Theology
The Theological Studies Department functions to provide the students with a solid theological foundation to enable the pursuit of life’s ultimate meaning and purpose and to explore the deeper dimension of the human in relationship to God. The department seeks to empower the students to live lives of faith expressed in the unfolding of their created uniqueness and in the living of just interrelationships in the context of the global community. The department provides the student with clear doctrine, intelligent reading of the Scriptures, and moral guidelines according to the teachings of the Catholic Church. It fosters that sense of justice grounded in the Judaeo-Christian tradition which enables them to respond to the challenges of their world and in so doing to expand the reign of God.
MERCY CHARISM INTEGRATED INTO THE UPPER SCHOOL CURRICULUM
The story, vision and mission of Catherine McAuley, foundress of the Sisters of Mercy, is woven throughout the entire theological studies curriculum. Catherine’s Catholic faith provided her the pathway to God and to her experience of Jesus the Christ whose face she came to see in the poor and whom she served in those to whom she ministered. Catherine wrote that “…our center is God from whom all our actions should spring as from their source.”
As students progress through their studies of doctrine and scripture, they are brought into deeper awareness of the dignity of all life, a dignity that arises from the Divine call into being and of the rights due all elements of creation because of their very nature as created by God. They also come to understand the manner of authentic interaction. The students, through their study and guided experiences are also opened to the need for prayer and the sacraments which Catherine saw as the sources from which to draw strength, the strength necessary to bring truth to a world conflicted and often blinded to the unseen Truth at the heart of all. Thus, the students are provided with the foundational understanding that led to Catherine’s understanding of the world and of her call to ministry which is given contemporary expression in the Critical Concerns of the Sisters of Mercy – the concerns for Earth, Immigration, Nonviolence, Racism and Women.
Leading the students to discover their relationship with God through their study and contemplation of Jesus the Christ, God Incarnate, the teachers of the Theological Studies Department are sharing in Catherine’s transformative educational ministry to have “Jesus Christ be formed in us,” and like her, to aid them in having the Christ “be recognized in our conduct.” Thus, they share in her insight and continue her story.
Goals
Students who graduate from
St. Mary Academy - Bay View, having completed the Theological Studies Program, will:
- recognize their being in relationship with God and express in worship, prayer, and service the faith that is in them;
- express their created uniqueness through personal choices and lifestyles;
- understand and appreciate the ways in which others find and respond to the divine Presence in the world;
- make informed decisions based on a clear understanding of the Judeo-Christian tradition, integrating a relationship between personal conduct and social accountability;
- demonstrate understanding of the interdependence of all life through reverence of the environment as God’s stewards on the earth.
Courses
- 4900 Foundations in Faith - Grade 9
- 4107 Mercy Project
- 4000 Fundamentals of Christian Ethics - Grade 10
- 4100 Christology - Grade 11
- 4102 Catholic Social Teaching - Grade 11
- 4200 Death and Dying - Grade 12
- 4201 Religions of the World - Grade 12
- 4202 Christian Lifestyles and Transitions - Grade 12
- 4209 Search for the True Self - Honors - Grade 12
4900 Foundations in Faith - Grade 9
4107 Mercy Project
4000 Fundamentals of Christian Ethics - Grade 10
4100 Christology - Grade 11
4102 Catholic Social Teaching - Grade 11
4200 Death and Dying - Grade 12
4201 Religions of the World - Grade 12
4202 Christian Lifestyles and Transitions - Grade 12
4209 Search for the True Self - Honors - Grade 12
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