Moral Theology
Moral Theology is the area of theology that explores questions about the implications of Christian faith for our lives. It has been claimed that if theology is ‘faith seeking understanding’, then Moral Theology is ‘faith seeking understanding as a way of life’.
Fundamentally this discipline is concerned with Christian life: ‘our vocation in Christ and our obligation to bring forth fruit in charity for the life of the world’ (Optatam Totius 16). As such it offers students an opportunity to reflect critically on the challenges and obligations of Christian faith in the context of life and ministry.
Systematic Theology
Theology has been described as “faith seeking understanding” (St Anselm of Canterbury). Systematic Theology studies the great mysteries of the Christian faith, leading us to an ever-deeper appreciation and understanding of the person of Christ.
At Catholic Theological College, students of systematic theology are invited to enter into an exciting journey of discovery as they study the great themes of Christian faith, including: Creation, Revelation, the Trinity, the Incarnation, the Church, the Sacraments, and Eschatology. Along the way, students acquire skills they need to continue the journey with confidence, long after their formal studies are completed.
Building on the solid foundation of Biblical Studies, Systematic Theology holds in creative tension a profound commitment to the Revelation of God made known to us in Christ, a deep sense of the living Tradition we have inherited, and an urgent commitment to proclaim the message of life to the world in which we live. In this way, we seek to understand our faith so that we can share this gift with others and contribute to the “building up of the Body of Christ” (cf., Ephesians 4:12).
Biblical Studies
Biblical Studies is concerned with the Word of God as the inspired and normative foundation of Christian faith. As sacred scripture the Bible contains the story of divine revelation in human history.
There are two testaments in the Bible, Old and New, both inspired, and both of enduring value. The Second Vatican Council (following Augustine) emphasised the relationship between the two testaments: The New is hidden in the Old, and the Old is made manifest in the New (Dei Verbum, n. 16).
Biblical Studies at CTC involves foundational units in the two testaments, and more advanced studies of specific books and particular literary forms, eg. prophetic literature. A wide range of scripture units is offered for study towards awards or for personal development and spiritual enrichment.
As a key foundation of theology, the Biblical Studies program at CTC enables students to become better equipped at understanding and appreciating the Bible in every area of theological study.
Canon Law
Canon Law is the set of norms that is meant to bring order into the life of the Church community. The Church is essentially the community of those who believe in and follow Christ.
That faith community requires some structures that could be labelled organisational and operational – embracing Church governance (on the universal, diocesan and parish levels), the Church’s teaching mission, and the norms for worship and administration of the sacraments.
There are also regulations concerning the administration and proper care of Church goods and property, as well as procedures for the resolution of disputes and protection of rights within the Church.
Canon Law helps to ground our knowledge of God and divine teachings in the practical reality of living in faith communities. It provides supports for us to live together as Catholic Christians.
At Catholic Theological College, the focus of the Canon Law course is the legislation connected with pastoral ministry.
Christian Spirituality
Christian Spirituality opens up for us the treasures of the Catholic tradition from the earliest times to the present day – including such well-known and popular figures as Hildegard of Bingen, Teresa of Avila and John of the Cross.
Spirituality seeks to appreciate how the Spirit enlivens the Christian. The Spirit in-spires the individual, enabling one to become like Christ as a child of God. This inspiration can be experienced in the simplicity of a humble prayer and the profundity of mystical contemplation. The same process of inspiration takes place in the whole body of believers gathered in the liturgical assembly, as we become more like Christ, manifesting to others the fruits of his Spirit – ‘love, joy, peace …’ This is theology as a lived experience.
In an age when spirituality is often understood as something eclectic and individualist, unrelated to Church, the study of spirituality at CTC opens some of the great treasures of the Christian tradition. Being able to move freely up and down the Christian centuries, one discovers something of the true freedom of the children of God. Enriched by this tradition, Christian Spirituality is not confined to personal growth, but issues forth in witness and service to others.
Church History
Church History seeks to follow the journey of the Church – the body of believers – through time. Naturally influenced and shaped by the particular cultures in which it exists, the Church is itself often a major influence in shaping a culture. As in any historical study, the Church historian gathers and analyses evidence, so as to understand why people acted as they did, and how these actions have shaped our present. History is thus our collective memory. It enables us to be confident of and to articulate our identity.
However, as the body of people who believe in Christ, the Church cannot be analysed as just another subject of historical enquiry. Because the Church seeks to understand Christ’s message more profoundly and articulate it more clearly, Church History has a specifically theological aspect.
Christians believe they are called and enlivened by the Spirit of Christ. Church History studies how people have sought to put their Christian beliefs into practice, and is therefore concerned with spirituality as much as theology.
Thus Church History is an interesting and captivating field of study. We meet towering figures such as Augustine, Catherine of Siena, and a host of others. As well, we are introduced to great movements that have reinvigorated the Church, such as the Cistercians and the Tridentine reformers. Drawing on the experience of the past, we gain profound insight into the present.
Humanities
The Humanities play a significant and supportive role in the study of theology.
At CTC we focus on those disciplines that directly assist the theological task.
Studying the Bible in its original languages of Hebrew and Greek can greatly enrich a student’s understanding of the biblical foundations of theology.
Such tasks as reading the text in the language of composition, undertaking textual research, and deciding critically on the most appropriate English version of an expression can be stimulating and enriching. The student comes to a greater appreciation of sacred scripture as the inspired Word of God.
The study of Latin enables the student to come to a more confident understanding of significant Church texts, from the works of Church fathers such as Augustine, to the documents of the Second Vatican Council and more recent Church pronouncements.
The rich praying and teaching tradition of the Church is made available to the believing community through the art of preaching. As one of the oldest forms of Church communication, preaching in the liturgy is a privileged moment for many to hear reflections on the Word of God.
Liturgical Studies
Through signs, symbols, words and gestures, liturgy articulates how God’s love and presence is made manifest and shared with human beings. With public and solemn voice, the Christian community gathers to give praise and thanks for this great gift. Jesus has made us sharers in his divine life. In the liturgical cycle of daily (Liturgy of the Hours), weekly (Sunday Eucharist) and yearly (the liturgical year) ritual, the Church celebrates God’s loving and saving presence.
Theology is not simply an academic and theoretical discipline, but finds its true context and meaning in the Church’s liturgy: “If you are a theologian you truly pray. If you truly pray you are a theologian” (Saint Evagrius). The Church at prayer (lex orandi) is the source and summit of the Church’s theology and belief (lex credendi).
When Christians celebrate liturgy, they are not simply talking and learning about God. Liturgy leads to an encounter with the living God who, through the power of the Holy Spirit and the intercession of the crucified and risen Christ, is really present to us.
Studying liturgy gives a student greater insight into and knowledge of the Church’s ritual and prayer. This understanding enhances a student’s participation in liturgy, as well as developing practical skills in its preparation and leadership.
Pastoral Studies
Pastoral Studies is concerned with applying theological studies to teaching and ministry, and is particularly suited for students who are involved in or preparing for pastoral ministry.
Dedicated units assist students to reflect on the psychological and anthropological aspects of ministry.
In Religious Education units, students learn the theory of communicating faith, and the stages of faith development in an Australian ecclesial and social context.
Students can also apply for credit towards their studies for supervised pastoral practice in approved units of Clinical Pastoral Education.
Philosophy
Studying Philosophy will confront you with perennial questions about the human person, the world and God that have fascinated great thinkers for over 3,000 years. From the probing and enquiring mind of Socrates, to the lofty visions of Augustine and Aquinas – from the radical challenge of Descartes and Hume in the Enlightenment, to the critical analysis of Bertrand Russell and the unsettling postmodernism of Heidegger and Derrida in the last hundred years.
The Philosophy program at CTC will introduce you to these figures, and the questions they continue to pose to us. It will enable you to engage in rational enquiry and reflection both on the Christian tradition, and on contemporary issues that confront us in our secular world.
Catholic Theological College
9/13/2010
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