Spirituality, Morality & Ethics / LIM G704 Y1G0E
Instructor: Francisco Castillo, D.Min.
Preliminary syllabus

Required Texts (Note: please review the preliminary syllabus when posted above to see if any required texts are available as ebooks in Canvas.)

Traditional Catholic ethics are examined in the light of Vatican II. Students study the nature of the human person and the meaning of freedom and sin. They also explore the role of Scripture, reason and the natural law, norms, conscience, and Church authority in making moral decisions. Throughout the course, Christian living is placed in the context of personal spirituality and the call to discipleship. Sexual ethics and Catholic social teaching are discussed at length in the course.

Requisites:
LIM-G711 and LIM-G714 must be completed prior to taking this course.
LIM-G712 or LIM-G722 are recommended to be taken prior to the course.

Christian Origins / LIM G712 Y1G0E
Instructor: George Rodriguez, Ph.D.
Preliminary syllabus

Required Texts (Note: please review the preliminary syllabus when posted above to see if any required texts are available as ebooks in Canvas.)

This course introduces students to the literature, history, and theology of the early Christian scriptures commonly known as the New Testament. It examines the historical context of Jesus’ teachings, his parables and preaching of the reign of God, and the theology of Paul and the Gospels. Particular attention is given to the experience of faith that was engendered by Jesus among his first disciples and the lived faith of the earliest Christians.

Church, Sacraments, and Liturgy / LIM G722 Y1G0E
Instructor: TBA
Preliminary syllabus

Required Texts (Note: please review the preliminary syllabus when posted above to see if any required texts are available as ebooks in Canvas.)

This course presents the experience and theology of church, sacraments, and liturgy as they have unfolded throughout Christian history. A major part of the course is dedicated to a deeper understanding of the meaning of sacramentality and the theology of the individual sacraments in the Catholic tradition. Special emphasis is given to Vatican II and post-conciliar developments in the church’s self-understanding and in the theology and practice of ministry, sacraments, and liturgy.

Religious Communication / LIM-G885-Y1G0E
Instructor: John Osman, Ph.D.
Preliminary syllabus

Required Texts (Note: please review the preliminary syllabus when posted above to see if any required texts are available as ebooks in Canvas.)

This course explores how a variety of communication media can benefit ministers in their particular settings. Both theory and practice of contemporary communication media, especially the use of television, are explored with hands-on experience. It is the second course in the Digital Culture and Ministry concentration

Pastoral and Educational Praxis / LIM G886 Y1G0E
Instructor: Tracey Lamont, Ph.D.
Preliminary syllabus

Required Texts (Note: please review the preliminary syllabus when posted above to see if any required texts are available as ebooks in Canvas.)

In this capstone course, students employ the method of practical theology to reflect on concerns related to their ministerial and educational praxis. Careful analyses that include the social and cultural circumstances surrounding their identified praxis will be undertaken, as well as an appreciative and critical retrieval of the voice of the faith tradition. Based on that reflection, possible educational and ministerial interventions that meet criteria of pragmatic feasibility and religious faithfulness will be imagined and articulated verbally and in writing for evaluation and feedback.

Requisites:
LIM-G704 must be taken either prior to or at the same time as this course.

Pastoral and Educational Praxis / LIM G886 Y2G0E
Instructor: Emily Jendzejec, Ph.D.
Preliminary syllabus

Required Texts (Note: please review the preliminary syllabus above to see if any required texts are available as ebooks in Canvas.)

In this capstone course, students employ the method of practical theology to reflect on concerns related to their ministerial and educational praxis. Careful analyses that include the social and cultural circumstances surrounding their identified praxis will be undertaken, as well as an appreciative and critical retrieval of the voice of the faith tradition. Based on that reflection, possible educational and ministerial interventions that meet criteria of pragmatic feasibility and religious faithfulness will be imagined and articulated verbally and in writing for evaluation and feedback.

Requisites:
LIM-G704 must be taken either prior to or at the same time as this course.

Session 1 runs from August 19 through October 17.

Introduction to Ministry / RELM-C300-YA1
Instructor: Rick Beben, M.R.E.
Preliminary syllabus

Required Texts (Note: please review syllabus above to see if any required texts are available as ebooks in Canvas.)

Taking a broad view of ministry, this course introduces the study and practice of Christian ministry, grounded in Scripture and the historical tradition and focused on the contemporary challenges and opportunities.

Synodality / RELM-C494-YA1
Instructor: Emily Jendzejec, Ph.D.
Preliminary syllabus
Course flyer

Required Texts (Note: please review syllabus above to see if any required texts are available as ebooks in Canvas.)

This is a three-credit online LIM course at the graduate and undergraduate levels. This course examines Synodality and explores its implications for ministry and the life of faith today. The course culminates in a week-long trip to Rome during the Second Session of the XVI General Assembly of Bishops in October 2024.  Students will participate in public events connected to the General Assembly: prayer services, Pope Francis’s public audiences, and daily sessions with the other university students. This trip will form students in the spiritual practices of synodality, communal discernment, and co-responsibility for mission. It will support them in becoming synodal witnesses and animators back in their home faith communities. Students will participate in the programming with CENTERS (Catholic Education Network To Experience Rome and Synodality) along with other students at participating universities.

NOTE: Permission of Instructor required. There are additional travel fees of $2,000 associated with this course which includes programming and lodging. Students are also responsible for airfare. Reach out to the course instructor, Dr. Jendzejec, for more details epjendze@loyno.edu. 

View the Study Abroad page for this course»

Session 2 runs from October 21 through December 12.

Ethics for Ministers RELM-C334-YZ1
Instructor: Francisco Castillo, D.Min.
Preliminary syllabus

Required Texts (Note: please review syllabus above to see if any required texts are available as ebooks in Canvas.)

This course examines ethical conduct in ministry through an emphasis on Catholic ethics, personal spiritual formation, and formation of conscience that is foundational to one’s ethical life. Through a study of the biblical foundations of Christian ethics and ethical systems and their application, students will develop practical skills to address ethical issues and dilemmas they encounter in ministry. Through the development of a personal code of ethics, students will identify principles to guide their conduct in their lives and ministry. Through reflection on virtue ethics, students will practice ongoing spiritual formation that enriches and informs an ethical practice of ministry.

Session 1 runs from January 13 through March 16.

Introduction to the Bible for Ministry / RELM-C338-YA1
Instructor: TBA
Preliminary syllabus

Required Texts (Note: please review the preliminary syllabus when posted above to see if any required texts are available as ebooks in Canvas.)

This course introduces students to the Bible in light of the best in contemporary biblical scholarship. It focuses on the Bible not as a museum piece but as the living Word of God that reveals, challenges, and comforts and that serves as a crucial resource for ministry.

Senior Seminar / RELM-C496-YA1
Instructor: Rick Beben, M.R.E.
Preliminary syllabus

Required Texts (Note: please review the preliminary syllabus when posted above to see if any required texts are available as ebooks in Canvas.)

The purpose of this course is for students to demonstrate achievement of learning outcomes of the Bachelor in Ministry and Theology by completing a 20-30 page paper following the theological reflection process introduced in RELM 300 Introduction to Ministry. 

Session 2 runs from March 17 through May 11.

Christ and the Christian Tradition / RELM-C370-YZ1
Instructor: TBA
Preliminary syllabus

Required Texts (Note: please review the preliminary syllabus when posted to see if any required texts are available as ebooks in Canvas.)

Fundamental theology in a post-conciliar church: focus on revelation, faith, grace and Christology; a brief review of the historical tradition as a background for creation-centered, liberationist theology today.

Biblical Apocalyptic, Prophecy and Wisdom / RELM-C411-YZ1
Instructor: Thomas Ryan, Ph.D.
Preliminary syllabus

Required Texts (Note: please review the preliminary syllabus when posted to see if any required texts are available as ebooks in Canvas.)

This course examines the biblical genres of prophecy, wisdom, and apocalyptic; their intersections; and their implications for today. This course presumes some background on the Bible.