Course Catalogue 2024-2025

This course will introduce students to diverse worldviews relating to Indigenous spiritual beliefs and practices, specifically focusing on: pre-contact traditions; the introduction of Christianity and missionaries; the banning and resurgence of ceremonies; and the survival and evolution of these practices within a Christian context. Students will also explore specific historical members of Indigenous communities engaged in different Christian traditions.

This course is designed to introduce students to the world of prophetic literature, its origins and evolution, its historical and cultural contexts, its literary and poetic styles, its theological themes, and its pastoral message. Beginning with the roots of prophecy in the earlier books of the OT and moving to the “major” and “minor” prophets, students will gain in-sight into the distinctive forms of speech, imagery, and methodology employed by the prophets, while recognizing their unique contributions to the understanding of Israel’s God and their lasting relevance in every reader’s present.

A survey of both patristic and contemporary approaches to Christological questions (how the divinity and humanity of Christ come together in one person). Soteriological questions will also be addressed (what is salvation, how Jesus saves, from what and for what He saves}. This will also necessitate some examination of Theological Anthropology (from creation according to the Divine Image to the fulfillment of likeness to God in Theosis/Divinization) and the human condition that requires an Incarnate Saviour. Comparisons will be made among ancient Christological approaches (Alexandria, Antioch, Rome), as well as between Eastern and Western Christian understandings of the means and the content of salvation. Emphasis will be placed on apophatic and antinomic tools for articulating an understanding of Christ the Saviour that operates coherently within the complex of the elements of Holy Tradition (Scripture, Fathers, Councils, Creeds, Liturgy, Iconography, Hagiography, etc.)

Mystery of the Triune God with its Biblical sources and Patristic development, and an examination of the development of the understanding of the Immanent Trinity, with attention paid to particular issues, e.g. Filioque, notion of 'Person'. Also stressed is the development of a Trinitarian spirituality with some attention to the mystics.

Answering Jesus' question: "Who do people say I am?", course uses Old Testament expectations, New Testament data, Conciliar definitions and contemporary issues.

The Psalter can be viewed as a distillation of Israel's history, spirituality, liturgy, wisdom, Torah and messianic hopes. This course will examine some of the key elements of Hebrew poetry exemplified by the Psalms. In the study of the Psalms according to their literary forms or genres, their unique poetic and thematic features will be highlighted. Some consideration will be given to thematic groupings of Psalms such as Creation Psalms and Penitential Psalms. The spirituality of the Psalms will be explored both through Patristic literature and modern authors. This course will consider the messianic and Christological reading of the Psalms.

The Psalter can be viewed as a distillation of Israel's history, spirituality, liturgy, wisdom, Torah and messianic hopes. This course will examine some of the key elements of Hebrew poetry exemplified by the Psalms. In the study of the Psalms according to their literary forms or genres, their unique poetic and thematic features will be highlighted. Some consideration will be given to thematic groupings of Psalms such as Creation Psalms and Penitential Psalms. The spirituality of the Psalms will be explored both through Patristic literature and modern authors. This course will consider the messianic and Christological reading of the Psalms.

An overview of psychological and psychotherapeutic methods, highlighting selected topics in psychotherapy and psychopathology, all in the context of pastoral counselling and spiritual formation.

Introduction to Homiletics is a one-semester course that gives students the opportunity to look at the theology, tradition and practice of Catholic preaching. Students will examine particular questions, issues and challenges in homiletics from a Catholic perspective, survey the development of preaching throughout Church history, determine how Roman Catholic preaching can be informed by the theory and practice in other traditions, and articulate the characteristics of good preaching.

This course provides an introduction to the skills and craft of preaching by exploring basic approaches to preaching and sermon preparation, attentive listening to a variety of preachers and practical assignments. This practical approach will be framed by a theological understanding which will take into account the elements that the preacher must be aware of in preaching including: appropriate handling of the biblical text, the life and ministry of the local church, the values and suppositions of the prevailing culture, and finally the preacher’s own world view.

This course provides an introduction to the skills and craft of preaching by exploring basic approaches to preaching and sermon preparation, attentive listening to a variety of preachers and practical assignments. This practical approach will be framed by a theological understanding which will take into account the elements that the preacher must be aware of in preaching including: appropriate handling of the biblical text, the life and ministry of the local church, the values and suppositions of the prevailing culture, and finally the preacher’s own world view.

This course explores preaching in the contemporary context. Particular attention will be given to the ethos and theology of preaching in the Anglican tradition, but other denominational traditions will also be discussed. The course focuses on attending to diversities of style and cultural background among preachers in today's churches. Exemplars of these distinct approaches to preaching will be encountered in the course, and students will be encouraged to think critically and theologically about such different approaches to delivering a sermon. Consideration will also be given to one's own identity as a preacher, as well as how this relates to the other identities present in one's audience.