The location of a course is designated below by one of four geographic areas, indicating the location from which the live course is taught. Students who are within commuting distance to that location are encouraged to attend class in person. All Catholic theology courses online can be accessed synchronously for those unable to attend in person or not in commuting distance. Live course times are listed in Eastern Standard Time (EST). Further details on distance learning can be found here.
Fall 2022 Courses
August 24th - December 16th
(Note: our add/drop deadline is September 23rd)
ALB (Albany Campus) | BUF (Buffalo Campus) | ROC (Rochester Campus)
A202: Old Testament (Charles Hughes Huff, Ph.D.)
Introduction to the Old Testament introduces exegetical methodology and theology of the Old Testament. Students will consider the fruits and the assumptions of exegesis, using and examining its methodologies both as helpful tools and as products of a particular era. Hebrew poetry and narrative, ritual and ethical instruction, prophecy, historiography, and novella will be analyzed as literature, and students will also examine the development of traditions within the texts of the canon. Since Sacred Scripture is double-authored, by both man and God, and interpreted in the context of the Catholic Church, A202 will also emphasize the theology of the Old Testament, with a special focus on the People of God, and will read spiritual readings of the Old Testament from the Church Fathers to present.
3 credits | Every other Tuesday, 8/30, 9/13, 9/27, 10/11, 10/25, 11/8, 11/22, 12/6 | 6 - 9pm EST | BUF and Online
B/C380: Source and Summit: Reflecting on the Eucharist at the Heart of the Church (Siobhan Latar, S.T.D.)
Identified by the Second Vatican Council as the "Source and Summit" of the Christian life, this course will reflect on the nature and significance of the Eucharist in the life of the Church. Combining both an historical and thematic approach, we will examine the developing understanding of the sacrament of the Eucharist through time, as well as theological themes of Eucharistic spirituality, including: the significance of the Eucharist to Ecclesiology, the Eucharist and the Marian and Petrine dimensions of the Church, the understanding of the three-fold nature of the Body of Christ, the Eucharist as sacrament, etc. We will rely on the reflections of the Fathers, the Councils, recent papal encyclicals, among other texts.
3 credits | Thursdays, 9/1, 9/8, 9/15, 9/22, 9/29, 10/6, 10/13, 10/20, 10/27, 11/3, 11/10, 11/17, 12/1, 12/8, 12/15 | 6 - 9pm EST | Online
C/D202: The Revelation of God: Doctrine, Liturgy, and Sacraments (Catechism 1 and 2)
This course introduces us to those teachings that are central to the Catholic Faith as guided by Part One of the Catechism of the Catholic Church: “The Profession of Faith” §§1-1065, and to the liturgical practices and sacraments of the Catholic Faith as guided by Part Two of the Catechism of the Catholic Church: “The Celebration of the Christian Mystery” §§1066-1690.
3 credits | Every other Thursday, 9/1, 9/15, 9/29, 10/13, 10/27, 11/10, 12/1, 12/15 | 6 - 9pm EST | Online
C/D325: Vatican II as a Pastoral Council: The Memory That Generates the Future (Daniel Drain, Ph.D. [Cand.])
Pope St. John Paul II said that the Second Vatican Council was “the great grace bestowed on the Church in the twentieth century . . . [and] a sure compass by which to take our bearings in the century now beginning” (Novo Millennio Ineuente, 57). This course aims, first, to survey the breadth and plumb the depths of the teachings of Vatican II, in particular through a thorough reading of its four primary Constitutions (Dei Verbum; Lumen Gentium; Sacrosanctum Concilium; and Gaudium et Spes) in order to better appreciate - and thereby receive anew - that “great grace.”
The second fundamental aim of this course is to understand the uniqueness of the Second Vatican Council in terms of the “pastoral.” Relatively unique among all of the twenty preceding Ecumenical Councils of the Church, Vatican II was not convened to combat one particular heresy, or address an isolated controversy or claimant to teaching authority. Neither was it merely “pastoral” (i.e., not doctrinal, and therefore subject to error and not binding). Vatican II’s chief aim, according to its convener, Pope St. John XXIII, was for the Church to “reaffirm that teaching authority of hers which never fails . . . that the sacred heritage of Christian truth be safeguarded and expounded with greater efficacy” (Opening Address to the Council, 11 October 1962). To understand the sense in which the Council itself sees and implements this particular end in its Constitutions is to arrive at a concept of the “pastoral” which has the vitality, virility, and vivacity to thwart the lamentable divide in present ecclesial discourse between alternative hermeneutics of continuity or rupture, instead arriving at a hermeneutic of reform in continuity.
3 credits | Mondays, 8/29, 9/12, 9/19, 9/26, 10/3, 10/10, 10/17, 10/24, 10/31, 11/7, 11/14, 11/21, 11/28, 12/5, 12/12 | 6:30 - 8:30pm EST | ROC and Online
C/D333: Catholic Bioethics at the Beginning of Life (Jean Baric Parker, D. Bioethics)
Catholic Bioethics at its core is about guiding us towards making well-considered moral decisions in our everyday life that will ultimately lead us to the greatest possible happiness, as exemplified by a life that best glorifies and honors God. This course will describe foundational Catholic principles which have historically provided clarity and rationality to Church moral teaching and which continue to be relevant in today’s complex bioethical climate. Issues to be considered include abortion, in vitro fertilization, contraception, surrogate pregnancy, organ donation, stem cell research, gene editing, gender dysphoria, COVID-19 issues, and physician-assisted suicide. Catholic and secular bioethical ideologies will be compared. End-of-life directives (MOLST, POLST, Living Wills, etc.), will be analyzed in light of Catholic teaching. The Ethical and Religious Directives for Catholic Health Care Services (ERDs) will be examined. Discussion will touch upon Theology of the Body doctrine, natural law, the role of conscience, human suffering, and cooperating with evil. This course will benefit health care professionals, clergy, chaplains, life science researchers, ethics and human subjects committee members, counselors, and those who are interested in learning more about applying Catholic bioethical principles to real-life situations.
3 credits | Tuesdays, 8/30, 9/6, 9/13, 9/20, 9/27, 10/4, 10/11, 10/18, 10/25, 11/1, 11/8, 11/15, 11/22, 11/29, 12/6, 12/13 | 6:30 - 8:30pm EST | ROC and Online
C217: Fundamental Moral Theology (Charles Hughes Huff, Ph.D.)
This course introduces the fields of moral theology and Catholic Social Thought. Students will contemplate the purpose of moral theology and Catholic Social Thought in the life of the Church, their methods, and the problems they address. Topics will include sin and conversion, vice and virtue, methods of moral decision making, and the development and practice of Catholic Social Thought. (Formerly "Moral and Social Teachings")
3 credits | Every other Tuesday, 9/6, 9/20, 10/4, 10/18, 11/1, 11/15, 11/29, 12/13 | 6 - 9pm EST | ROC and Online
C226: Liturgical and Sacramental Theology (Rev. Peter Van Lieshout, S.T.L.)
An historical, anthropological and theological investigation of Christian worship and sacrament with special attention to the Roman Catholic Sacraments of baptism and Eucharist; historical overview of liturgical practices, texts, and theology from Jewish and scriptural origins to the 20th-century Vatican II reforms; basic principles of liturgical and sacramental theology; and groundwork for interpreting liturgical documents and ritual texts from pastoral practice, multi/inter-cultural concerns, and ecumenical considerations. (Formerly "Worship and Sacraments").
3 credits | Every other Monday, 8/29, 9/12, 9/26, 10/10, 10/24, 11/7, 11/21, 12/5 | 6:00 – 9:15pm EST | ROC and Online
C228: Ecclesiology and the Theology of Ministry (Carmina Chapp, Ph.D.)
A historical and theological overview of the Christian understanding of ecclesiology and ministry, with the Second Vatican Council as a primary point of reference. Topics include: the foundations of ecclesiology and ministry in the New Testament, the expressions of ecclesiology and ministry in the history of the Church, Apostolic succession, the nature of and relationship between the hierarchy and the laity, the local and the universal Church, and the Church and the world. Ecumenical engagement will also be addressed through the course. (Formerly "Theology of Church and Ministry").
3 credits | Every other Tuesday, 8/30, 9/13, 9/27, 10/11, 10/25, 11/8, 11/22, 12/6 | 6 - 9pm EST | Online
C302: Christology and Trinitarian Theology (Rev. Anthony Barratt, S.T.L., Ph.D.)
This course examines and explores the nature of the Christian God as unity and Trinity. It focuses on God’s reality as creator, as redeemer in the person of Jesus who we proclaim the Christ, and as unifier and advocate in the person of the Spirit. Since the very nature of God implies “communion” the social implications of Trinity are a focal point for the course. The work of various theologians will be explored and there will be a focus on the early Ecumenical Councils of the Church. (Formerly "Theology of the Trinity").
3 credits | Every other Monday, 8/29, 9/19, 10/3, 10/17, 10/31, 11/14, 11/28, 12/12 | 6-9pm EST | ALB and Online
CP601: Introduction to Catholic Philosophy (Marco Stango, Ph.D.)
This course centers the student upon the discipline of philosophy as it has been developed and practiced within the Catholic Intellectual Tradition. The methods particular to philosophical investigation will be examined as the philosopher seeks to articulate the nature of wisdom, how it can be attained, and especially incorporated into the entirety of one’s life. The student will understand the differences between philosophy, the sciences, and theology, as well as their respective complementarities, with a focus upon the supportive and illuminative role that philosophy plays in theological education.
3 credits | Every other Tuesday, 8/30, 9/13, 9/27, 10/11, 10/25, 11/8, 11/22, 12/6 | 6 - 9pm EST | ALB and Online
CP611: Our Search for Meaning: The Beginning of the Greatest Conversation (Ancient Philosophy) (Dr. Erik Van Versendaal)
A survey course from the beginning of philosophy with the pre-Socratics, through Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle, and ending with the Cynics, Skeptics, Epicureans, Stoics, and Neoplatonism. In particular, those problems posed by Heraclitus, Parmenides, Socrates, and Plato that are important to the philosophical tradition will be considered, Aristotle’s philosophy will be surveyed as a whole, and the themes that are central to post-Aristotelian philosophy will be examined.
3 credits | Every other Tuesday, 9/6, 9/20, 10/4, 10/18, 11/1, 11/15, 11/29, 12/13 | 6 - 9pm EST | Online
CP631: Metaphysics (Marco Stango, Ph.D.)
This course examines the basic concerns and principles that undergird the whole of reality and guide the way by which we think of the ultimate things to which the mind can aspire: existence, essence, the categories of being, the transcendentals, the analogy of being, and the existence and creative activity of God. This course acts as a capstone study to the whole of philosophy and is preferably engaged upon at the end of one’s certificate/degree studies.
3 credits | Every other Thursday, 9/8, 9/22, 10/6, 10/20, 11/3, 11/17, 12/1, 12/15 | 6 - 9pm EST | ALB and Online
D214: Spiritual Formation (Lisa Lickona, S.T.L.)
This course seeks to approach the world of prayer in its unity with lived experience. Beginning with a consideration of the witness of the Son of God who “teaches us how to pray” in and through His relationship to the Father in the Holy Spirit, we will then move to consider the lives and prayer of various saints, including Ignatius of Antioch, Anthony of the Desert, Benedict of Nursia, Bernard of Clairvaux, Teresa of Avila, Ignatius of Loyola, Francis de Sales, Therese of Lisieux, Charles de Foucauld, Teresa of Calcutta, and Madeleine Delbrel. Attention to each figure will include awareness of their place in the history of Catholic spirituality as well as a “practicum” in their way of prayer.
3 credits | Every other Thursday: 9/1, 9/15, 9/29, 10/13, 10/27, 11/10, 12/1, 12/15 | 6 - 9pm EST | ROC and Online
D217: Pastoral Care (Jessica Cole, D.Min.)
This course examines a variety of issues surrounding pastoral care and ministry in the parish. We will examine the theology of pastoral ministry, as well as exploring stages of faith development, ministering to Gen Z, family ministry, Eucharistic affiliation, and the current USCCB Strategic Initiatives.
3 credits | Every other Wednesday: 9/7, 9/21, 10/5, 10/19, 11/2, 11/16, 11/30, 12/14 | 6 - 9 pm EST | Online
GB311: Commentary on the Old Testament (Vincent DeMeo, S.T.D.)
Thomas Aquinas wrote several commentaries on books of the Old Testament. Each is a treasure trove of the wisdom of Aquinas as well as the Fathers of the Church, in whom Thomas was immersed. Among the texts when have from St. Thomas are his commentaries on the Psalms, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, and the Book of Job. In this course, the professor will select one or two of these commentaries, and read and discuss the text with the students.
3 credits | Tuesdays and Fridays, 8/23, 8/26, 8/30, 9/2, 9/6, 9/9, 9/13, 9/16, 9/20, 9/23, 9/27, 9/30, 10/4, 10/7, 10/11, 10/14, 10/18, 10/21, 10/25, 10/28, 11/1, 11/4, 11/8, 11/11, 11/15, 11/18, 11/22, 11/29, 12/2, 12/6, 12/9, 12/13, 12/16 | 11:30 - 12:50pm EST | Online
GB331: Existence and Attributes of God (Susan Waldstein, S.T.D.)
In order to understand the mystery of the three Divine Persons, the mystery of creation flowing from the Triune God, and the mystery of salvation in Christ, we must first understand something about God in Himself—the “divine essence”; and to do this requires a careful investigation of the nature and attributes of God such as we can know them. Many ancient and modern errors about the world have come either from the careless application of limited human words and concepts to God, or the transference of divine attributes to created things. In this course, after two classes on the nature of sacred theology (the opening question of the Summa), we will read and discuss the questions in the Summa on the existence of God, His attributes (simplicity, perfection, goodness, infinity, omnipresence, immutability, eternity, unity), His Names, His knowledge and ideas, His life, and His will.
3 credits | Saturdays, 8/27, 9/3, 9/10, 9/17, 9/24, 10/1, 10/8, 10/15, 10/22, 10/29, 11/5, 11/12, 11/19, 12/3, 12/10 | 8:00 - 10:40am EST | Online
PL102: Philosophy of Nature (Introduction to Philosophy II) (Susan Waldstein, S.T.D.)
This subject is often called the “general science of nature” because it investigates and establishes the general presuppositions of natural sciences such as biology, physics, and chemistry, which study material beings from more particular vantages. In this course, students study ens mobile (mobile being)—that is, material things as mutable, which is the most obvious truth about them. We differentiate between substantial and accidental change, reason to the ultimate principles that explain change, grasp the distinction between potency and act, relate nature, art, and chance to one another, compare absolute and hypothetical necessity, consider the four kinds of causes, and establish the definition of change or coming-to-be.
3 credits | Mondays and Wednesdays, 8/22, 8/24, 8/29, 8/31, 9/7, 9/12, 9/14, 9/19, 9/21, 9/26, 9/28, 10/3, 10/5, 10/10, 10/12, 10/17, 10/19, 10/24, 10/26, 10/31, 11/2, 11/7, 11/9, 11/14, 11/16, 11/21, 11/28, 11/30, 12/5, 12/7, 12/12, 12/14 | 7:00 - 8:20pm EST | Online
