Course Catalog - St. Bernard's

Course Offerings

The St. Bernard’s Course Catalog is a document of record issued every academic year containing information related to the courses offered throughout the curriculum. This document sets out the “beating heart” of the School: its mission to form and to educate takes place primarily in the classroom, in the midst of an encounter between faculty and students as they seek together ever greater knowledge and love of God. To view our 2023 - 2024 Course Catalog, click here.

The location of a course is designated below by one of two 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) and Eastern Daylight Time (EDT). Further details on distance learning can be found here.

Summer 2024 Courses

May 13th - June 28th (Session I) | July 1st - August 16th (Session II)

Application deadline for Session I is April 19th; application deadline for Session II is June 21st.

Add/drop deadlines (with 100% refund) are May 17th [Session I] and July 5th [Session II].

BUF (Buffalo Campus) | ROC (Rochester Campus)

Session I

B/D435: Contemplative Prayer: A Monastic Immersion - Retreat Course Format (Lisa Lickona, S.T.L.)

This course will introduce students to the world of contemplative prayer within the context of Catholic theology and lived experience. Three online classes focusing on the experiences of prayer in the lives of the saints will serve as preparation for the five-day retreat at the Abbey of the Genesee. During the retreat, students will be invited to the experience of contemplation within a monastic environment that fosters silence, presence, stillness, and spaciousness.

3 credits | Abbey of the Genesee

June 24th - June 28th, 2024. Learn more and register here


C/D363: Marriage and Holy Orders: Sacraments at the Service of Communion (Matthew Kuhner, Ph.D.; Rev. Peter Van Lieshout, S.T.L.) [For deacons/diaconate candidates and their wives only]

“Two...sacraments, Holy Orders and Matrimony, are directed towards the salvation of others; if they contribute as well to personal salvation, it is through service to others that they do so. They confer a particular mission in the Church and serve to build up the People of God” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, §1534). This course will explore these sacraments at the service of communion. Within the context of general ecclesial teaching on the nature and role of the sacraments, the specific scriptural, historical, doctrinal, and moral dimensions of Marriage and Holy Orders will be surveyed to provide a thorough understanding of each. Attention will be paid to the way in which these sacraments shape one’s day-to-day life and one’s overall mission in the Church. Contemporary difficulties and concerns will also be addressed.

3 credits | BUF and Online

Tuesdays, 6:00 - 9:00pm EST, May 14th, May 21st, May 28th, June 4th, June 11th, June 18th, June 25th



CP435: The Art of Education: Natural and Artificial Intelligence (Erik van Versendaal, Ph.D.)

This course examines the purpose of education as a shared participation in the truth of reality. Following the witness of Socrates, we will consider the form of teaching that follows from this purpose: dialogical, embodied friendship centered around sacrificial leisure. We will likewise compare this understanding to the problem of sophistry that Plato diagnoses, where teaching is deformed through the severing of discourse from meaning. This pursuit will bring to light for us how education is not one philosophical theme among others, but both the proper setting and a crowning fruit of contemplating being for its own sake. On this foundation, we will assess technology’s claim to augment the mind's discovery of the world and communication among persons. We will reflect, finally, on the possibility of so-called ‘artificial intelligence,' asking whether it can genuinely support or only obstruct the enjoyment of truth as common that is the fulfillment after which reason naturally aspires.

3 credits | Online

Wednesdays, 6:00 - 9:00pm EDT, May 15th, May 22nd, May 29th, June 5th, June 12th, June 19th, June 26th


CP641: Philosophy of God (Matthew Pietropaoli, Ph.D.)

This course concerns the natural ascent of the human mind to a knowledge of the existence and the attributes of God – can God’s existence be proven, and can our language at least begin to represent God’s attributes without falling purely into metaphorical language or simple anthropomorphisms.

3 credits | Online

Thursdays, 6:00 - 9:00pm EST, May 16th, May 23rd, May 30th, June 6th, June 13th, June 20th, June 27th


D210: "Lord, teach us to pray": An Introduction to Prayer and Discernment (Lisa Lickona, S.T.L.)

What is prayer? How does one pray? What is discernment? Is it possible to discover God’s will and respond to it? What does it mean to make “spiritual progress”? This course attempts to answer these questions by drawing on classical texts from Scripture and Tradition. The emphasis throughout the course will be on both theology and practice, as students bring their own lived experience into dialogue with the witness of Jesus, Mary, and the saints.

3 credits | ROC and Online

Tuesdays, 6:00 - 9:00pm EST, May 14th, May 21st, May 28th, June 4th, June 11th, June 18th, June 25th

Session II

A205: Introduction to Biblical Studies (Matthew Ramage, Ph.D.)

The sequence of Sacred Scripture courses at St. Bernard’s is meant to instill habits and skills of reading the Bible that will nourish the spiritual life of the student and candidate for ministry. This first course lays a foundation for all other Scripture courses. It intends to head off simplistic and hackneyed interpretations of Dei Verbum and instead to pursue the development of a rigorous ecclesial hermeneutic. Students will learn the practical building blocks and essential theoretical principles for a Catholic theological approach to the interpretation of Sacred Scripture. Topics treated include biblical geography, biblical history, biblical languages, biblical narrative, the framework of theology, textual criticism, historical criticism, biblical canon, patristic interpretation, the four senses of Scripture, philosophical hermeneutics, and Dei Verbum.

3 credits | Online

Mondays, 6:30 - 9:30pm EST, July 1st, July 8th, July 15th, July 22nd, July 29th, August 5th, August 12th

B/C460: Image of the Maker: the Theological Poetics of George MacDonald and J.R.R. Tolkien (Siobhan Latar, S.T.D.)

The great Catholic myth-writer, J. R. R. Tolkien, maintained that “we make because we are made in the image of a Maker.” He is not the only Catholic literary artist who understood our capacity to create, and more particularly, to create through language, to be a privileged and essential aspect of our human vocation. This course will draw on the penetrating insights of Catholic literary giants such as Paul Claudel, Flannery O'Connor, and J. R. R. Tolkien, as well as Tolkien's mentor, George MacDonald, to examine in more depth the role of creativity in human life. We will uncover both MacDonald and Tolkien’s understanding of the role of creativity and what it shows us about our relationship with creation, ourselves, and the Creator. We will spend time examining both their thought and examples of their own literary work that exemplify and embody the principles to which they testify.

3 credits | Online

Wednesdays, 6:00 - 9:00pm EST, July 3rd, July 10th, July 17th, July 24th, July 31st, August 7th, August 14th



C/D329: The Gospel of Life: Life Issues and Contemporary Challenges (Matthew Kuhner, Ph.D.)

An exploration of the nature, demands, and consequences of the Gospel of Life, “that 'new' and ‘eternal' life which consists in communion with the Father, to which every person is freely called in the Son by the power of the Sanctifying Spirit…[in which] all the aspects and stages of human life achieve their full significance” (Evangelium Vitae, §1). After beginning with an overview of theological anthropology (centered upon key sources in Scripture and Tradition), the course then addresses moral issues concerning the beginning of life, its end, and each stage in between. These issues include, but are not limited to: abortion, contraception, violence and war, economic injustice, and euthanasia. The general aim of the course is two-fold: (1) to grant the student proficiency in engaging these challenges and (2) to identify the Church’s teaching on each issue, as well as the foundation of each teaching in the Gospel of Life.

3 credits | ROC and Online

Tuesdays, 6:00 - 9:00pm EST, July 2nd, July 9th, July 16th, July 23rd, July 30th, August 6th, August 13th



CP661: Ethics (Erik van Versendaal, Ph.D.)

This course will articulate the general components necessary to a sustained, unified, and useful investigation into the moral life. With a privilege accorded to the Socratic, Platonic, Aristotelian, Augustinian, and Thomistic traditions, the course will consider the question of human purpose, namely to be happy, and the means that must be marshalled in order to achieve this happiness. Among the components to be examined are the following: how virtue, vice, and habit are related to the development of human character; how do we understand free choice and the many and varied roles that both reason and will play in the realization of a free choice; what is meant by conscience and its role in the moral life; is the society we live in and the friendships we enjoy necessary to the realization of a happy life; can the purely secular approach to human happiness succeed or must this be realized within a religious context?

3 credits | Online
Tuesdays, 6:00 - 9:00pm EST, July 2nd, July 9th, July 16th, July 23rd, July 30th, August 6th, August 13th



D214: Spiritual Formation - Retreat Course Format (Lisa Lickona, S.T.L.)

This course is an introduction to the “school of prayer.” After a consideration of prayer of the Son of God, we will explore the different dimensions of the encounter with God in prayer through the lives and writings of the saints. Three online classes will serve as preparation for the five-day retreat at the Abbey of the Genesee in Piffard, New York. During the retreat, students will be invited to the experience of prayer within a monastic environment that fosters silence, presence, stillness, and spaciousness.

3 credits | Abbey of the Genesee

July 22nd - July 26th. Learn more and register here

Spring 2024 Courses

January 8th - April 26th

(Note: our add/drop deadline is February 2nd)

BUF (Buffalo Campus) | ROC (Rochester Campus)


A203: New Testament (Matthew Ramage, Ph.D.)

New Testament introduces students to the literature, history, and theology of the New Testament. It focuses on key books of the New Testament with a primary focus on Jesus of Nazareth, the four canonical Gospels, and the development of early Christianity.

3 credits | Online

Every other Wednesday, 6:30 - 9:30pm EST, 1/10, 1/24, 2/7, 2/21, 3/6, 3/20, 4/10, 4/24


B/C310: Catholic Social Teaching (Carmina Chapp, Ph.D.)

This course examines the development of Catholic Social Teaching from a historical and theological perspective. Students will become familiar with the numerous social documents of the Church, beginning with Rerum Novarum. The content and implications of these documents will be discussed and evaluated. The life and work of Dorothy Day and other key figures in the area of Catholic social teaching will be offered as examples of how we can integrate social teaching into our ministries and spirituality.

3 credits | Online

Every other Tuesday, 6:00pm-9:00pm EST, 1/9, 1/23, 2/6, 2/20, 3/5, 3/19, 4/2, 4/16


B/C350: Philosophy for Theologians (Stephen Loughlin, Ph.D.)

This course introduces the basic principles, language, and approaches that philosophy has historically contributed to the approach to and service of theological study and reflection. The course prepares students to engage in theological discourse, fostering the logical, epistemological, ethical, and metaphysical framework necessary to the approach, understanding, development, and maintenance of theological positions consistent with the Catholic intellectual tradition.

1 credit | BUF and Online

Every other Thursday, 6:00pm-8:00pm EST, 1/18, 2/1, 2/15, 2/29, 3/14, 4/4


C/D203: The Drama of Life in Christ: Action, Contemplation, Communion (Catechism 3 and 4) (Siobhan Latar, S.T.D. and Apolonio Latar, S.T.L.)

In his Letter to the Philippians, St. Paul boldly proclaims: “to live is Christ” (1:21). What does it mean to live life in Christ and for Christ, Who is “the way, the truth, and the life” (Jn 14:6)? This course provides an extended meditation upon the demands of life in Christ through an exploration of (a) the Christian understanding and realization of the moral life as guided by Part Three of the Catechism of the Catholic Church (“Life in Christ” §§1691-2557), and (b) the practice, life, and purpose of Christian prayer as guided by Part Four of the Catechism (“Christian Prayer” §§2558-2865).

3 credits | Online

Every Thursday, 6:30pm-8:30pm EST, 1/11, 1/18, 1/25, 2/1, 2/8, 2/15, 2/22, 2/29, 3/7, 3/14, 3/21, 4/4, 4/11, 4/18, 4/25


C/D334: Catholic Bioethics at the End of Life (Peter Colosi, Ph.D.)

This course examines a range of issues and controversies related to the end of life, from the determination of death itself, to euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide, advance directives, hospice and palliative care options, organ donation, extra/ordinary care, and artificial nutrition and hydration. Topics are grounded in a broader discussion of Church views on suffering and death and the Catholic tradition of Ars moriendi (The Art of Dying). In addition to helpful narratives from the rich history of Catholic health care, secular bioethical frameworks and arguments are also critically examined. Issues are considered in a highly practical light, with emphasis given to real-world applications in pastoral, academic, and health care settings. As time permits, one or more additional cutting-edge bioethical issues such as gender dysphoria, artificial wombs, CRISPR gene editing, or COVID-related ethics will be considered.

3 credits | Online

Every Tuesday, 6:30pm-8:30pm EST, 1/9, 1/16, 1/23, 1/30, 2/6, 2/13, 2/20, 2/27, 3/5, 3/12, 3/19, 4/2, 4/9, 4/16, 4/23


C/D365: Theology of the Body: Sexuality and the Sacred (Lisa Lickona, S.T.L.)

Today we find ourselves struggling to understand and navigate everything that has to do with gender and sexuality. Why is this? Why is life in the body so hard? In fact, we live in the wake of a profound modern divorce between God and His creation, meaning and matter (Descartes), that has facilitated the vast expansion of man’s technological mastery over his world (Bacon). And even as post-modernity has decried modernity’s worst fruits—world wars, the arms race, the destructive global consumerist culture—we find ourselves nevertheless unable to re-discover the inherent purpose of the material order. A struggle to impose meaning has ensued—with the body as its most sensitive battleground. This course seeks to understand the malaise in which we find ourselves and to explore in depth an answer that has been proposed from the heart of the Church. In Pope St. John Paul II’s Theology of the Body, we will consider the human body as “sacramental” and the human person as inherently structured to express and receive love. We will discover a corresponding depth in the vocations to marriage and celibacy. And we will consider what this means for our experience lived “in” the body and not despite it.

3 credits | ROC and Online

Every Monday, 6:00pm-9:00pm EST, 1/8, 1/22, 1/29, 2/5, 2/12, 2/19, 2/26, 3/4, 3/11, 3/18, 3/25, 4/8, 4/15, 4/22



C215: Introduction to Theological Studies (Daniel Drain, Ph.D. [Cand.])

This course orients students to the various aspects of Catholic theological studies and the way Catholic theology functions in the faith community. Key issues such as faith, revelation, Scripture, tradition, the magisterium, and theological method are explored with an eye to how they are integrated into the entire discipline of theology. The course aims at helping to develop a framework in which to understand how one engages in theological reflection. Specific theological terms will be defined and discussed. (Formerly "Orientation to Theological Studies").

3 credits | ROC and Online

Every other Thursday, 6:00pm-9:00pm EST, 1/11, 1/25, 2/8, 2/22, 3/7, 3/21, 4/11, 4/25



C228: Ecclesiology and the Theology of Ministry (Lisa Lickona, S.T.L.)

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 | ROC and Online

Every other Wednesday, 6:00pm-9:00pm EST, 1/17, 1/31, 2/14, 2/28, 3/13, 4/3, 4/17, 4/27


C319: Introduction to Apologetics (Matthew Kuhner, Ph.D.)

St. Peter wrote, “always be prepared to make a defense (apologian) to anyone who calls you to account for the hope that is in you, yet do it with gentleness and reverence…” (1 Peter 3:15). In an attempt to take St. Peter’s exhortation to heart, this course examines the major aspects of apologetics, the theological effort to defend and explain the Catholic faith. Topics covered will include: the relationship between faith and reason, the challenges posed by atheism and secularism, dialogue with other religions and ecclesial communities, and the meaning of human sexuality. The nature and history of apologetics will also be explored, with a special emphasis on cultivating a “New Apologetics” to accompany the “New Evangelization,” so as to successfully address the questions and doubts specific to our age.

3 credits | ROC and Online

Every other Wednesday, 6:00pm-9:00pm EST, 1/17, 1/31, 2/14, 2/28, 3/13, 4/3, 4/17, 4/27



C344: Mary, Mother of God (Matthew Kuhner, Ph.D.; Lisa Lickona, S.T.L.)

An introduction to Mary, the Mother of God and the Mother of the Church. The course will explore Mary’s historical, and theological significance from a Catholic perspective, providing an overview of her role in Scripture, doctrine, and devotion. Particular attention will be given to dogmatic formulations and artistic expressions over the centuries.

3 credits | ROC and Online

Every other Tuesday 6:00pm-9:00pm EST, 1/9, 1/23, 2/6, 2/20, 3/5, 3/19, 4/2, 4/16


CP605: Beyond Deception: Logic and the Freedom of the Mind (Stephen Loughlin, Ph.D.)

This course provides an examination of the three activities that define reason (Understanding, Judgment, and Discursive Reasoning), and the development and practice of the techniques that perfect them (definition, the judgment of truth and falsity, the manipulation of propositions, and the formation of a sound argument). The course considers the defects that commonly affect sound reasoning (fallacies), the distinction between sound and cogent reasoning (deductive vs. inductive reasoning) and the criteria that govern the difference between the two, and lastly what constitutes Normative Persuasion Dialogue and how such is to be distinguished from other speech acts.

3 credits | ROC and Online

Every Tuesday, 6:00pm-9:00pm EST, 1/9, 1/16, 1/23, 1/30, 2/6, 2/13, 2/20, 2/27, 3/5, 3/12, 3/19, 4/2, 4/9, 4/16, 4/23


CP651: Philosophical Anthropology (Marco Stango, Ph.D.)

This course investigates the philosophical discussion surrounding the human person. We appeal to the major writers on this subject with an emphasis upon the Socratic, Platonic, Aristotelian, Augustinian, and Thomistic traditions, engaging primary original texts themselves and also their incorporation into modern models of the human person, particularly the personalism of St. John Paul II. Among the aspects considered in this course are the following: what is meant by “body” and “soul”; how has relation that exists between the two been articulated; how do we distinguish and understand the difference between the human person’s animality and his rationality; how do we describe human cognition, choice/free will, the human person’s affective life, and the social and spiritual aspects of our humanity; what is meant by the human person being made to the image and likeness of God (Genesis 1:27); and can it be shown that the human person survives his death?

3 credits | Online

Every other Thursday 6:00pm-9:00pm EST, 1/11, 1/25, 2/8, 2/22, 3/7, 3/21, 4/4, 4/18


CP671: Classic Texts in Catholic Philosophy (Marco Stango, Ph.D.)

This course introduces the students to a close reading of classic works from the Catholic philosophical tradition. Works that may be studied include texts from the ancient, medieval, modern, and contemporary age. According to the model presented in Fides et Ratio by St. Pope John Paul II, “faith and reason are like two wings on which the human spirit rises to the contemplation of truth.” The classics of philosophy selected for this course are examples of the attitude described in the encyclical letter, either because they present an understanding of reason that is open to faith or because they present in an exemplary way the modality in which philosophical reason works once informed by faith. This course is the capstone course for the Master of Arts in Catholic Philosophy.

3 credits | Online

Every other Thursday 6:00pm-9:00pm EST, 1/18, 2/1, 2/15, 2/29, 3/14, 4/11, 4/25