Pastoral Ministry Certificate
Students who wish to concentrate in a particular area of pastoral ministry but who do not desire degree study can enroll in an 18 credit/audit Pastoral Ministry Certificate program. In addition to ongoing professional development, the Pastoral Ministry Certificate program provides a welcome venue for spiritual enrichment and renewal.
Concentrations:
- Health Care Ministry
- Interreligious Understanding
- Liturgy and Worship
- Religious Education
- Spirituality and Justice
- Spiritual Formation
- Pastoral Care
- Total Community Catechesis
- Youth and Young Adult Faith
In addition to 18 credits of academic courses, certificate students participate in a four to five hour/week field placement and complete an integrative project at the end of their study.
Hispanic Ministry Certificate
This certificate is a program designed to prepare students, ministers and educators who are already working or are interested in doing so in the context of Hispanic communities anywhere
in the U.S.
Students interested in earning this certificate must meet the following requirements: Supervised Contextual Education Placement, four courses at the graduate level (12 credits), sufficient knowledge of the Spanish language, Hispanic Ministry Seminar, Integrative Project (six credits)
Additional Information for Hispanic Ministry Certificate
A limited number of applicants who do not have an earned bachelor’s degree may apply for this certificate program and be admitted under the following stringent conditions:
• Commensurate life experience in ministry
• Fluency in English
• A writing sample that demonstrates capability for graduate level work (English or Spanish) Nine of our courses are in Spanish.
• Strong letters of recommendation regarding character, commitment to the Church, and capacity for graduate level studies
• Significant leadership potential to warrant merit-based fellowships.
The Post-Master’s Certificate in the Practice of Spirituality
The Post-Master’s Certificate in the Practice of Spirituality is designed to enable ministerial leaders to become spiritual mentors for persons and for Catholic communities of faith. This program is for persons who are experienced in ministry and who have an earned master’s level degree or the equivalent in a theological discipline. To complete the program, one engages in two weeks of intensive study (morning classes and an afternoon practicum) for three consecutive summers. Summer dates for this program always correspond with the first session of the STM Summer Institute.
Unit I: Ways of Prayer and Discernment
Morning Session
Faculty presentations and discussions based on assigned readings. Themes include historical developments in prayer, teaching forms of Christian prayer, comparative approaches to prayer, the significance of place and body in prayer, the art of discernment, and tools and resources in discernment.
Afternoon Session
Practicum in Spiritual Guidance/Spiritual Direction
Unit II: Fostering Creativity and More Inclusive Communities
Morning Session
Faculty presentations and discussion based on assigned readings. Themes include creative approaches to ritual, creative approaches to dreams in spirituality work, creative writing as a spiritual resource, multiple intelligences and diverse ways of knowing in spiritual formation work, extended senses of community, spirituality and one’s work community, group discernment, group spiritual direction, and spiritual issues arising in community.
Afternoon Session
Practicum in Spiritual Guidance/Spiritual Direction
Unit III: The Art of Spiritual Directions
Morning Session
Faculty presentations and discussion based on assigned readings. Themes include the historical roots of spiritual guidance, contemporary understandings of spiritual guidance, developmental considerations for spiritual guides, ethical considerations in spiritual direction work, contemplative listening, and particular issues in spiritual direction.
Afternoon Session
Practicum in Spiritual Guidance/Spiritual Direction
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Admissions Requirements:
• A bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution
• English proficiency. TOEFL exam results with a minimum of 550 on paper based; 213 on the PC based or 79 on Internet Based Test if you are an international applicant from a non-English speaking country.