturdays, January 25 – March 28
9 a.m. – 11 a.m. | Malta Hall
The Basic Catechist Course is intended to equip beginning catechists with sufficient background knowledge and skills to begin teaching.
Topics of discussion include the spirituality of the catechist; overviews of scripture, Catholic morality, Church history and liturgy and the sacraments, among others. For details, please see the college website, www.holyspiritcollege.org. (Course fee: $150)