Liturgy Essentials

Fee: $60 | Five Weeks
Prepare for effective liturgy planning in your faith community. Focused on the basics of Catholic liturgy, this course examines how the Constitution on Sacred Liturgy provides the vision for the liturgical life of the Church. 

ENROLL NOW

Topics include the importance of ritual and symbol, liturgical ministry, the importance of proper liturgical space, and the way in which music and popular devotion enhance and expand the experience of meaningful worship. 

Topics

Week 1: Course Introduction
Week 2: The Principles of Catholic Liturgy
Week 3: The Four Parts of the Mass
Week 4: Liturgical Ministry, Time, and Space
Week 5: Music and Devotions

Digital text available in the course: James A. Mongelluzzo, Understanding the Liturgy: A Guide to How Catholics Worship. Twenty-Third Publications, 2018.

Content Scholars:

Rev. Msgr. James A. Mongelluzzo, S.T.D. is a priest of the Diocese of Worcester, Massachusetts, and serves on the faculty at Pope St. John XXIII National Seminary.

Jacqueline Regan serves as Associate Dean of Students Affairs and Career Services, Boston College Clough School of Theology and Ministry.

Saint Mary Magdalene

Fee: $30 | Four Weeks
Who was Saint Mary Magdalene? What does scripture tell us about her ministry? What impact does her saintly life have on us today? This course explores the imagery of Saint Mary Magdalene, both positive and negative, that have shaped our view of the Apostle to the Apostles.

ENROLL NOW

This course also explores the impact of her life on the ministry of women in the church. To complement the informative text and videos, a scripture study text is included to provide an optional prayer experience of St. Mary of Magdala as portrayed in the Gospels

This course has an optional text:  Dinah Chapman Simmons.  Mary Magdalene: Apostle to the Apostles. Little Rock Scripture Study, 2018.
(Little Rock) (Amazon)

Content Scholars:

• Madeleine Boucher, Ph.D. (text) is a former professor of New Testament and director of the Women's Studies Program, Fordham University
• Barbara Reid, O.P., (video) is Carroll Stuhlmueller, CP, Distinguished Professor of New Testament Studies and President of Catholic Theological Union at Chicago.
• Christine Axen, Ph.D., (video) is a medieval scholar and professor at Fordham University and Manhattan College.
• Mary Catherine Hilkert, O.P., (video) is professor of theology at the University of Notre Dame.
• Sandra Schneiders, I.H.M., (video) is professor emerita of the Jesuit School of Theology in Berkeley.
• Nontando Hadebe, Ph.D., (video) is a theologian and senior lecturer at St. Augustine College in South Africa.
• Dinah Chapman Simmons (optional prayer text) is director of Sacramental Preparation and Liturgy at Saint Benedict Parish in Halifax. She also serves in parish ministry in the Archdiocese of Halifax-Yarmouth.

Image Credit: Original photo by Fr. Ted Bobosh (CC BY-SA 2.0)

A Church of and for the Poor

Fee: $30 | Three Weeks
“The poor you will always have with you” (Matt 26:11) 
Jesus’s words are as true as ever with today’s volatile economies and extreme financial inequality.  

ENROLL NOW

In pursuit of a 21st Century Christian discipleship, join a guided conversation focused on the many faces of poverty.  Explore the biblical and theological roots of the Church’s continuing commitment to the poor, evaluate several proposals about ways to respond to poverty, and converse with others about what it means to be a Church of and for the poor.  This course uses the issue of C21 Resources The Poor: What Did Jesus Preach?  What Does the Church Teach? edited by Rev. Kenneth R. Himes, O.F.M.

Topics

• Week 1: Course Introduction
• Week 2: The Many Faces of Poverty
• Week 3: How We Respond in the Face of Poverty

Additional Materials Needed

All materials are included in the course.  View this issue of C21 Resources, "For the Poor: What Did Jesus Preach?  What Does the Church Teach?"  If you prefer to have a hardcopy of C21 Resources, request one from The Church in the 21st Century Center at church21@bc.edu. 

Content Scholar:  This issue of C21 Resources was edited by Rev. Kenneth Himes, O.F.M., professor of theology at the Boston College Theology Department.

Image: Lazarus and the Rich Man by Nigel Lawrence, used with permission.

Teaching Religion to Children: Creative Strategies and Best Practices

Fee: $60
Explore teaching as a vocation, the various types of learners, different approaches to presenting content, and ways to create sacred space and pray with students in the classroom.

ENROLL NOW

Sharing the treasure of Christian faith with the next generation can be a real challenge. It’s not enough for children to learn doctrine, but they need to find meaning in the faith for their lives.

Focused on the elementary and junior high catechist and religious educator, this course explores the fundamental questions facing educators: Who are my students? What should I teach? and How do I teach it effectively? Participants will learn about the developmental needs of their students and their diverse learning styles as well as different strategies and resources to provide a quality faith-based education. This course is not dependent on any catechetical textbook series.

Topics

• Week 1: Introduction
• Week 2: Who are my Students?
• Week 3: What Should I Teach?
• Week 4: How Do I Teach It? Part I: Strategies
• Week 5: How Do I Teach It? Part II: Holistic Student Formation

Additional Materials Needed

Joe Paprocki. The Catechist’s Toolbox: How to Thrive as a Religious Education Teacher. Loyola Press, 2007. (Loyola Press) (Amazon)

Content Scholars

• Joe Paprocki, D.Min., (text) is National Consultant for Faith Formation at Loyola Press. He has over 35 years of experience in ministry and has taught at the high school, college, and general-adult levels. He is the author of numerous books and he presents to audiences across North America.
• Thomas H. Groome, Ph.D. (videos) is professor of theology and religious education, Boston College School of Theology and Ministry, and former director of Boston College’s Church in the 21st Century Center.
• Melinda Brown Donovan, M.A. (video, article) served as associate director for continuing education, Boston College School of Theology and Ministry, through May, 2019.
• Anne Krane, M.Ed., M.Div. (video) is a Pre-K teacher and Ministry Coordinator at St. Columbkille Partnership School. She is also the host and creator of the Breakfast with God program.
• Fr. Quang Tran, S.J. (video) is a Jesuit priest of the Central Southern Province. He is originally from New Orleans, LA. and is currently a doctoral student in counseling psychology at Boston College. He is a co-host of the Breakfast with God program.

Teaching Religion to Adolescents

Fee: $60 | Five Weeks
Drawing upon theology, developmental psychology, and religious education, this course addresses the questions: Who are my students? What should I teach? and How do I teach it effectively?

ENROLL NOW

Young people today are growing up into a world making complex demands of them: in school, the marketplace, personal relationships, and in the use of technology. Join us to explore the developing capacities and needs of adolescents. Draw from Scripture and Church teaching to increase your skills as a teacher (or parent) for helping teens understand and deepen their faith, strengthening them as they rise up to respond to the world around them. This course equips catechists and religion teachers with the resources and strategies needed to teach adolescents about the Catholic faith with inspiration and confidence. 

Topics

• Week 1: Introduction
• Week 2: Who Are My Students?
• Week 3: What Should I Teach?
• Week 4: How Should I Teach? - Part 1. Adolescent Appropriate Strategies
• Week 5: How Should I Teach? - Part 2. Holisitic Student Formation

Additional Materials Needed

All materials provided in the course.

Content Scholars

Jared Dees, M.Ed., M.A., (videos) is an author and the creator of the website The Religion Teacher, which provides practical resources and effective teaching strategies to religious educators; Dr. Max Engel (videos) is assistant professor of education at Creighton University; Dr. Thomas H. Groome (videos), professor of theology and religious education, Boston College School of Theology and Ministry; Dr. Patrick Manning (articles and videos) is assistant professor of pastoral theology at the Immaculate Conception Seminary and School of Theology at Seton Hall University; Dr. Theresa O’Keefe (videos) is associate professor of the practice of youth and young adult faith at Boston College’s School of Theology and Ministry; Susan B. Reynolds (videos) is a Ph.D. student in Theology and Education at Boston College’s School of Theology and Ministry

The Eucharist: At the Heart of Catholic Life

Fee: $30 | Three Weeks
The Eucharist is like a precious jewel, and as we view it from many angles and perspectives, we deepen our appreciation of its value and beauty. the meaning of the Eucharist, the theme of real presence, Eucharist as sacrifice, and the connection between Eucharist and justice.

ENROLL NOW

This course provides guided discussion around the Fall 2011 issue of C21 Resources, a publication of Boston College’s Church in the 21st Century Center. This issue, entitled “The Eucharist: At the Center of Catholic Life,” edited by John Baldovin, S.J., contains articles by a variety of authors, excerpts from key ecclesial documents, and poems. Attention is given to parents handing on the faith in reference to Eucharist, praying the liturgy of the Eucharist, and a brief look at the current translation of the Roman Missal.

Topics

• Week 1: Introduction to the course
• Week 2: Real Presence and Sacrifice; Parents, Children, and Eucharist
• Week 3: Justice; Liturgy of the Eucharist; Adoration

Everything you need for this course is provided on the course site. View this issue of C21 Resources, "The Eucharist: At the Center of Catholic Life" (PDF). If you prefer a hard copy of C21 Resources, email The Church in the 21st Century Center at church21@bc.edu.

Content Scholars

Various scholars contributed articles, under the editorship of Rev. John F. Baldovin, S.J., professor of historical and liturgical theology at the Boston College School of Theology and Ministry.

The Church: People of God on a Mission

Fee: $60
“Communion, Participation, and Mission,” the theme for the Synod on Synodality reflects the life and aspiration of the Catholic Church.  How do we come together in Christ with our human diversity?  How do we contribute through our various vocations and ministries to the shared life of faith?  And how do we carry the message of the Gospel out into the world in fruitful ways?

ENROLL NOW

In this course we reflect on these issues of being church as well as the Church’s teaching role, sacramentality, differences of culture, and the tension between the Church’s transcendent nature and its engagement with the human world.  

“We are convinced that the Church must look with penetrating eyes within itself, ponder the mystery of its own being, and draw enlightenment and inspiration” -Pope Paul VI Ecclesiam Suam

This course has a required text Morris Pelzel, Ecclesiology: The Church as Communion and Mission. Chicago: Loyola Press, 2002. (Loyola Press) (Amazon)

Topics:

Week 1: Introduction to the Cours
Week 2: The Gathering of Disciples
Week 3: Living Baptism in the Church Today
Week 4: Rooted in Word and Sacrament
Week 5: Forming an Evangelizing Church
Week 6: The Church’s Mission

Content Scholars:

Morris Pelzel (text) is the Director of Academic Technology and the Digital Liberal Arts Collaborative at Grinnell College. He also teaches graduate level theology courses online for Creighton University.

Richard Lennan (video) is Professor of Systematic Theology at Boston College School of Theology and Ministry.

Margaret Eletta Guider, O.S.F. (video) is Associate Professor of Missiology at Boston College School of Theology and Ministry.

John F. Baldovin, S.J. (video) is Professor of Liturgy at Boston College School of Theology and Ministry.

Hosffman Ospino (video) is Associate Professor of Hispanic Ministry and Religious Education at Boston College School of Theology and Ministry.

Ernesto (Neto) Valiente (video) is Associate Professor of Systematic Theology at Boston College School of Theology and Ministry.

John in Holy Week and Easter

Fee: $30 | Three Weeks
In this course, participants explore the Gospel of John in Holy Week and themes throughout the Easter season with videos from Daniel J. Harrington, S.J., and Thomas D. Stegman, S.J.

AVAILABLE COURSES

The Gospel of John is used prominently throughout Holy Week and the Easter season in the liturgy. Explore with us what makes John's Gospel unique, the challenge of accepting Salvation, and the story of the final "hour" of Jesus's life. Fathers Harrington and Stegman artfully present on the Passion Narrative in John, through the Resurrection to a discussion on what it means for Christian disciples to carry out the mission of Jesus according to John's farewell discourses. This STM Online: Crossroads course is based on a campus workshop presented in Spring 2011.

Topics

• Week 1: Introduction to the Course
• Week 2: The Gospel of John is Different
• Week 3: John's Passion Narrative

Additional Materials Needed:

All materials provided.  Note: this course is based exclusively on video content.  Transcripts of the videos are provided.

Although there is a Bible available online, you may wish to have a Bible available in hard copy also. For online Bibles, we recommend:

• The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops - New American Bible, Revised Edition (NABRE) or
• The Christian Classics Ethereal Library Study Bible - New Revised Standard Edition (NRSV)

Content Scholars:

Rev. Daniel J. Harrington, S.J., and Rev. Thomas D. Stegman, S.J.

The Psalms: Prayers for All Times

Fee: $60 | Five Weeks
The Psalms are a collection of ancient songs so deeply expressive of the experience of God that they have been used continually for thousands of years.  Join us to learn more about how these scriptures connect to the interior lives of individuals and bind communities in worship.

AVAILABLE COURSES

Explore the structures, genres, and theologies of the Psalms to gain a greater appreciation for them in your own prayer life, and their role in the Church's liturgy.

This course provides an overview of the Psalms guided by Margaret Nutting Ralph's book The Spirituality of the Psalms.  Participants will have the opportunity to explore lament psalms, hymns of praise, and wisdom psalms.  Special attention is given to Psalms in a worship setting.  To help us engage with the Scriptural texts, there will be a guest commentator each week who will provide a video reflection.

Topics

• Week 1: Introduction
• Week 2: Psalms of Lament
  • Guest respondent: the late Fr. Daniel J. Harrington, S.J.
    
• Week 3: Hymns of Praise and Thanskgiving 
• Week 4: Wisdom Psalms and Entrance Rites
  • Guest respondent: Rev. Msgr. James A. Mongelluzzo
• Week 5: Psalms in their Worship Setting
  • Guest respondent: Rev. Msgr. James A. Mongelluzzo

Special Features

Digital text available in the course:  Margaret Nutting Ralph. The Spirituality of the Psalms: Prayers for All Times, Twenty-Third Publications (2016). ISBN-10: 1627851267, ISBN-13: 978-1627851268.

Content Scholars: 

• Margaret Nutting Ralph (text), director of the Master in Pastoral Studies Program for Roman Catholics, Lexington Theological Seminary;
• the late Fr. Daniel J. Harrington, S.J. (video), former professor of New Testament at the Boston College School of Theology and Ministry;
• and Rev. Msgr. James A. Mongelluzzo (video), a priest of the Diocese of Worcester, Massachusetts, and faculty member at Pope St. John XXIII National Seminary.

Black Catholic Spirituality

Fee: $30 | Four Weeks
Explore the Black Catholic experience in the U.S., from the lives of enslaved believers to the Black Lives Matter movement, and the deep faith, prayer, and community that they bring.

AVAILABLE COURSES

This course explores the Black Catholic Christian experience in the United States. The course moves from the experience of enslaved believers to the current experience of Black Catholics. We find hope in the prophetic voices of US Black Catholics on the road to sainthood, particularly Sr. Thea Bowman. This course aims to bring light to the challenges and prejudices faced by Black Catholics, past and present, as well as the deep faith, prayer, and community that they bring to the global Church.

Topics

• Week 1: Who We Are
• Week 2: Foundations
• Week 3: Challenging Times
• Week 4: Hope for the Future

Additional Materials Needed:

All materials are provided within the course.

Content Scholars:

C. Vanessa White, Fr. Cyprian Davis, O.S.B., M. Shawn Copeland, Patrick Saint-Jean, S.J., Amey Victoria Adkins-Jones, Dawn Araujo-Hawkins, Sr. Thea Bowman, F.S.P.A.

Image Credit: William H. Johnson, I Baptize Thee, ca. 1940, oil on burlap, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Harmon Foundation

Lent 2025: Reflecting Together

Fee: $60 | Six Weeks
In this course, participants reflect together on the Sunday reading during the first five weeks of Lent with voices from different scholars providing insight on how we can grow in this time.

AVAILABLE COURSES

Take an opportunity to read and reflect on the Sunday readings during the first five weeks of Lent.  You will be provided with links to reflections on the Lectionary readings (Sunday Cycle: Year C), by a selection of commentators.  Each week there will be a discussion forum so that course participants can share and discuss their insights about the Sunday readings.

Special Features

This course includes:

• References to the current year's lectionary readings
• Current content immediately relevant for this Lenten season
• Weekly questions to begin the discussion

Additional Materials Needed:

All materials will be made available in the course. 

Content Scholars: Contributors to Catholic Women Preach and America Magazine's The Word Sunday Scripture Reflections 

Ordinary Sacredness: Xaverian Values for Everyday Life

Fee: $60 | Six Weeks
This course explores the sacredness of the ordinary by highlighting the five core spiritual values in the Xaverian tradition: humility, simplicity, trust, compassion, and zeal. 

AVAILABLE COURSES

Drawing on the spiritual resources of the Congregation of the Brothers of Saint Francis Xavier, Xaverian Brothers Sponsored Schools, and the larger Christian tradition, join to reflect on the ways that God forms us as beloved daughters and sons in the common, ordinary, unspectacular flow of everyday life.

featuring texts, videos, and prayers by members of the Congregation of the Brothers of Saint Francis Xavier and Xaverian Brothers Sponsored Schools

Topics:

• Week 1: An Introduction to the Course
• Week 2: Trust
• Week 3: Humility
• Week 4: Simplicity
• Week 5: Compassion
• Week 6: Zeal
  

Materials Needed:

• One required text to be purchased prior to the start of the course:
  • Henri J.M. Nouwen. Life of the Beloved: Spiritual Living in a Secular World. New York: The Crossroad Publishing Company, 1992, 2002.
• Additional required texts accessible online:
  • Fundamental Principles of the Brothers of St. Francis Xavier (opens new tab)
    
  • Partners in Mission: Understanding the Xaverian Way (opens new tab)
  • Xaverian Charism Study: Working Papers on Xaverian Spirituality, Life Form, Ecclesiality & Mission (opens new tab)

Content Scholars: Dr. Carolyn Herman, Ph.D. is a systematic theologian and the author of this course and  other Crossroads courses. She is also a veteran Crossroads facilitator and the Director of Staff Formation at Xaverian Brothers High School in Westwood, M.A.; Dr. Benjamin Horgan, Ed.D. is the Head of School at St. John's High School in Shrewsbury, MA and former Director of Formation for Xaverian Brothers Sponsored Schools; Henri J.M. Nouwen (1932-1996) (text) was a Dutch-born Catholic priest, professor, psychologist and prolific spiritual writer; Brother Lawrence Harvey, C.F.X. (video) is a member of the leadership team of the Congregation. He has served the Brothers as Director of Sponsorship, General Councilor and General Superior (2007-2013); Brother Arthur Caliman, C.F.X. (video) entered the Xaverian Brothers in 1965 from Brooklyn, NY. He currently serves as the Congregation Treasurer and the Chair of the Members of all Xaverian Brothers Sponsored Schools; Brother Joseph Pawlika, C.F.X. (video) has served in Xaverian Brothers Sponsored Schools as a Chemistry teacher, Assistant Principal, and School Counselor; Brother William Griffin C.F.X. (video), a Maryland native, has been a Xaverian Brother since 1962. He has served as a teacher, coach, writer, guidance counselor, administrator and missionary in NY, MD, OH, MA, Kenya, and Haiti; Brother Michael McCarthy, C.F.X. (video) began his teaching ministry in the U.S. at Xaverian Brothers high schools and served for twelve years in the Xaverian foreign missions; Brother Daniel Skala, C.F.X. (video) presently holds the position as General Superior of the Congregation of the Brothers of Saint Francis Xavier; Brother Dominique Omedjunga Olondo, C.F.X. (video) is from the Democratic Republic of Congo, currently works in Nairobi in the Xaverian Brothers’ Formation House and is a member of the Congregation’s General Council; Brother Patrick Fumbisha, C.F.X. (video) served as the Novice Master for the Xaverian Brothers in Kenya and Congo. He currently serves as the Vicar General for the Congregation.

Artwork: The Valley of Humility by Br. Edmund Rice, C.F.X.

Mapping Your Inner Landscape

Fee: $60 | Five Weeks
This course compares growth in our spiritual life to an interior journey. Guided by a book from Dolores Leckey, we investigate how we might stay on the inner road while embracing life in the 21st Century.

AVAILABLE COURSES

Join us as we discuss aspects of inner exploration: change as a dynamic of our lives; the quest for balance and solitude in a noisy demanding world; and the power of gratitude in motivating our spiritual growth. In select video segments presented by Colleen Griffith, we examine compassion, solitude, and silence in the life of Thomas Merton; handling multiple commitments as interpreted through the life of St. Elizabeth Seton; and the Spirit working in our lives through the example of St. Jane de Chantal. Fr. Greg Boyle, S.J. provides a reflection on receiving the other.

Topics

• Week 1: Introduction to the Course
• Week 2: Change and Contemplation
• Week 3: Simplicity of Life and Balance
• Week 4: Solitude and Friendship
• Week 5: Gratitude and the Work of the Spirit

Additional Materials Needed:

All materials are provided within the course.

Content Scholars:

Dolores Leckey (text) is a senior fellow emerita at the Woodstock Theological Center, Georgetown University, and former executive director of the Secretariat for Family, Laity, Women, and Youth at the National Conference of Catholic Bishops. 

Dr. Colleen M. Griffith (video) is professor of the practice of theology and faculty director of spirituality studies, Boston College School of Theology and Ministry.

Fr. Gregory Boyle, S.J. (video) is Founder of Homeboy Industries, Los Angeles, CA and author of Tattoos on the Heart: The Power of Boundless Compassion, Barking to the Choir: The Power of Radical Kinship, and The Whole Language: The Power of Extravagant Tenderness

History of the Church II: The Reformation to Vatican II

Fee: $60 | Five Weeks

AVAILABLE COURSES

From the Great Papal Schism and the Reformation to Vatican Council II and its significance in history, this course explores the events, people, and themes that shaped the Church from the 1300s to the 1960s.

In what ways was the church shaped by the political and socio-cultural dynamics of these times? How did the Church respond to the reformations and revolutions that shaped this era? And what does this say to us about our faith and our relationship to the Church today? These questions are at the heart of the conversation for this course.

Also see History of the Church I: The Beginnings through Medieval Period

This course has a required text: Kevin L Hughes, Church History: Faith Handed On. Chicago: Loyola Press, 2002. (Loyola Press) (Amazon)

Topics

Week 1: Putting Church History in Context

Week 2: The Church Divided

Week 3: Expressing Faith in the New World

Week 4: Faith in Times of Change

Week 5: Faith in the Third Millennium

Content Scholars: Kevin L. Hughes, Ph.D. (book) Assistant Professor of Historical Theology at Villanova University; Francine Cardman, Ph.D. (video) Associate Professor of Historical Theology and Church History at Boston College School of Theology and Ministry; Richard Lennan, Dr. Theol. (video) Professor of Systematic Theology at Boston College School of Theology and Ministry; Catherine M. Mooney, Ph.D. (video) Associate Professor of Church History at Boston College School of Theology and Ministry; Jeffrey P. von Arx, S.J. (video) Former President of Fairfield University, Visiting Professor of the History of Christianity at Boston College School of Theology and Ministry

Catholic Social Teaching: Living Faith in Our Social Context

Fee: $60 | Five Weeks

AVAILABLE COURSES

Have you ever heard a breaking news story and wondered, “What has faith got to do with it?” Perhaps you have thought “That’s not right,” but then the moral aspect of the event fades into the background.  This course draws attention to key themes of Catholic Social Teaching, e.g., human dignity, human rights, common good. 

It provides an opportunity to discuss issues such as a just wage and a just war.

Guided by 101 Questions and Answers on Catholic Social Teaching by Fr. Ken Himes, O.F.M., see how our call to live lives of faith in a social context is deeply rooted in the Catholic Tradition.

This course has a required text:  Kenneth R. Himes, O.F.M. 101 Questions & Answers on Catholic Social Teaching.  Second Edition. New York: Paulist Press, 2013.

Topics

• Introductory Week: Where does Catholic Social Teaching come from?
• Week 1: Foundations
• Week 2: Political and Economic Life
• Week 3: International Life
• Week 4: Special Concerns

Special Features

This course includes:

• Weekly introductions to each new topic;
• Short videos for each week featuring Fr. Ken Himes and Rev. Debbie Little;
• Transcripts of videos;
• Weekly questions for reflection and discussion; and
• A page of further resources about topics discussed in this course.

All Crossroads courses include these features:

• Participants have access 24 hours/7 days a week to the course's password-protected web site. 
• Each participant belongs to a small Community for Conversation and faith sharing guided by a facilitator.
• Course site is usually available to participants at least three months after the course ends.
• An orientation on how to navigate the web site is always available.
• Technical assistance is easy to contact and prompt in returning a message.
• A Certificate of Active Participation is awarded to those who post at least three messages of substance for each week of content.

Additional Materials Needed:

Course text:  Kenneth R. Himes, O.F.M. 101 Questions & Answers on Catholic Social Teaching.  Second Edition. New York: Paulist Press, 2013.

Time Commitment:

A participant can expect to spend approximately 4 hours each week.  This commitment includes both preparation and interaction online.

Certificate Requirement Categories:

The Moral Life

Content Scholar:  

Fr. Kenneth Himes, O.F.M. (text and video), professor of theology, Boston College Theology Department, and Rev. Dr. Debbie Little (video), founder and missioner of Ecclesia Ministries and Common Cathedral Boston.

Franciscan Spirituality

Fee: $60 | Five Weeks
Beginning with the lives of St. Francis of Assisi and St. Clare of Assisi, this course explores the foundational elements of Franciscan spirituality including the centrality of Christ.

AVAILABLE COURSES

This course provides a basic overview of Franciscan spirituality. Beginning with the lives of St. Francis of Assisi and St. Clare of Assisi, this course explores the foundational elements of Franciscan spirituality including the centrality of Christ, poverty, creation, contemplation, prayer, and the universal call to holiness. To complement the informative text and videos, prayers of St. Francis and St. Clare are also provided.

This course has a required text:  William J. Short O.F.M.  Poverty and Joy: The Franciscan Tradition. Orbis Books: Maryknoll, NY, 1999.

Topics

• Week 1: Introduction
• Week 2: St. Francis and St. Clare
• Week 3: Centered on Christ
• Week 4: Poverty and Humility 
• Week 5: Creation and Contemplation 
• Week 6: Prayer and the Universal Call to Holiness

Additional Materials Needed:

William J. Short O.F.M. Poverty and Joy: The Franciscan Tradition. Orbis Books: Maryknoll, NY, 1999.

Content Scholars: 

William J. Short O.F.M., S.T.L., S.T.D., is professor of Spirituality at the Franciscan School of Theology at the University of San Diego;

Fr. Erik Lenhart, OFM Cap. leads retreats and service experiences with Capuchin Youth and Family Ministries in the Hudson Valley, New York;

Fr. William Tarraza, OFM Cap. is the Director of Post Novitiate and Priestly Formation for the Province of St. Mary of the Capuchin Order;

Catherine M. Mooney, Ph.D. is associate professor of Church History at CSTM;

Richard Rohr, O.F.M. is an author, teacher and founder of the Center for Action and Contemplation;

Kenneth Himes, O.F.M., Ph.D. is a retired theology professor at Boston College;

Ilia Delio, O.S.F., Ph.D. holds the Josephine C. Connelly Endowed Chair in Theology at Villanova University.

Unsung Scriptures

Fee: $60 | Six Weeks
Explore the New Testament texts that are often less “trodden” in preaching, scripture studies, and reflections. These writings offer rich theological perspectives to deepen your spirituality and understanding of Jesus’s way of relating to humanity through covenant, self-sacrificial love, and a profound and practical concern for the poor. To help us engage with the Scriptural texts, each week there is video commentary by a guest scholar.

AVAILABLE COURSES

This course has a required text: Thomas D. Stegman, S.J. Texts Less Traveled: Exploring Hebrews, the Catholic Epistles, and Revelation. Paulist Press, 2022.

(Paulist Press) (Amazon)

Topics 

Week 1: Introduction
Week 2: Hebrews
Week 3: James
Week 4: 1 and 2 Peter (Jude)
Week 5: 1, 2, and 3 John
Week 6: Revelation

Certificate Requirement Categories

• Sacred Scripture

Content Scholars:

Fr. Thomas D. Stegman, S.J. (text) was former Dean and professor of New Testament at Boston College School of Theology and Ministry;Dr. Angela Kim Harkins (video) is associate professor of New Testament at Boston College School of Theology and Ministry;Dr. O. Ernesto Valiente (video) is associate professor of systematic theology at Boston College School of Theology and Ministry;Dr. Jaime L. Waters (video) is associate professor of Old Testament at Boston College School of Theology and Ministry;Dr. Mary Jo Iozzio, (video) is professor of moral theology at Boston College School of Theology and Ministry;and Fr. Matthew Monnig, S.J., (video) is assistant professor of New Testament at Boston College School of Theology and Ministry.

History of the Church I: The Beginnings through Medieval Period

Fee: $60 | Five Weeks

AVAILABLE COURSES

Church history tells the stories that are woven into the fiber of the Church as people of God and as institution.  The Church's beliefs, practices, and relationships have been formed by believers of every generation as they endeavored to live lives of faith in their own time and place.

In this course we explore the people and events that shaped culture and society as well as the Church across the centuries.  We look at both the epoch forming events as well as the people behind them.

Also see History of the Church II: The Reformation to Vatican II

This course has a required text:  Kevin L Hughes, Church History: Faith Handed On. Chicago: Loyola Press, 2002. (Loyola Press) (Amazon)

Topics

Week 1:  Why Study Church History?  

Week 2: In the Beginning

Week 3: Establishing Faith in the Context of Culture

Week 4: Faith through the Early and High Middle Ages

Week 5: Faith in the Late Middle Ages

Content Scholars: Kevin L. Hughes, Ph.D. (book) Assistant Professor of Historical Theology at Villanova University; Francine Cardman, Ph.D. (video) Associate Professor of Historical Theology and Church History at Boston College School of Theology and Ministry; Catherine M. Mooney, Ph.D. (video) Associate Professor of Church History at Boston College School of Theology and Ministry.

A People of Hope

Fee:  $30 | Three Weeks

The Christian story the metanarrative of salvation history is shaped by biblical figures that continue to inspire us, guide our faith, and ground our hope and our lives as believers.  Inspired by the Jesse Tree, this course unpacks the Advent theme of hope as lived out by our forebears in faith.

AVAILABLE COURSES

Using Scripture, videos with Fr. Michael Himes, and essays by the late Fr. Raymond Brown and Dr. Colleen Griffith, we look at some of the people in Matthew's genealogy and others people of hope who readied the way for Jesus and for us.  With these stories in view, participants are invited to reflect on what it means to embrace and live out Christian hope today.

Topics

Week 1: A Cloud of Witnesses
Week 2: Deep Remembering with the Gospel of Matthew
Week 3: Living into Hope with Friends of God and Prophets

Additional Materials Needed:

All materials are available on the course site. 

Although a Bible is available online, you may also wish to have a Bible available in hard copy.  For online Bibles, we recommend:

• The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops - New American Bible, Revised Edition (NABRE) or
• The Christian Classics Ethereal Library Study Bible - New Revised Standard Edition (NRSV)

Content Scholars: The late Rev. Raymond Brown, S.S. (text), Dr. Colleen M. Griffith (text), and Rev. Michael J. Himes (video)

Following the Star

Fee: $30 | Three Weeks

Join the Magi in following the star this Advent season. Focusing on the Epiphany, this course takes a reflective look at the experience of the Magi in traveling to see the Christ child, honoring him, and departing by a different way. 

AVAILABLE COURSES

Reflect on your own faith journey this Advent and Christmas season as we take a closer look at the scripture as well as the different ways the Epiphany is celebrated in the global church.

All materials will be provided within the course.

Topics 

Week 1: "Where is the newborn king?"
Week 2: "We saw his star"
Week 3: "We have come to do him homage"

Content Scholars:

Madeleine Boucher, Ph.D. (text) is a former professor of New Testament and director of the Women’s Studies Program, Fordham University
Richard Leonard, S.J., (text) is a Jesuit priest of the Australian Province, author, educator, and film critic.
Fr. Anselm W. Romb, OFM Conv. (text) is a Conventual Franciscan priest and author.
Megan McKenna (text) is an internationally known author, theologian, storyteller and lecturer. She teaches at several colleges and universities and does retreats, workshops and parish missions.
Søren Kierkegaard (text) was a Danish philosopher, theologian, and social critic.
Cecilia Martinez-Avila (text) is a writer.
Kathy McNeely (text) is the coordinator of special projects at the Maryknoll Office of Global Concerns in Washington, D.C.
Damian Torres-Botello, S.J. (video) is a Jesuit priest of the Midwest Province. He is a spiritual director, LGBTQ+ advocate, contributor to The Jesuit Post, and co-founder of the Jesuit Antiracism Sodality (JARS).
Barbara E. Quinn, RSCJ (video) is a member of the Society of the Sacred Heart, United States-Canada province. She is a spiritual director, retreat guide, and educator.
Sr. Jane Wakahiu, LSOSF, Ph.D. (video) is a member of the institute of the Little Sisters of Saint Francis, Kenya. Wakahiu provides leadership and direction of the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation’s program department and the Catholic Sisters Initiative.
Carolyn Y. Woo, Ph.D. (video) is former dean of the Mendoza College of Business at the University of Notre Dame and former CEO and president of Catholic Relief Services.
Jan Richardson (prayer) is an artist, writer, and ordained minister in the United Methodist Church. She serves as director of The Wellspring Studio, LLC, and has traveled widely as a retreat leader and conference speaker.
Theodore J. Tracy, S.J. (prayer) was a Jesuit priest, professor, author, retreat leader, and spiritual director.
John Shea (prayer) is a theologian, storyteller, teacher, writer, and a consultant with decades of experience in providing theological and formation services to parishes and faith-based organizations.

The Gospel of Luke

Fee: $30 | Three Weeks

AVAILABLE COURSES

Luke sends us on a journey with Jesus, a revolutionary mission to bring down the powerful and lift up the lowly, to release the captives and heal the broken. It's a revolution of tearing down the boundaries of hate, and ushering in a peace where all are neighbors. As he meets his destiny in Jerusalem to fulfill God's promises, will we recognize the Lord?

Join us to learn more about this Gospel, its literary style, unique stories, and message of prayer. This course explores the Gospel's setting, the Evangelist who wrote it, and the community for which it was written. It will also introduce practices for using the Gospel in prayer and reflection about your life. No previous experience in Scripture study is necessary.

Topics

Week 1:  The Writing of the Gospels
Week 2: The Healing and Reconciling Savior: Luke's Portrait of Jesus
Week 3: A Closer Reflection on Key Themes in Luke

Additional Materials Needed

Although a Bible is available online, you may also wish to have a Bible available in hard copy.  For online Bibles, we recommend:

• The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops - New American Bible, Revised Edition (NABRE) or
• The Christian Classics Ethereal Library Study Bible - New Revised Standard Edition (NRSV)

Content Scholars:

Dr. Philip A. Cunningham (text), professor of theology and religious studies, St. Joseph's University, and Rev. Michael Himes (video), priest of the Diocese of Brooklyn, New York, and professor of theology, Boston College Theology Department.

Effective Preaching: Homily Preparation

Fee: $30 | Four Weeks

AVAILABLE COURSES

Learn how to craft an engaging homily, and cultivate the study, prayer, and pastoral practices that will support you as work to feed the congregation on the Word of God. Deepen your appreciation of the sacramentality of the Word, your mediating role as a preacher, and the communal functions of preaching.

Topics include preaching as a vocation, the homiletic form, crafting for the ear rather than the eye, and consultation with the congregation. Based on the Boston College resource Touchstones for Preaching, this course is designed for ordained and lay preachers.

Topics

Week 1: Introduction
Week 2: Crafting the Homily
Week 3: Integrating the Process of Preparing a Homily into One’s Life
Week 4: Using Consultation

Additional Materials Needed
All materials are included on the course site.

Time Commitment
A participant can expect to spend an average of 3 hours each week.  This commitment includes both preparation and interaction online.

Content Scholars: Rev. Msgr. James A. Mongelluzzo, S.T.D., a priest of the Diocese of Worcester, Massachusetts, and faculty member at Pope St. John XXIII National Seminary; and Rev. William T. Kelly, S.T.D., a priest of the Archdiocese of Boston.

The Joy of the Gospel

Fee: $60 | Five Weeks

AVAILABLE COURSES

Does the Gospel of Christ bear fruit in your life?  How about in your church? In Evangelii Gaudium, Pope Francis calls Catholic Christians to ongoing conversion, to bring the joy of Christian discipleship out into the world.

It’s a call to become a Church of open-doors and invitation, reaching out to the margins bringing hope, life, and rejoicing to all.  In this course, discover how sharing the joy of the Gospel is the very purpose of Christian life.  Explore the meaning of “New Evangelization,” and key approaches turning your parish into a vibrant evangelizing community.  Together we’ll study Pope Francis’s document and reflect on how to continue to bring the Gospel joy into the 21st century world.

All materials are provided within the course. The course text Evangelii Gaudium is available at the Vatican website. If you prefer, print copies can be purchased online.

Topics:

Week 1: Introduction to the course
Week 2: What is Evangelization?
Week 3: Crisis of Commitment
Week 4: Proclamation and Social Dimension of Religion
Week 5: Social Dimension of Religion (cont’d) and Spirit-filled Evangelizers

Additional Materials Needed:

Course text by Pope Francis. Evangelii Gaudium (The Joy of the Gospel) available for download online

Also available in print (hardback, paperback, ebook)

Content Scholars:

Pope Francis (text); 

Thomas H. Groome, Ed.D. (video) is Professor of Theology and Religious Education in the Boston College School of Theology and Ministry

Jane Regan, Ph.D. (video) is Director of Continuing Education and Associate Professor of Theology and Religious Education in the Boston College School of Theology and Ministry

Susan Timoney, S.T.D (video) is Assistant Secretary for Pastoral Ministry and Social Concerns for the Archdiocese of Washington, D.C.

Ignatian Spirituality

Fee: $60 | Six Weeks

This course provides a basic overview of Ignatian spirituality. Beginning with the life of St. Ignatius of Loyola, this course explores the pillars of Ignatian spirituality including the Spiritual Exercises, prayer and contemplation, the Examen, and discernment.

ENROLL NOW

This course has a required text: David L. Fleming, S.J.  What Is Ignatian Spirituality? Loyola Press, 2008.

To complement the informative text and videos, online resources are provided for prayer experiences rooted in Ignatian spirituality.

Topics:

Week 1: Introductory Week
Week 2: Who is St. Ignatius?
Week 3: Prayer, Contemplation, and the Examen
Week 4: The Spiritual Exercises: Structure, Meaning, and Theology
Week 5: Discernment of Spirits
Week 6: Discernment of God's Will

Content Scholars: David L. Fleming, S.J. (text) was the editor of the journal Review for Religious as well as author of several books on Ignatian spirituality. Barton T. Geger, S.J. (videos) is assistant professor of the practice at the School of Theology and Ministry at Boston College, Research Scholar at the Institute of Advanced Jesuit Studies, and General Editor of Studies in the Spirituality of Jesuits

The Gift of Prayer

Fee: $60 | Five Weeks
“Deep down in every human heart there is knowledge of God. And deep down in every human heart is the desire to communicate with God.”
-St. Teresa of Calcutta
Whether you are looking to deepen your current prayer life or just beginning your prayer journey, this course provides an opportunity to reflect on the ways that we communicate with God and how God communicates with us.

AVAILABLE COURSES

Rooted in the Catholic tradition, this course explores the foundations of prayer and reflects on different ways to engage in prayer, communally and individually.

This course has a required text:  James Martin, S.J. Learning to Pray: A Guide for Everyone. HarperOne: New York, NY, 2021.

Topics

• Week 1: Introduction
• Week 2: Prayer Foundations
• Week 3: Examen and Movements of Prayer
• Week 4: Discernment and Imagination 
• Week 5: Lectio Divina, Centering Prayer, and Nature Prayer 
• Week 6: Experiences of Prayer

Additional Materials Needed:

James Martin, S.J. Learning to Pray: A Guide for Everyone. HarperOne: New York, NY, 2021.

Content Scholars: 

Rev. James Martin, S.J. (text and video) is a Jesuit priest, editor at large of America magazine, founder of Outreach, and author of numerous books;

Colleen M. Griffith (video) is Professor of the Practice of Theology and Faculty Director of Spirituality Studies at Boston College Clough School of Theology and Ministry;

André Brouillette, S.J.(video) is Associate Professor of Systematic and Spiritual Theology at Boston College Clough School of Theology and Ministry;

Barbara Quinn, RSCJ (video) is Associate Director of Spiritual Formation at Boston College Clough School of Theology and Ministry;

Jaime L. Waters (video) is Associate Professor of Old Testament at Boston College Clough School of Theology and Ministry;

Guadalupe Ospino (video) is the Director of the Hispanic Apostolate of Saint Patrick Parish in Lawrence, Massachusetts;

Hosffman Ospino (video) is Professor of Hispanic Ministry and Religious Education and Chair of the Department of Religious Education and Pastoral Ministry at Boston College Clough School of Theology and Ministry.

Paul's Letter to the Romans

Fee: $60 | Six Weeks

AVAILABLE COURSES

Written some 2000 years ago, Paul's Letter to the Romans, as its name suggests, addresses the situation and concerns of first century Romans. And yet, this letter from Paul, like all of Scripture, is a word for us today as well.

Guided by Thomas D. Stegman, S.J.’s book, Written for Our Instruction: Theological and Spiritual Riches in Romans​ and video from Richard Lennan and Nancy Pineda-Madrid, this course looks at key themes in Paul's writing, including God, Jesus, Spirit, Salvation, and Church. Reflect and discuss with others the implications it has for us.

Topics

Week 1: Introduction to the course
Week 2: God
Week 3: Jesus
Week 4: Spirit
Week 5: Salvation
Week 6: Church

Additional Materials Needed:

Thomas D. Stegman, S.J. Written for Our Instruction: Theological and Spiritual Riches in Romans. Paulist Press, 2017.

Content Scholars:

Thomas D. Stegman S.J. (text), Richard Lennan (video), and Nancy Pineda-Madrid (video)

Christian Faith and Moral Character

Fee: $60 | Five Weeks

Rather than a list of commandments, this course examines a fundamental element of moral experience: the formation of a person's character.

AVAILABLE COURSES

What sort of person are you trying to be? How does your Christian faith influence your goals? After clarifying the meaning and significance of character as reflected upon in the Christian theological tradition, the course addresses the topics of moral freedom, human sinfulness, and the nature of conversion. Feature film clips are used to provide occasions to discuss various themes emphasized in the readings.

Topics

• Introductory Week
• Week 1: Moral Character - what is it and why is it important?
• Week 2: Moral Freedom - the nature of freedom and the process of shaping character
• Week 3: Human Failing and Sin - examining the language and meaning of the mystery of sin
• Week 4: The Grace of Conversion - understanding the meaning of authentic conversion and its place in the moral life

Special Features
This course includes:

• Four articles by Father Kenneth Himes, O.F.M.;
• Streaming video of film clips used each week to discuss key points;
• Written transcrips of videos to view and download;
• Weekly questions for reflection and discussion;
• Weekly introduction and study guide;
• Resource page to use for further study;

All Crossroads courses include these features:

• Participants have access 24 hours/ 7 days a week to the course's password-protected web site. 
• Each participant belongs to a small Community for Conversation and faith sharing guided by a facilitator.
• Site is usually available to participants at least three months after the course.
• An orientation in how to navigate the web site is always available.
• Technical assistance is easy to contact and prompt in returning a message.
• A Certificate of Active Participation is awarded to those who post at least three messages of substance for each week of content.

Additional Materials Needed
Everything you need for this course is provided on the course web site.

Time Commitment
A participant can expect to spend an average of approximately 4 hours each week. This commitment includes both the assigned reading and interaction online.

Content Scholar: Father Kenneth Himes, O.F.M. is professor emeritus of theological ethics at Boston College Department of Theology

Spiritual Practices

Fee: $30 | Three Weeks

Explore how the examen, praying with images, hospitality, retreats, and more can be sources of inspiration and meaning, not only for an incidental activity, but for an entire way of life. 

AVAILABLE COURSES

The popular contemporary identification of “spiritual but not religious” reflects a deep and unmet need in the life of many people in the early 21st Century for an approach to faith that balances interior experience with exterior norms and morals. This course “draws from the storeroom both the old and the new” (Mt. 13:52) a range of concrete spiritual practices from the Catholic Christian tradition.

This course provides guided discussion on the Spring 2009 issue of C21 Resources, "Catholic Spirituality in Practice" edited by Dr. Colleen Griffith.

“Whoever has not begun the practice of prayer- 
There is nothing here to fear but only something to desire.” 

- St. Teresa of Avila

Everything you need for this course is provided on the course web site.

Topics

• Introductory Week
• Week 1: Spirituality in Practice, Part 1:
  • The Ignatian Examen
  • Intercessory Prayer
  • Praying with Images
  • Living the Sacramental Principle
  • Eucharistic Adoration
  • Practicing Hospitality
• Week 2: Spirituality in Practice, Part 2:
  • Liturgy of the Hours
  • Rosary
  • Family Life as Spiritual Practice
  • Practicing Forgiveness
  • Centering Prayer
  • Retreats

Additional Materials Needed

Everything you need for this course is provided on the course web site.  View this issue of C21 Resources, "Catholic Spirituality in Practice."  If you prefer to have a hard copy of this issue of C21 Resources, email The Church in the 21st Century Center at church21@bc.edu.

Content Scholar:  The articles were written by various scholars, under the editorship of Dr. Colleen M. Griffith, associate professor of the practice of theology and faculty director of spirituality studies, Boston College Clough School of Theology and Ministry.

Forming Tomorrow's Disciples

Fee: $60 | Six Weeks
How do we guide others on their faith journeys? Forming disciples requires attention to the whole person. Intellectual, social, ethical, and spiritual development are all needed for learners to make meaning and become the persons God calls them to be. This course, designed for faith formation educators (kindergarten to college), explores formative education in a theological context. 

ENROLL NOW

This course has a required text: Colleen M. Griffith and Hosffman Ospino (editors). Formative Theological Education. Paulist Press: New York/Mahwah, NJ, 2023.

(Paulist Press) (Amazon)

Topics 

Week 1: Introduction
Week 2: Formation in Faith
Week 3: Approaches to Scripture and Theology
Week 4: Fostering Resilience and Imagination
Week 5: Cultural Contextuality and Justice
Week 6: Communal Prayer and Formative Mentoring

Certificate Requirement Categories

This course may satisfy requirements for the Online Certificate in Basic Catechesis or the Online Certificate in Adult Faith Formation

Content Scholars:

Colleen M. Griffith is Professor of the Practice of Theology and Faculty Director of Spirituality Studies at Boston College Clough School of Theology and Ministry; Hosffman Ospino is Professor of Hispanic Ministry and Religious Education and Chair of the Department of Religious Education and Pastoral Ministry at Boston College Clough School of Theology and Ministry; Richard Lennan is Professor of Systematic Theology, Professor Ordinarius, and Chair of the Ecclesiastical Faculty at Boston College Clough School of Theology and Ministry; Thomas H. Groome is Professor of Theology and Religious Education at Boston College Clough School of Theology and Ministry; John F. Baldovin, S.J. is Professor of Historical and Liturgical Theology at Boston College Clough School of Theology and Ministry; Andrew R. Davis  is Associate Professor of Old Testament at Boston College Clough School of Theology and Ministry; L. Callid Keefe-Perry is Assistant Professor of Contextual Education and Public Theology at Boston College Clough School of Theology and Ministry; Melissa M. Kelley is Associate Professor of Pastoral Care and Counseling at Boston College Clough School of Theology and Ministry; Nancy Pineda-Madrid is Professor and T. Marie Chilton Chair of Catholic Theology at Loyola Marymount University and Theresa A. O’Keefe is Professor of the Practice, Religious Education at Boston College Clough School of Theology and Ministry.

Retiring Gracefully

Fee: $60 | Five Weeks
Explore how God is present in your life and working in the sometimes perplexing and uncertain process of retirement, from anticipation to realization of life after full-time employment.

AVAILABLE COURSES

For many moving closer to an actual or imagined retirement date, the reality of the event and life afterward may begin to seem puzzling, uncertain, or daunting. In this course, participants will be able to examine the most common issues that perplex or cause concern. The goal of the course is not to answer every question, but to explore how God is present in our lives and working in the process from anticipation to realization of life after full-time employment.

Topics

• Week 1: Introductory Week
• Week 2: Taking Inventory: Money, Place, and Possessions
• Week 3: Meaning, Purpose, and Structuring Time
• Week 4: The Challenge of Change
• Week 5: Realization

Additional Materials Needed:

All materials will be made available in the course.  

Content Scholars:

Barbara Anne Radtke, Ph.D. served as a continuing education specialist in Boston College School of Theology and Ministry from its beginning in 2008 to 2019.  She is the author of Understanding the Sacraments: The Fabric of Our Catholic Lives (2018).

Revitalize the Church

Fee: $30 | Three Weeks
With a range of scandals contributing to a breakdown in trust, the Church is in a time of challenge and uncertainty. Engage with an alternative perspective to discuss the potential for renewal and revitalization. 

AVAILABLE COURSES

It is a challenging time in the Church. Leadership, governance, and the sexual abuse scandal have all contributed to a breakdown in trust among its members and brought about serious questions around its viability. This course offers an alternative way to view the situation by considering the potential for renewal and revitalization. Articles from the Summer 2019 C21 Resources and video segments provide material for reflection, contextual understanding, and practical strategies for moving towards reform.

This course has a required resource: Summer 2019 C21 Resources, Revitalizing Our Church.

Topics

• Week 1: Introductory Week
• Week 2: Facing the Challenge of Revitalization
• Week 3: Responding to the Challenges of Revitalization

Additional Materials Needed:

All materials will be made available in the course.  

Content Scholars: Various contributors edited by Elise Italiano Ureneck.

Sacraments: The Fabric of Catholic Life

Fee: $60 | Five Weeks
This course provides a basic overview of sacramentality and the seven sacraments in the life of a twenty-first century Catholic.  Against a backdrop of a sacramental life view and guided by text, this course touches on the historical roots of the renewed sacramental rites as well as the experience of the sacraments.

AVAILABLE COURSES

Sacramentality is the evidence of God's presence in the world. Investigate how the sacraments of initiation, healing, and communion help us to recognize this presence throughout our lives. This course examines how each of the seven sacraments integrates the Christian community, empowers us for the mission of discipleship, and brings us into union with Christ.  It touches on the historical roots, the renewed sacramental rites, and the experience of sacraments and sacramentality. Videos of sacramental celebrations and suggestions for spiritual practice are offered to enhance the exploration of the content and to deepen discipleship. 

Topics

• Week 1: Introductory Week
• Week 2: Sacramentality: At the Heart of Catholic Life
• Week 3: Initiation: Baptism, Confirmation, and Eucharist
• Week 4: Healing: Eucharist, Reconciliation, and Anointing of the Sick
• Week 5: At the Service of Communion: Vocation, Holy Orders, and Marriage

Additional Materials Needed:

All required materials are included in this course.

Content Scholars:

Dr. Barbara Radtke, Sr. Kathleen Hughes, R.S.C.J., Rev. Msgr. James Mongelluzzo

Job: Make it Make Sense

Fee: $60 | Five Weeks
Job’s pleas to God have resonated with the universal human experience of suffering for centuries. This philosophically complex and poetically beautiful book refuses to insult us with easy answers to life’s hardest questions. In this course we will explore a range of interpretive approaches in order to unlock some of Job’s secrets. 

AVAILABLE COURSES

Can we use this text to help us make sense of tragedy in our world and foster our connection to an inscrutable God? As a venue for wrestling with the deep issues of life and faith, can we come away from the Book of Job and create something new?

Topics

• Week 1: Expression of Suffering
• Week 2: Reading More Deeply 
• Week 3: Reading Job in the Real World
• Week 4: Job’s Message About God
• Week 5: Making Sense through Creation

Content Scholars: 

• Andrew R. Davis (text), associate professor of Old Testament; 
• Angela Kim Harkins (video), associate professor of New Testament; 
• and Franklin T. Harkins (video), professor of historical theology; Boston College School of Theology and Ministry
  

New Testament Visions of Faith

Fee: $60 | Six Weeks
When considering the meaning of Christian faith, we often focus on how the individual believes and acts.  However, in the New Testament, true faith begins in God’s loving faithfulness towards us. Our faith, then, is a response of trust in God’s mercy. 

ENROLL NOW

This course explores the various images of the call to faith presented in each of the Gospels, and in the letters of St. Paul. Such images include seeking right relationship, transforming the way we see the world, abiding in God, and other patterns for the life of discipleship.

featuring videos with Dominic Doyle, Colleen Griffith, Kenneth Himes O.F.M., Jane E. Regan, John R. Sachs, S.J.

"We must rediscover a taste for feeding ourselves on the word of God, faithfully handed down by the Church, and on the Bread of Life, offered as sustenance for His disciples." - Pope Benedict XVI (The Door of Faith)

This course has a required text: Thomas D. Stegman, S.J. Opening the Doors of Faith: Encountering Jesus and His Call to Discipleship. Paulist Press, 2015. (Paulist Press) (Amazon)

Topics 

Week 1: Introduction
Week 2: Matthew
Week 3: Mark
Week 4: Luke
Week 5: John
Week 6: Paul

Additional Materials Needed:

Thomas D. Stegman, S.J. Opening the Doors of Faith: Encountering Jesus and His Call to Discipleship. Paulist Press, 2015. (Paulist Press) (Amazon)

Certificate Requirement Categories

• Sacred Scripture
• Themes of Our Christian Tradition

Content Scholars:

Dr. Dominic Doyle (video) is associate professor of systematic theology at the Boston College School of Theology and Ministry; Dr. Colleen M. Griffith (video) is professor of the practice of theology and faculty director of spirituality studies at the Boston College School of Theology and Ministry; Fr. Kenneth Himes, O.F.M., (video) is professor of theological ethics at the Boston College Department of Theology; Dr. Jane E. Regan (video) is associate professor of theology and religious education and chair of the Department of Religious Education and Pastoral Ministry at the Boston College School of Theology and Ministry; Fr. John R. Sachs, S.J., (video) is a former associate professor of systematic theology at the Boston College School of Theology and Ministry, and presently a retreat director at Eastern Point Retreat House, Gloucester, MA; and Fr. Thomas Stegman, S.J., (text) is dean and associate professor of New Testament at the Boston College School of Theology and Ministry.

The Creed: What We Believe

Fee: $60 | Five Weeks
More than a statement of belief, learn how the Apostles' Creed is a prayer, a revelation, a way of life, and the shared identity of the Christian community.  This course offers a fresh exploration of who God is and what it means to believe for lived faith.

AVAILABLE COURSES

At the intersection of revelation and reason, the Creed expresses the essence of our Christian faith.  It’s the very heart of all Christian theology.  As we pray it together at mass, it reflects our commitment as both a community and as individuals, in devotion and discipleship to God. Using the Apostles Creed as its outline, while referring to the Nicene Creed and Scripture, this course examines in turn the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, to offer a fresh exploration of who God is, what it means to believe, and what faith in God means for living in today’s world.

This course has a required text: Thomas P. Rausch, I Believe in God: A Reflection on the Apostles' Creed (Liturgical Press, 2008).

Topics

• Week 1: Introductory Week
• Week 2: What is a creed?: I/We believe. . . Amen
• Week 3: . . . in one God
• Week 4:. . . in Jesus Christ
• Week 5:. . . in the Holy Spirit, in the Church

Additional Materials Needed:

Course text by Thomas P. Rausch, I Believe in God: A Reflection on the Apostles' Creed (Liturgical Press, 2008).
ISBN: 978-0814652602

Content Scholar: Fr. Michael J. Himes, professor of theology, Boston College Theology Department.

Mary, the Mother of Jesus

Fee: $30 | Three or Four Weeks

This course explores three key events in Luke’s portrayal of Mary as the mother of Jesus: the Annunciation, the Visitation, and, the proclamation of the Canticle of Mary. Explore these and other images of the Blessed Mother through the centuries and what they tell us about the call to trust God’s plan, the active dimension of receiving God’s work, and the value of human encounters for deepening our understanding of the divine work in our lives.

ENROLL NOW

This course has a required text: Catherine Upchurch. Mary, Favored of God. Little Rock Scripture Study, 2016

Topics 

Introductory Week
Week 1: Annunciation
Week 2: Visitation
Week 3: the Canticle of Mary

Content Scholars:

Catherine Upchurch; Mary Christine Athans, B.V.M.

The Gospel of Mark

Fee: $30 | Three Weeks
Discover Mark’s vision of Jesus as the mysterious figure “the Son of Man,” misunderstood and rejected by all.  Learn of this gospel’s direct and stark portrayal of the power revealed through suffering and crucifixion, and Mark’s call to professed believers: What will you do with your faith? Dr. Philip A. Cunningham and Fr. Michael Himes offer an overview of the gospel’s origins, features, and key insights. No previous experience in Scripture study is necessary.

AVAILABLE COURSES

Topics

Introductory Week:  Video and/or Article: The Writing of the Gospels
Week 1:  The Suffering Son of Man: Mark's Portrait of Jesus
Week 2:  A Closer Reflection on Key Themes in Mark

Content Scholars:  

Dr. Philip A. Cunningham (text), professor of theology and religious studies, St. Joseph's University, and Rev. Michael J. Himes (video), priest of the Diocese of Brooklyn, New York, and professor of theology, Boston College Theology Department.

Effective Preaching: Preaching for Children

Fee: $30 | Three Weeks
It's important to understand your audience in order to preach effectively.  As an audience, children’s interests can inform homilies that would inspire anyone.  Join us to gain a greater appreciation for the issues that children wonder about and their capacity for awe. 

ENROLL NOW

Practice connecting the faith and liturgy to children’s everyday lives.  Consider the importance of non-verbal communication in speaking to children’s hearts.  This course is ideal for leaders of Liturgy of the Word for Children, as well as catechists, religious educators, or anyone else who works with children to nurture their faith.  This workshop is based on the Boston College web site Touchstones for Preaching/ Special Touchstone – Preaching to Children.

This course has a required text: Jim Campbell. 52 Simple Ways to Talk with Your Kids about Faith. Chicago: Loyola Press, 2007.

Topics 

Week 1: Introductory Week
Week 2: Seven Characteristics of Children and Three Mysteries of Life
Week 3: Tips for Preaching to Children

Content Scholar: Dr. Ann Garrido, associate professor of homiletics at the Aquinas Institute of Theology.

Old Testament Narrative

Fee: $60 | Five Weeks
Often we only hear Scripture a few verses at a time. Would you like a better grasp on how all those pieces of the Old Testament fit together? In this course we explore a narrative arc through the Old Testament, illustrating a history of God’s relating with humankind. 

ENROLL NOW

Beginning with God transforming chaos into life-sustaining order through creation, we’ll survey the development of covenant as God’s means for engaging us in relationship, review the ongoing calling of prophets to communicate God’s will, and investigate the appointment of kings as agents of God’s justice and deliverance for the people.

Topics

• Week 1: Introduction to the course
• Week 2: Creation
• Week 3: Covenant
• Week 4: Prophecy
• Week 5: Kingship

Digital text available in the course: Andrew R. Davis. Exploring the Old Testament, Twenty-Third Publications, 2018.

Content Scholars:

Andrew R. Davis (text), associate professor of Old Testament; Richard J. Clifford, S.J., (video), professor emeritus of Old Testament; Michael Simone, S.J., (video), assistant professor of Old Testament; and Thomas D. Stegman, S.J., (video), professor of Old Testament; Boston College School of Theology and Ministry

Autumn Blessings: Spirituality in the Second Half of Life

Fee: $60 | Five Weeks
This course examines the spiritual tasks in the second half of adulthood in contrast to the first half of life.  In the course, participants have an opportunity to reflect on hope, forgiveness, mercy, self-love, and the meaning of discipleship at this stage of life.  There is discussion of living in the present, shaping one's legacy, articulating one's core values, and looking at one's personal power.

ENROLL NOW

Topics

Week 1: Introduction
Week 2: Metaphors for Stages of Life; Spiritual Tasks
Week 3: Living in the Present and Seasoning the Senses
Week 4: Human Integrity and Self-Love
Week 5: Shaping our Legacy and Awareness of Personal Power

This course includes:

• Digital text available in the course: Evelyn Eaton Whitehead and James D. Whitehead, Christian Adulthood: A Journey of Self-Discovery (Liguori Press, 2005)

Content Scholar: Evelyn Eaton Whitehead, James D. Whitehead, Dr. Kathleen Fischer, and Father Ronald Rolheiser; Course designed by Dr. Barbara Radtke

The Engaged Parish

Fee: $60 | Five Weeks
Working for a more vibrant faith community?  Adult faith formation plays a vital role in animating the local church. Yet, it often suffers relative neglect. This course is for anyone on a parish council or other ministry with adults.

ENROLL NOW

Explore the ways in which faith formation can happen anywhere members work together in the life of the church through evangelization, catechesis, and conversation about things that really matter.  This course considers the cultural issues of diversity in the parish and post-modernity in the greater society as the context for deepening adults' engagement in the faith community. It also reflects on the communities of practice that make up the parish, and how to leverage them in helping individuals grow in their faith.

This course was previously titled "Adult Faith Formation for a Vibrant Church."  

This course has a required text:  Jane E. Regan. Forming A Community of Faith: A Guide to Success in Adult Faith Formation Today. Twenty-Third Publications, 2014

Topics

• Introductory Week: The Contemporary Context for Adult Faith Formation
• Week 1: Connecting Evangelization and Adult Faith Formation
• Week 2: Key Themes in the Catechetical Vision
• Week 3: The Skill of Engaging Adults in Conversation
• Week 4: Community of Practice: A New Perspective of Parish Life

Additional Materials Needed:

Jane E. Regan. Forming A Community of Faith: A Guide to Success in Adult faith Formation Today. Twenty-Third Publications, 2014

Content Scholars:  STM Professors Thomas Groome, Theresa O'Keefe, Hosffman Ospino, and Jane E. Regan

Spirituality Matters

Fee: $60 | Five Weeks
Spirituality is a common concern, one that has significance throughout the details of a person’s life.  But what is spirituality, really?  Why is it important? And how does one live a spiritual life?  

ENROLL NOW

Join us in discussing these important questions, as we seek to understand how it’s less about having spiritual experiences and more about experiencing life as a whole person (intellect, will, and emotion) in a spiritual way. Examine how practices of prayer and community, as well as the experience of suffering, can help to liberate our imaginations, and show us reality in a new way.

This course has a required text: Dolores R. Leckey, 7 Essentials for the Spiritual Journey (Crossroad Publishing, 1999) (Crossroad Publishing) (Amazon)

Topics:

Week 1: Introduction to the Course
Week 2: What is Spirituality?
Week 3: What is Prayer?
Week 4: What Can Suffering Teach Us?
Week 5: Do I Need Community?

Content Scholar: 

Rev. Michael J. Himes, priest of the Diocese of Brooklyn, New York, and professor of theology, Boston College Theology Department.

The readings and the faith journeys of the other participants helped to reinforce my own personal faith. The entire online course has honestly motivated me to spend more time in centering prayer. I have also begun to read other resources to help me remain mindful and centered on God throughout the day. Thank you for offering this practical course.    ~ Participant, Spring 2012  

Thank you for providing your on-line classes. I live in a rural area and seldom have an opportunity to take a class that supports my faith. This is a wonderful ministry. You have touched many people -- not only the participants, but also the people whose lives they touch!    ~ Participant, Fall 2011

Finding a Moral Compass

Fee: $30 | Four Weeks
This course lays out the social nature of the human person, explaining that Catholic Social Teaching is the Church's conviction about the human dignity of every person, as well as stating the demands that this places on each of us if we are to honor and protect our human dignity.  

AVAILABLE COURSES

These issues will be addressed in light of the practice of discernment which seeks to understand what God is like, what you are like as your most authentic self, and how to find confidence that your desires are in sync with God's deepest desires for you. 

"The source of the moral call is the foundational experience we have of the worth and value of persons. This is the basic data upon which ethical reflection begins."  -Fr. Himes O.F.M.

Topics  

Getting Started Week: Introduction to the course
Week 1: What Prompts Moral Concern?
Week 2: The Human Person as Sacred
Week 3: The Human Person as Social

Content Scholars: 

Fr. Kenneth Himes, O.F.M., (video) is professor of theological ethics at Boston College Department of Theology; Sr. Barbara Quinn, R.S.C.J., (video) is associate director of spiritual formation at the Boston College School of Theology and Ministry.

Call To Conscience

Fee: $30
Apr 12, 2023 - May 2, 2023
This course urges that we guide decisions by the voice of conscience in our hearts and the wisdom of our faith community and traditions, by wrestling with the tensions in between.

AVAILABLE COURSES

View this issue of C21 Resources, "Conscience at Work."

Faithful Unity Amid Polarization

Fee: $30 | Three Weeks

What is the role of the Church in the age of polarization? What resources can our Catholic faith offer to heal fierce partisanship of our times? As we experience growing polarization around us, there are good reasons for hope. This course provides an opportunity for participants to reflect upon a gospel vision of unity and a call to contemplative awakening. Join us to consider how contemplative awakening and practice can bring peace, understanding, and commitment to loving solidarity.

AVAILABLE COURSES

This course provides guided discussion on the Fall 2023 issue of C21 Resources, "Journeying in Faith Amid Polarization" edited by Dr. Brian Robinette.

Topics:

Week 1: “What is polarization?”

Week 2: “The effects of polarization on society and the individual”

Week 3: “A contemplative response to polarization”

Content Scholars:  The articles were written by various scholars, under the editorship of Dr. Brian Robinette, associate professor in the theology department of Boston College.

Jesus Foretold and Fulfilled

Fee: $30 | Three Weeks
Explore the Scriptures of Advent and Christmas for a richer celebration of these seasons.  In this course you will have the opportunity to break open the Church's weekday readings for Advent, with emphasis on the dynamic of promise and fulfillment between the Old and New Testament readings as they are organized in the Lectionary.

ENROLL

Hope for a messianic leader to bring justice, healing, peace, and an encounter with God to the whole world are key.   Then, take a closer look at the infancy narratives, and the distinctive ways they allude to the Scriptures and history of the Jewish people to proclaim who the child Jesus is.  In addition, there will be recommendations for personal prayer practices in preparation for Christmas.  No prior experience in Scripture study is necessary.

Featuring videos with the late Rev. Daniel J. Harrington, S.J.

Topics

• Week 1: Introduction to the Course
• Week 2: Jesus Foretold and Fulfilled in the Readings of Advent
• Week 3: Jesus Fulfilled in the Infancy Narratives

Additional Materials Needed:

Although there is a Bible available online, you may wish to have a Bible available in hard copy also.

For online Bibles, we recommend:

• The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops - New American Bible, Revised Edition (NABRE) or
• The Christian Classics Ethereal Library Study Bible - New Revised Standard Edition (NRSV)

All other readings are downloadable from the course site or available via links to other Internet sites.

Content Scholar:

The late Fr. Daniel J. Harrington, S.J., professor of New Testament, Boston College School of Theology and Ministry, prolific author, and editor, New Testament Abstracts.

The Gospel of John

Fee: $60
Five Weeks

AVAILABLE COURSES

featuring video with Boston College faculty members Rev. Thomas D. Stegman, S.J., and the late Rev. Daniel J.  Harrington, S.J.

Symbolized by an eagle, John is distinctive for its lofty spiritual vision, and its spiraling presentation of the message of Jesus. Join our quest through this Gospel to discover a Word of glory. Study the Gospel of John with written and video guidance provided by noted experts Fr. Thomas D. Stegman, S.J., and the late Fr. Daniel J. Harrington, S.J. Each week Fr. Stegman presents a commentary on a designated segment of the Gospel, and participants are also invited to read a commentary by the late Fr. Harrington. By the end of this workshop participants will have a detailed overview of the entire Fourth Gospel. Additional topics addressed include: how John's Gospel is different from the Synoptic Gospels; the Fourth Gospel and "the Jews"; and how John is used in the Common Lectionary.

NB: There is overlap in the content of this course and the content of the STM Online: Crossroads course John in Holy Week and Easter.

This course has a required text: Daniel J. Harrington, S.J., Meeting St. John Today: Understanding the Man, His Mission, and His Message.  Chicago: Loyola Press, 2011.  ISBN: 978-0-8294-2917-6. 

Topics:

Introductory Week

Week 1: Introduction to John and John 1-4 The Gospel of John is Different  

Week 2: John 5-12

Week 3: John 13-17 The Problem of "the Jews"

Week 4: John 18-21 John in the Lectionary

Special Features

This course includes:

• Weekly videos;
• Text transcripts of each featured video;
• Weekly introductions to each new topic;
• Weekly questions for reflection and discussion; and
• A regularly updated Resources page for further study about topics discussed in this course.

All Crossroads courses include these features:

• Participants have access 24 hours/ 7 days a week to the course's password-protected web site. 
• Each participant belongs to a small Community for Conversation and faith sharing guided by a facilitator.
• The course site is usually available to participants at least three months after the course.
• An orientation in how to navigate the web site is always available.
• Technical assistance is easy to contact and prompt in returning a message.
• A Certificate of Active Participation is awarded to those who post at least three messages of substance for each week of content.

Additional Materials Needed:

Course text by Daniel J. Harrington, S.J., Meeting St. John Today: Understanding the Man, His Mission, and His Message.  Chicago: Loyola Press, 2011.  ISBN: 978-0-8294-2917-6.   

Although there will be a Bible available online, you may wish to have a Bible available in hard copy also.  For online Bibles, we recommend:

• The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops - New American Bible, Revised Edition (NABRE) or
• The Christian Classics Ethereal Library Study Bible - New Revised Standard Edition (NRSV)

Time Commitment:

A participant can expect to spend an average of 3 hours each week. This commitment includes both preparation and interaction online.

Content Scholars: 

The late Rev. Daniel J. Harrington, S.J., professor of New Testament and editor of New Testament Abstracts, and Rev. Thomas D. Stegman, S.J., associate professor of New Testament, both at the Boston College School of Theology and Ministry.

Adult Faith Formation for a Vibrant Church

Fee: $60
Five Weeks

This course has been renamed to The Engaged Parish

Featuring video with Thomas Groome, Theresa O'Keefe, and Hosffman Ospino

Working for a more vibrant faith community?  Adult faith formation plays a vital role in animating the local church. Yet, it often suffers relative neglect. This course is for anyone on a parish council or other ministry with adults.  It explores the ways in which faith formation can happen anywhere members work together in the life of the church through evangelization, catechesis, and conversation about things that really matter.  It considers the cultural issues of diversity in the parish and post-modernity in the greater society as the context for deepening adults' engagement in the life of faith.

This course has a required text:  Jane E. Regan. Forming A Community of Faith: A Guide to Success in Adult Faith Formation Today. Twenty-Third Publications, 2014

Topics

• Introductory Week: The Contemporary Context for Adult Faith Formation
• Week 1: Connecting Evangelization and Adult Faith Formation
• Week 2: Key Themes in the Catechetical Vision
• Week 3: The Skill of Engaging Adults in Conversation
• Week 4: Community of Practice: A New Perspective of Parish Life

Special Features

This course includes:

• Weekly introductions to each new topic;
• Three videos;
• Text transcripts of each featured video;
• Weekly questions for reflection and discussion; and
• A page of further resources about topics discussed in this course.

All Crossroads courses include these features:

• Participants have access 24 hours / 7 days a week to the course's password protected web site. 
• Each participant belongs to a small community for conversation and faith sharing guided by a facilitator.
• Site is usually available to participants at least three months after the course.
• An orientation in how to navigate the web site is always available.
• Technical assistance is easy to contact and prompt in returning a message
• A Certificate of Active Participation is awarded to those who post at least three messages of substance for each week of content.

Additional Materials Needed:
Jane E. Regan. Forming A Community of Faith: A Guide to Success in Adult faith Formation Today. Twenty-Third Publications, 2014

Time Commitment:

A participant can expect to spend an average of 3-4 hours each week. This commitment includes both preparation and interaction online.

Content Scholars:  STM Professors Thomas Groome, Theresa O'Keefe, Hosffman Ospino, and Jane E. Regan

The Online Book Club: I'm Still Here

Fee: $30
Four Weeks

Check the course schedule for future offerings of this course.

Austin Channing Brown was named Austin by her parents so future hiring committees would think that she was a white man. This is the first of many personal stories that Channing Brown shares in her book about her own encounters with race as a child, adolescent, young adult, and woman in a society made for whiteness. Join us in discussing Channing Brown’s experiences as she grows to love and celebrate Blackness while navigating the many barriers in pursuit of racial justice.

This course has a required text:  Austin Channing Brown. I’m Still Here: Black Dignity in a World Made for Whiteness. Convergent Books, 2018.

Topics

Getting Started Week: Introduction to the course

Week 1: The Experiences that Shape Me

Week 2: Our Stories and Our Feelings

Week 3: Shadow of Hope

Special Features

This course includes:

• Initial comments to introduce the book;
• Weekly questions to begin the discussion;
• A regularly updated Resources page for further study on the topics discussed in this course

All Crossroads courses include these features:Participants have access 24 hours/7 days a week to the course's password-protected website. 

• Each participant belongs to a small Community for Conversation and faith sharing guided by a facilitator.
• The course site is usually available to participants at least three months after the course.
• An orientation on how to navigate the web site is always available.
• Technical assistance is easy to contact and prompt in returning a message.
• A Certificate of Active Participation is awarded to those who post at least three messages of substance for each week of content.

Additional Materials:

Austin Channing Brown. I’m Still Here: Black Dignity in a World Made for Whiteness. Convergent Books, 2018.

Time Commitment

A participant can expect to spend an average of approximately 4 hours each week. This commitment includes both the assigned reading and interaction online.

Certificate Requirement Categories

• The Moral Life

Content Scholar:

Austin Channing Brown (text) is a writer, a speaker, and a media producer working on racial justice in America. She is the New York Times and USA Today Bestselling author of I’m Still Here: Black Dignity in a World Made for Whiteness and the Executive Producer of The Next Question: A Web Series Imagining How Expansive Racial Justice Can Be.

Encountering Jesus

Fee: $30
Three Weeks

Check the course schedule for future offerings of this course.

In this course, access some of the best modern scholarship on encountering Jesus in the Scriptures. This course, based on the C21 Resources issue edited by the late Rev. Daniel J. Harrington, S.J., and Dr. Christopher R. Matthews, looks at Jesus's birth, ministry, death, and resurrection as recorded in the Gospels.  It also introduces contemplative approaches to reading Scripture for a deeper encounter with Jesus.  Join the conversation to learn not only who Jesus was in his 1st century Jewish context, but also what he might mean for us in the 21st century world.

Topics

Introductory Week

Week 1:  Encountering Jesus in His Birth and Ministry
Spiritual Practice: Lectio Divina

Week 2:  Encountering Jesus in His Death and Resurrection
Spiritual Practice: Contemplation of the Gospels

Special Features
This course includes:

• Reading 24 pages of material by 12 different authors;
• Weekly questions for reflection and discussion;
• A weekly introduction and study guide; and
• A Resources page to use for further study.

All Crossroads courses include these features:

• Participants have access 24 hours/ 7 days a week to the course's password-protected web site. 
• Each participant belongs to a small Community for Conversation and faith sharing guided by a facilitator.
• The course site is usually available to participants at least three months after the course.
• An orientation in how to navigate the web site is always available.
• Technical assistance is easy to contact and prompt in returning a message.
• A Certificate of Active Participation is awarded to those who post at least three messages of substance for each week of content.

Additional Materials Needed
Everything you need for this course is provided on the course web site.  View this issue of C21 Resources, "Encountering Jesus in the Scriptures."  If you prefer a hard copy of this issue, email The Church in the 21st Century Center at church21@bc.edu.

Time Commitment
A participant can expect to spend an average of approximately 4 hours each week. This commitment includes both the assigned reading and interaction online.

Certificate Requirement Categories

• Sacred Scripture

Content Scholars:  Various scholars contributed articles,  under the editorship of the late Rev. Daniel J. Harrington, S.J., and Dr. Christopher R. Matthews.

Voices of Hispanic American Catholicism

Fee: $30
Three Weeks

Check the course schedule for future offerings of this course.

In the U.S. today, over 40% of adult Catholics are Hispanic, while over 60% of Catholics under the age of 18 are Hispanic.  In many places around the country this “minority group” are the dominant presence in the Catholic Church, and there are large communities of Hispanic Catholics in every diocese in the U.S.  Hispanic Catholics bring forth a richness in spirituality, tradition, practices, and opportunities for U.S. Catholicism in the 21^st Century.  Join us as we reflect on the pastoral needs of the Hispanic families and youth and the meaning of this treasure for your parish and community. The course is guided by the articles in The Treasure of Hispanic Catholicism, the Spring 2016 issue of C21 Resources, which was edited by Dr. Hosffman Ospino.

Topics:

Introductory Week
Week 1: The Hispanic Presence in American Catholicism Today
Week 2: Opportunities for American Catholicism because of the Hispanic Presence  

Special Features

This course includes:

• More than 15 brief one- or two-page articles by various authors contained in the Spring 2016 issue of C21 Resources;
• Weekly questions for reflection and discussion;
• A weekly introduction and study guide; and
• A regularly updated Resources page to use for further study.

All STM Online: Crossroads courses include these features:

• Participants have access 24 hours/ 7 days a week to the course's password-protected web site. 
• Each participant belongs to a small Community for Conversation and faith sharing guided by a facilitator.
• Course site is usually available to participants at least three months after the course has ended.
• An orientation in how to navigate the web site is always available.
• Technical assistance is easy to contact and prompt in returning a message.
• A Certificate of Active Participation is awarded to those who post at least three messages of substance for each week of content.

Additional Materials Needed:

Everything you need for this course is provided on the course web site.  View this issue of C21 Resources, "The Treasure of Hispanic Catholicism."  If you prefer a hard copy of this issue, email The Church in the 21st Century Center at church21@bc.edu.

Time Commitment:

A participant can expect to spend an average of 3-4 hours each week.  This commitment includes both the assigned reading and interaction online.

Certificate Requirement Categories

• Themes from Our Christian Tradition

Content Scholar:

The articles were written by various authors under the editorship of Hosffman Ospino, Ph.D., who is associate professor of Hispanic ministry and religious education at the Boston College School of Theology and Ministry.

Grace and Commitment: The Laity

Fee: $30
Three Weeks

Check the course schedule for future offerings of this course.

This course provides guided discussion on the laity’s roles in the mission of the Church.  Discussion is based on the Fall 2010 issue of C21 Resources, a publication of Boston College’s Church in the 21st Century Center.  This issue, “The Vocations of the Laity,” edited by Dr. Edward P. Hahnenberg, contains fourteen short, informative articles and excerpts from relevant Church documents.  Join the conversation about how family life, participation in the faith community, activities in the public square and the workplace, and leadership in Catholic institutions such as hospitals and schools are all locations for the vocations of the laity in today’s Church. 

Topics 

Week 1: Vocation in the Family, the Community, College Life, and the Public Sphere
Week 2: Ministry, Pastoral Co-Responsibility, and Lay Leadership of Catholic Institutions

Special Features

This course includes:

• Reading 32 pages of material; 12 different authors; 2 Church document excerpts;
• Weekly questions for reflection and discussion;
• A weekly introduction and study guide; and
• A regularly updated Resources page to use for further study.

All Crossroads courses include these features:

• Participants have access 24 hours/7 days a week to the course's password-protected web site. 
• Each participant belongs to a small Community for Conversation and faith sharing guided by a facilitator.
• The course site is usually available to participants at least three months after the course.
• An orientation in how to navigate the web site is always available.
• Technical assistance is easy to contact and prompt in returning a message.
• A Certificate of Active Participation is awarded to those who post at least three messages of substance for each week of content.

Additional Materials Needed

Everything you need for this course is provided on the course web site.  View this issue of C21 Resources, "The Vocations of the Laity."  If you prefer a hard copy of the issue, email The Church in the 21st Century Center at church21@bc.edu.

Time Commitment

A participant can expect to spend an average of approximately 4 hours each week.  This commitment includes both the assigned reading and interaction online.

Certificate Requirement Categories

• Themes of Our Christian Tradition

Content Scholar:

The articles were written by various scholars, under the editorship of Dr. Edward P. Hahnenberg, associate professor of theology, Xavier University.

Mission and Spirituality: A Xaverian Journey

Fee: $60 | Six Weeks

Beginning with the life of Theodore James Ryken, the Founder of the Xaverian Brothers, this course explores the pillars of Xaverian spirituality including the charism, values, and calls, which continue to animate the mission of the Xaverian Brothers and their partners in mission today.

ENROLL NOW

This course provides a basic overview of the mission and spirituality of the Congregation of the Brothers of Saint Francis Xavier (C.F.X.) and Xaverian Brothers Sponsored Schools (XBSS). 

featuring texts, videos, and prayers by members of the Congregation of the Brothers of Saint Francis Xavier and Xaverian Brothers Sponsored Schools

Topics:

• Week 1: Introduction
• Week 2: Theodore James Ryken: History and Legacy
• Week 3: Fundamental Principles of the Brothers of St. Francis Xavier
• Week 4: The Xaverian Charism
• Week 5: Xaverian Spiritual Values
• Week 6: Calls of Xaverian Mission and Spirituality
  

Additional Materials Needed:

This course has three required texts which are available online:

• Fundamental Principles of the Brothers of St. Francis Xavier (opens new tab)
• Partners in Mission: Understanding the Xaverian Way (opens new tab)
• Xaverian Brothers Sponsored Schools Book of Prayers (opens new tab)
  

Content Scholars: The course texts and videos have been produced by various Xaverian Brothers and educators in the network of Xaverian Brothers Sponsored Schools. Dr. Benjamin Horgan, Ed.D., current Head of School at St. John's High School in Shrewsbury, MA, helped to coordinate the video presenters and content for the course in his former role as Director of Formation for Xaverian Brothers Sponsored Schools. Dr. Carolyn Weir Herman, Ph.D. is a systematic theologian and the author of this course. Dr. Herman is also a veteran Crossroads facilitator and the Director of Staff Formation at Xaverian Brothers High School in Westwood, M.A.

Xaverian Spirituality

Fee: $30 | Four Weeks
This course provides a basic overview of the mission and spirituality of the Congregation of the Brothers of Saint Francis Xavier (C.F.X.) and Xaverian Brothers Sponsored Schools (XBSS). Beginning with the life of Theodore James Ryken, the Founder of the Xaverian Brothers, this course explores the pillars of Xaverian spirituality including the charism, values, and calls, which continue to animate the mission of the Xaverian Brothers and their partners in mission today.

AVAILABLE COURSES

featuring texts, videos, and prayers by members of the Congregation of the Brothers of Saint Francis Xavier and Xaverian Brothers Sponsored Schools

*This course is an abbreviated version of Mission and Spirituality: A Xaverian Journey

Topics:

• Week 1: Introduction
• Week 2: Theodore James Ryken: History and Legacy
• Week 3: Fundamental Principles of the Brothers of St. Francis Xavier and the Xaverian Charism
• Week 4: Xaverian Spiritual Values and Calls

Additional Materials Needed:

This course has three required texts which are available online:

• Fundamental Principles of the Brothers of St. Francis Xavier (opens new tab)
• Partners in Mission: Understanding the Xaverian Way (opens new tab)
• Xaverian Brothers Sponsored Schools Book of Prayers (opens new tab)

Content Scholars: The course texts and videos have been produced by various Xaverian Brothers and educators in the network of Xaverian Brothers Sponsored Schools. Mr. Benjamin Horgan, the Director of Formation for Xaverian Brothers Sponsored Schools, helped to coordinate the video presenters and content for the course. Dr. Carolyn Weir Herman, Ph.D. is a systematic theologian and the author of this course. Dr. Herman is also a veteran Crossroads facilitator and the Director of Staff Formation at Xaverian Brothers High School in Westwood, M.A.

The Grace of Friendship

Fee:  $25
Three Weeks

In the Spring 2018 issue of C21 Resources, “The Gift of Friendship,” guest editor Timothy Hanchin selects a collection of essays that assists us in deepening our understanding of friendship and connecting our friendships with each other to friendship with God.

Check the course schedule for future offerings of this course.

Topics

• Getting Started Week:
  
  
• Week 1: Accepting God’s Friendship
  
  
• Week 2: Dimensions of Human Friendship

Special Features
This course includes:

• Initial comments to introduce the book
• Weekly questions to begin the discussion
• A regularly updated Resources page for further study on the topics discussed in this course
• A special forum to share reflections and meditations on the Scripture selections

Additional Materials Needed:

This course uses the Spring 2018 Issue of C21 Resources: The Gift of Friends (opens new window)

Time Commitment:

A participant can expect to spend approximately 3-4 hours each week.  This commitment includes both preparation and interaction online.

Fee: $25

Content Scholar: Timothy Hanchin, the guest editor of this issue of C21 Resources, is an assistant professor in the theology and religious studies department at Villanova University.

The Online Book Club: Barking to the Choir

Fee: $25
Four Weeks

Check the course schedule for future offerings of this course.

Author of Tattoos on the Heart, Gregory Boyle S.J. writes a second compelling account of his ministry in Homeboy Industries, a collective of enterprises he founded that is centered on a community in which men and women discover that they are more than gang members. Join us in discussing the touching, often humorous, accounts that illustrate God’s presence in the midst of their community. Subtitled “The Power of Radical Kinship,” Boyle shows us how love, joy, and letting go of judgment are formative in shaping a community of resilience and providing space for each individual, including himself, to have a journey of transformation.

Gregory Boyle, S.J. Barking to the Choir: The Power of Radical Kinship. Simon and Schuster, 2017. 

Topics

Getting Started Week: Introduction

Week 1: Knowing the Joy and Awe of God’s Love

Week 2: Being Humble, Becoming Transformed

Week 3: The Creation of Kinship

Special Features

All Crossroads courses include these features:

• Participants have access 24 hours/ 7 days a week to the course's password-protected web site. 
  
• Each participant belongs to a small Community for Conversation and faith sharing guided by a facilitator.
  
• Site is usually available to participants at least three months after the course.
  
• An orientation in how to navigate the web site is always available.
  
• Technical assistance is easy to contact and prompt in returning a message.
  
• A Certificate of Active Participation is awarded to those who post at least three messages of substance for each week of content.

Additional Materials:

Gregory Boyle, S.J. Barking to the Choir: The Power of Radical Kinship. Simon and Schuster, 2017. 

Time Commitment

A participant can expect to spend an average of 3-4 hours each week. This commitment includes both preparation and interaction online.

A Catholic View of Today's Families

Fee: $25
Three Weeks

Check the course schedule for future offerings of this course.

Families with their joys, challenges, pressures, and pains, are at the center of attention in the Church today.  Families face new challenges and opportunities in the rapidly changing world of the 21^st Century.   In this course, we share in the stories and experiences of a range of families, each with unique abilities and needs.  We also discuss how church communities can strengthen and support families as they grow and pass on the faith.  This course is supported by the Spring 2015 issue of C21 Resources "Catholic Families: Carrying Faith Forward"

Topics:

Introductory Week
Week 1: Some Realities of 21st Century Families
Week 2: Family Stories

Special Features

This course includes:

• Weekly introductions to each new topic;
• Weekly questions for reflection and discussion; and
• A page of further resources about topics discussed in this course.

All Crossroads courses include these features:

• Participants have access 24 hours/ 7 days a week to the course's password protected web site. 
• Each participant belongs to a small Community for Conversation and faith sharing guided by a facilitator.
• Site is usually available to participants at least three months after the course.
• An orientation in how to navigate the web site is always available.
• Technical assistance is easy to contact and prompt in returning a message
• A Certificate of Active Participation is awarded to those who post at least three messages of substance for each week of content.

Additional Materials Needed:

Everything you need for this course is provided on the course site.  View this issue of , C21 Resources "Catholic Families: Carrying Faith Forward."  Contact church21@bc.edu, The Church in the 21st Century Center, if you prefer a hard copy of this issue.

Time Commitment:
A participant can expect to spend an average of 3-4 hours each week. This commitment includes both preparation and interaction online.

Content Scholar:  Dr. Stephen J. Pope, professor of theology at the Boston College Theology Department, is guest editor for this issue.

The Gospel of Matthew

Fee: $30 | Three Weeks

AVAILABLE COURSES

featuring video with Rev. Michael J. Himes and articles by Dr. Philip A. Cunningham

Let the Scriptures enrich your spiritual life!  Explore the Gospel of Matthew in this course.  In the first week, an article by Dr. Philip A. Cunningham helps participants gain an overview of the Gospel's features, learn about its setting, the Evangelist who wrote it, and the community for which it was written. In the second week, a video featuring Fr. Michael J. Himes will focus on key insights. Then, explore practices to use the Gospel in prayer and reflection on your life. No previous experience in Scripture study is necessary.

Topics

Introductory week: Video and/or Article: The Writing of the Gospels

Week 1: "The Living Wisdom of God: Matthew's Portrait of Jesus"

Week 2: "A Closer Reflection on Key Themes in Matthew"

Special Features

This course includes:

• A guide for reading the Gospel of Matthew by Dr. Philip A. Cunningham;
• A study guide each week to help unpack the assignments;
• A bonus article and video on The Writing of the Gospels;
• A video presentation by Fr. Michael J. Himes;
• Weekly questions for reflection and discussion; and 
• A regularly updated Resources page for further study. 

All Crossroads courses include these features:

• Participants have access 24 hours/7 days a week to the course's password-protected web site.
• Each participant belongs to a small Community for Conversation and faith sharing guided by a facilitator.
• The course site is usually open to participants at least three months after the course.
• An orientation in how to navigate the web site is always available.
• Technical assistance is easy to contact and prompt in returning a message.
• A Certificate of Active Participation for those who post at least three messages of substance for each week of content.

Additional Materials Needed

Although a Bible is available online, you may also wish to have a Bible available in hard copy.  For online Bibles, we recommend:

• The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops - New American Bible, Revised Edition (NABRE) or
• The Christian Classics Ethereal Library Study Bible - New Revised Standard Edition (NRSV)

Time Commitment

A participant can expect to spend an average of approximately 4 hours each week. This commitment includes both the assigned reading and interaction online.

Certificate Requirement Category

Sacred Scripture

Content Scholars:

Dr. Philip A. Cunningham (text), professor of theology and religious studies, St. Joseph's University, and Rev. Michael J. Himes (video), priest of the Diocese of Brooklyn, New York, and professor of theology at the Boston College Theology Department.

At the Heart of Parenting

Fee: $60
Five Weeks

Check the course schedule for future offerings of this course.

How has parenting impacted your relationship with God?  This course builds on the conviction that spirituality is at the heart of parenting. The gift of grace and other spiritual supports can sustain us through the ups and downs of being a parent.  

Guided by Kathy Hendrick's book The Spirituality of Parenting, we will touch on four dimensions of parenting, a parent's spiritual gifts, potential companions for support on the journey, and prayer for the state of parenthood.

Topics 

Getting Started Week: Introduction to the course
Week 1: The Vigilant Heart
Week 2: The Joyful Heart
Week 3: The Heavy Heart
Week 4: The Hopeful Heart

Special Features

This course includes:

• Video clips from a feature film;
• Digital text available in the course: Kathy Hendricks. The Spirituality of Parenting: Connecting Heart and Soul. The Adult Faith Formation Library. Twenty-Third Publications, 2015. ISBN: 978-1-62785-127-5;
• Weekly study guide with questions for reflection and discussion;
  
• An optional, interactive opportunity to build your insights on the spirituality of parenting into the course content ; and
• A regularly updated Resources page to use for further study.

All Crossroads courses include these features:

• Participants have access 24 hours a day/7 days a week to the course's password-protected web site. 
• Each participant belongs to a small Community for Conversation and faith sharing guided by a facilitator.
• The course site is usually available to participants at least three months after the course has ended.
• An orientation in how to navigate the web site is always available.
• Technical assistance is easy to contact and prompt in returning a message.
• A Certificate of Active Participation is awarded to those who post at least three messages of substance for each week of content.

Additional Materials Needed:

All required materials are included in this course.

Time Commitment:

A participant can expect to spend an average of 3-4 hours each week. This commitment includes both preparation and interaction online.

Content Scholars:

Kathy Hendricks (text) has a master's degree in adult Christian community development from Regis University in Denver and certification as a spiritual director from Benet Hill Center, Colorado Springs

"I'm really happy that I stepped out of my comfort zone and joined this class. Reading everyone's post was incredible and truly filled my 'spiritual tank' if there is such a thing!:) I learned that I am not alone- that there are other parents out there struggling, searching, and desperately wanting to be a parent of God. I loved the questions after each reading that made me dig a little deeper and go places in my heart that were happy and painful and made me realize God's presence in all of it! I think for me." -Participant from Fall 2018

The Best Of James Martin, S.J.. In "America"

Fee: $25
Four Weeks

Check the course schedule for future offerings of this course.

The “Signs of the Times” series includes courses that address difficult social, political, and cultural themes, in order to provide steps to bridge the deep divisions in the U.S. today.

Do you know James Martin S.J. as the author of Jesus: A Pilgrimage? As a commentator on current events in media interviews? As the Editor at Large of America Magazine? This course is an opportunity to discuss articles by Martin which have appeared in America. Join us to discuss how his insightful reflections and commentary might shape your idea of Christian living in today’s world.

Topics

Getting Started Week:  Introduction to the course

Week 1: Church

Week 2: Society

Week 3: Inclusion

Special Features

This course includes:

• Weekly introductions to each new topic;
• Links to articles by James Martin, S.J., for assigned readings;
• Weekly questions for reflection and discussion; and
• A regularly updated Resources page for further study on the topics discussed in this course; and
• A special forum to share reflections on each weekly Faith Examen.

All STM Online: Crossroads courses include these features:

• Participants have access 24 hours/7 days a week to the course's password-protected web site. 
• Each participant belongs to a small Community for Conversation and faith sharing guided by a facilitator.
• The course site is usually available to participants at least three months after the course has ended.
• An orientation in how to navigate the web site is always available.
• Technical assistance is easy to contact and prompt in returning a message.
• A Certificate of Active Participation is awarded to those who post at least three messages of substance for each week of content.

Additional Materials Needed:
Links to all materials are included on the course site.

Time Commitment
A participant can expect to spend an average of 3-4 hours each week.  This commitment includes both preparation and interaction online.

The Online Book Club: Building a Bridge

Fee: $25
Five Weeks

Check the course schedule for future offerings of this course.

The “Signs of the Times” series includes courses that address difficult social, political and cultural themes in order to provide steps to bridge the deep divisions in the U.S. today.

As the subtitle in Building a Bridge explains, James Martin discusses how the Catholic Church and the LGBTQ+ community can enter into a relationship of respect, compassion, and sensitivity. Originally, the book was based on a presentation Martin made when accepting an award from New Ways Ministry. The expanded version provides resources for prayer and reflection. Join us in discussing the expanded paperback version.

James Martin, S.J. Building a Bridge: How the Catholic Church and the LGBT Community Can Enter into a Relationship of Respect, Compassion, and Sensitivity. Revised and Expanded Edition. HarperCollins, 2018. ISBN 978-0-06-283753-0

Topics

Getting Started Week: Introduction to the course

Week 1: Respect

Week 2: Compassion

Week 3: Sensitivity

Week 4: Building a Bridge

Special Features

This course includes:

• Initial comments to introduce the book;
• Weekly questions to begin the discussion;
• A regularly updated Resources page for further study on the topics discussed in this course; and
• A special forum to share reflections and meditations on the Scripture selections.

All Crossroads courses include these features:

• Participants have access 24 hours/ 7 days a week to the course's password-protected web site. 
  
• Each participant belongs to a small Community for Conversation and faith sharing guided by a facilitator.
  
• Site is usually available to participants at least three months after the course.
  
• An orientation in how to navigate the web site is always available.
  
• Technical assistance is easy to contact and prompt in returning a message.
  
• A Certificate of Active Participation is awarded to those who post at least three messages of substance for each week of content.

Additional Materials:

James Martin, S.J. Building a Bridge: How the Catholic Church and the LGBT Community Can Enter into a Relationship of Respect, Compassion, and Sensitivity. Revised and Expanded Edition. HarperCollins, 2018. ISBN 978-0-06-283753-0

Time Commitment

A participant can expect to spend an average of 3-4 hours each week. This commitment includes both preparation and interaction online.

Content Scholar: James Martin, S.J., is a well-known author and an editor-at-large of America magazine.

The Online Book Club: "Hallelujah Anyway"

Fee: $25
Four Weeks

About the Book

Join us in a discussion of Anne Lamott’s book Hallelujah Anyway, which contains nine essays grouped around the theme of mercy. Lamott is well-known for her frank, funny, down-to-earth spiritual insights. In these essays, entwined with a number of narratives of her life, Lamott rediscovers mercy in the everyday messiness of life and connects it to kindness and forgiveness for ourselves and others.

About the Online Book Club

Are you a person who regularly reads books and articles on spirituality and theology?

Is the religion and spirituality section of your bookstore a favorite place?

Do you often wish there was a way that you could share your insights about an author and hear what others think?

If you have answered “yes” to any of these questions, whether you are reading for professional development, a committed spiritual practice, or an ongoing hunger to know more about the spiritual life, the Online Book Club is for you!

The Online Book Club offers a setting to encounter an author’s ideas and participate in conversation with others about a selected text. In addition to providing an experienced facilitator to guide the conversation, we get you started by offering some direction to engage the author and the text. Then the conversation unfolds in light of the interests of those in the conversation circle.

Check the course schedule for future offerings of this course.

Topics

Getting Started Week

Week 1: Locating Mercy (Essays 1, 2, 3)

Week 2: Mercy as Reaching Out (Essays 4, 5, 6)

Week 3: Mercy as Connecting with Other (Essays 7, 8, 9)

Special Features

This course includes:

• Initial comments to introduce the book;
• Weekly questions to begin the discussion; and
• A regularly updated Resources page for further study about the topic discussed in this course.

All Crossroads courses include these features:

• Participants have access 24 hours/ 7 days a week to the course's password-protected web site. 
  
• Each participant belongs to a small Community for Conversation and faith sharing guided by a facilitator.
  
• Site is usually available to participants at least three months after the course.
  
• An orientation in how to navigate the web site is always available.
  
• Technical assistance is easy to contact and prompt in returning a message.
  
• A Certificate of Active Participation is awarded to those who post at least three messages of substance for each week of content.

Additional Materials:

Anne Lamott. Hallelujah Anyway: Rediscovering Mercy (Riverhead Books, 2017) Available in hardcover, large print paperback, and ebook.

Time Commitment

A participant can expect to spend approximately 4 hours each week.  This commitment includes both preparation and interaction online.

Content Scholar: Anne Lamott

The Online Book Club: "Hillbilly Elegy"

Fee: $50
Five Weeks

The “Signs of the Times” series includes courses that address difficult social, political and cultural themes in order to provide steps to bridge the deep divisions in the U.S. today.

Could listening be an initial step in bridging the deep social, political and cultural divides in the U.S. today? In the midst of the digital din, how does one sort out the voices?  A compelling memoir might be a good start.  In Hillbilly Elegy, J.D. Vance is both narrator of his own story and a frank and honest social commentator about the circumstances he, his family, and his community faced.  A complex portrait of the white working class who feel excluded emerges. Join us in reading Vance’s memoir, discussing his analysis and observations, and discovering the impact of his story on your own.

This course has a required text: J.D. Vance. Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis. HarperCollins, 2016.

Check the course schedule for future offerings of this course.

Topics

Introductory Week

Week 1: Getting to Know the Family (Chs. 1-4)

Week 2: Grade School Years (Chs. 5-8)

Week 3: High School, Marines, College (Chs. 9-11)

Week 4: Law School and Marriage (Chs. 12 – 15, Conclusion)

Special Features

This course includes:

• Weekly introductions to each new topic;
  
• Links to a different published commentary or review of the book each week;
  
• Weekly questions for reflection and discussion; and
• A regularly updated Resources page for further study of topics discussed in this course.

All Crossroads courses include these features:

• Participants have access 24 hours/ 7 days a week to the course's password-protected web site. 
  
• Each participant belongs to a small Community for Conversation and faith sharing guided by a facilitator.
  
• Site is usually available to participants at least three months after the course.
  
• An orientation in how to navigate the web site is always available.
  
• Technical assistance is easy to contact and prompt in returning a message.
  
• A Certificate of Active Participation is awarded to those who post at least three messages of substance for each week of content.

Additional Materials:

J.D. Vance. Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis. HarperCollins, 2016.

Time Commitment

A participant can expect to spend approximately 4 hours each week.  This commitment includes both preparation and interaction online.

Content Scholar: The book is a memoir by J.D. Vance, who grew up in Appalachia and the Rust Belt. He is currently a principal in an investment firm.  He is often a TV commentator on current events.

The Church: A Spirit-led Community of Hope

Fee: $30 | Three Weeks

Do you think of the church as Spirit-led? Do you think of the church as a vehicle or an obstacle of hope? We will explore two essays authored by Fr. Richard Lennan. In “The Church: Got Hope?” Lennan discusses the church’s relationship to hope. In a second essay, “The Holy Spirit and the Pilgrimage of Faith,” Lennan partners with Nancy Pineda-Madrid to summarize the teaching of Vatican II on the Holy Spirit and show how Victor Codina, S.J., and Elizabeth A. Johnson build on the Council’s teaching.

AVAILABLE COURSES

Topics

• Week 1:  Introduction to the Course
• Week 2: “The Church: Got Hope?”
• Week 3: “The Holy Spirit and the Pilgrimage of Faith”

Content Scholars: Rev. Richard Lennan, STM professor of systematic theology, and Dr. Nancy Pineda-Madrid, STM associate professor of theology and Latino/Latina ministry

The Online Book Club: "Prayer: Our Deepest Longing"

Fee: $50
Five Weeks

Check the course schedule for future offerings of this course.

At times we all experience obstacles in our spiritual lives. Join us to discuss difficulties in prayer, and methods for transforming them into a richer experience of God.

About the Book 
(required text for this course)

In Prayer: Our Deepest Longing by Ronald Rolheiser, O.M.I. (Franciscan Media, 2014), Fr. Rolheiser addresses those who desire to deepen their prayer in spite of a hectic and demanding life.  Rather than provide strategies to overcome obstacles to prayer, Rolheiser probes the depth of those obstacles themselves.

Topics:

Getting Started Week: Introduction to the Course

Week 1:  Struggling in Prayer (Ch. 1)

Week 2:  Hearing God’s Voice in Prayer (Ch. 2)

Week 3:  Priestly and Affective Prayer (Ch. 3 and 4)

Week 4:  Maturity in Prayer (Ch. 5 and 6)

About the Online Book Club

• Are you a person who regularly reads books and articles on spirituality and theology?
• Is the religion and spirituality section of your bookstore a favorite place?
• Do you often wish there was a way that you could share your insights about an author and hear what others think?

If you have answered “yes” to any of these questions, whether you are reading for professional development, a committed spiritual practice, or an ongoing hunger to know more about the spiritual life, the Online Book Club is for you!

The Online Book Club offers a setting to encounter an author’s ideas and participate in conversation with others about a selected text.  In addition to providing an experienced facilitator to guide the conversation, we get you started by offering some direction to engage the author and the text.  Then the conversation unfolds in light of the interests of those in the conversation circle.  

Special Features

This course includes:

• Initial comments to introduce the book
• Weekly questions to begin the discussion
• A regularly updated Resources page for further study on the topics discussed in this course.

All Crossroads courses include these features:

• Participants have access 24 hours/7 days a week to a password-protected web site.
• Each participant belongs to a small Community of Conversation and faith sharing guided by a facilitator.
• The course site is generally open to participants for a year after the course is complete.
• Technical assistance is easy to contact and prompt in returning a message.
• A Certificate of Active Participation is awarded to those who post at least three messages of substance for each week of content.

Additional Materials Needed:

Ronald Rolheiser. Prayer: Our Deepest Longing  (Franciscan Media, 2014) 

Time Commitment:

A participant can expect to spend 3 – 4 hours each week.  This commitment includes both preparation and interaction online.

Content Scholar: Rev. Ronald Rolheiser, O.M.I., prolific author and president of the Oblate School of Theology, San Antonio, Texas.

Encountering Mark, Matthew, and Luke: The Synoptic Gospels

Fee: $50
Seven Weeks

featuring video with Rev. Michael J. Himes and articles by Dr. Philip A. Cunningham

Let the Scriptures enrich your spiritual life!  In this course, explore the Gospels of Mark, Matthew and Luke, with two weeks devoted to each Gospel.  Articles by Dr. Philip A. Cunningham help participants gain an overview of each Gospel's features, learn about its setting, the evangelist who wrote it, and the community for which it was written.  Videos featuring Fr. Michael J. Himes focus on key insights.  Then, explore practices to use the Gospel in prayer and reflection on your life.  No previous experience in Scripture study is necessary.

Check the course schedule for future offerings of this course.

Topics:

Introductory Week: Video and/or article: The Writing of the Gospels
Week 1: The Suffering Son of Man: Mark's Portrait of Jesus
Week 2: A Closer Reflection on Key Themes in Mark
Week 3: The Living Wisdom of God: Matthew's Portrait of Jesus
Week 4: A Closer Reflection on Key Themes in Matthew
Week 5: The Healing and Reconciling Savior: Luke's Portrait of Jesus
Week 6: A Closer Reflection on Key Themes in Luke

Special Features

This course includes:

• Guide for reading the Gospels of Mark, Matthew and Luke by Dr. Philip A. Cunningham;
• Bonus article and video on the "Writing of the Gospels" and research about the historical Jesus;
• Video presentation by Fr. Michael J. Himes for each Gospel;
• Text transcripts of each featured video; and
• Weekly questions for reflection and discussion.

All Crossroads courses include these features:

• Participants have access 24 hours / 7 days a week to the course's password-protected web site. 
• Each participant belongs to a small Community for Conversation and faith sharing guided by a facilitator.
• The course site is usually available to participants at least three months after the course.
• An orientation in how to navigate the web site is always available.
• Technical assistance is easy to contact and prompt in returning a message.
• A Certificate of Active Participation is awarded to those who post at least three messages of substance for each week of content.

Additional Materials Needed:
Although there will be a Bible available online, you may also wish to have a Bible available in hard copy.  Other course materials are available on the course site.

For online Bibles, we recommend:

• The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops - New American Bible, Revised Edition (NABRE) or
• The Christian Classics Ethereal Library Study Bible - New Revised Standard Edition (NRSV)

Time Commitment:
A participant can expect to spend an average of approximately 4 hours each week. This commitment includes both the assigned reading and interaction online.

Content Scholars:  
Dr. Philip A. Cunningham (text), professor of theology and religious studies, St. Joseph's University, and Rev. Michael J. Himes (video), priest of the Diocese of Brooklyn, New York, and professor of theology at the Boston College Theology Department.

Effective Preaching: Preaching at Weddings

Fee: $30
Three Weeks

Check the course schedule for future offerings of this course.

This course, developed by Rev. Msgr. James Mongelluzzo, includes videos on the theology of marriage and on preparing a wedding homily, a survey of the Lectionary passages pertaining to the marriage ceremony, as well as recommendations for meeting with the couple. Participants discuss the videos and readings as a community for conversation, guided by a facilitator.

This course is appropriate for anyone who preaches in their ministry, lay or ordained. It is accessible for beginners and can provide experienced preachers a chance to reflect on and deepen their practice.

Topics

Introductory Week

Week 1: The Theology of Marriage

Week 2:  Preparing a Wedding Homily

Special Features

This course includes:

• Study aide that guides participants through the assignments;
• Weekly questions for discussion and reflection;
• Resource page for further study;
• Links to all reading materials are included;
• Weekly video segments from Touchstones for Preaching (bc.edu/preaching); and
• Text transcripts of each featured video.

All Crossroads courses include these features:

• Participants have access 24 hours / 7 days a week to the course's password-protected web site. 
• Each participant belongs to a small Community for Conversation and faith sharing guided by a facilitator.
• The course site is usually available to participants at least three months after the course.
• An orientation in how to navigate the web site is always available.
• Technical assistance is easy to contact and prompt in returning a message.
• A Certificate of Active Participation is awarded to those who post at least three messages of substance for each week of content.

Additional Materials Needed

All materials are included in the course.

Time Commitment:

A participant can expect to spend about 3-4 hours each week. This commitment includes both preparation and interaction online.

Content Scholars:  Rev. Paul Turner, S.T.D. (videos), a priest of the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph, Missouri; and Rev. Msgr. James A. Mongelluzzo, S.T.D., a priest of the Diocese of Worcester, Massachusetts, and a faculty member at Pope St. John XXIII National Seminary.

A Sacramental People

Fee: $25
Three Weeks

Based on the Spring 2012 issue of C21 Resources edited by Fr. John Baldovin, S.J., this course provides an opportunity to reflect on and discuss a sacramental view of life. The sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation, Reconciliation, Anointing of the Sick, and Marriage are the focus.  This C21 Resources installment is a companion to previous issues that have addressed Eucharist, Holy Orders, and lay ecclesial ministry. 

Check the course schedule for future offerings of this course.

NOTE: For a complete overview of Catholic sacramental life, we recommend you also consider eventually enrolling in other C21 Resources courses: The Eucharist: At the Heart of Catholic Life, and Grace and Commitment: The Laity.  We also offer a four-week course, Sacraments in Catholic Life.

Topics

Introductory Week
Week 1:  A Sacramental View of Life, Baptism, Confirmation, and Marriage
Week 2:  Penance, Anointing of the Sick, and Christian Funerals

Special Features

This course includes:

• All reading materials available online;
• Weekly introductory study aides that guide participants through the course material;
• Weekly questions for reflection and discussion; and
• A regularly updated Resources page for further study.
  

All Crossroads courses include these features:

• Participants have access 24 hours/7 days a week to the course's password-protected web site. 
• Each participant belongs to a small Community for Conversation and faith sharing guided by a facilitator.
• Site is usually available to participants at least three months after the course.
• An orientation in how to navigate the web site is always available.
• Technical assistance is easy to contact and prompt in returning a message.
• A Certificate of Active Participation is awarded to those who post at least three messages of substance for each week of content.

Additional Materials Needed

Everything you need for this course is provided on the course web site.  View this issue of C21 Resources, "Catholics: A Sacramental People."  If you prefer a hard copy of this issue, email The Church in the 21st Century Center at church21@bc.edu.

Time Commitment

A participant can expect to spend an average of 4-5 hours each week.  This commitment includes both preparation and interaction online.

Content Scholars

The articles were written by various authors under the editorship of Fr. John Baldovin, S.J., professor of historical and liturgical theology at the Boston College School of Theology and Ministry.

The Online Book Club: "Laudato Si'", by Pope Francis

Fee:  $30
Four Weeks

About the Book
(required text for this course; see download/print option below)

Pope Francis's encyclical on the environment, Laudato Si', was launched amid much public interest and plenty of commentary by various pundits.  Take this opportunity to read the letter subtitled 'On Care for Our Common Home' and discuss its wide-ranging implications.  Decide for yourself the impact it may have on the way you and your local community address the needs of this planet and the care of our natural resources. 

Check the course schedule for future offerings of this course.

Topics

Getting Started Week: Introduction to the Encyclical

Week 1: A Theology of Creation to Address What Is Happening to Our Common Home (chapters 1 and 2)

Week 2:  An Integral Ecology to Address the Human Roots of the Crisis (chapters 3 and 4)

Week 3:  A Call to Dialogue, Education, and Ecological Conversion (chapters 5 and 6)

About the Online Book Club

• Are you a person who regularly reads books and articles on spirituality and theology?
• Is the religion and spirituality section of your bookstore a favorite place?
• Do you often wish there was a way that you could share your insights about an author and hear what others think?

If you have answered yes to any of these questions, whether you are reading for professional development, a committed spiritual practice, or an ongoing hunger to know more about the spiritual life, the Online Book Club is for you!

The Online Book Club offers a setting to encounter an author's ideas and participate in conversation with others about a selected text.  In addition to providing an experienced facilitator to guide the conversation, we get you started by offering some direction to engage the author and the text.  Then the conversation unfolds in light of the interests of those in the conversation circle. 

Click here for other Online Book Club courses

Special Features

This course includes:

• Initial comments to introduce the book;
• Weekly questions to begin the discussion; and
• A regularly updated Resources page for further study on the topics discussed in this course.

All Crossroads courses include these features:

• Participants have access 24 hours/7 days a week to a password protected web site.
• Each participant belongs to a small Community for Conversation and faith sharing guided by a facilitator.
• The course site is generally open to participants for six months after the course is complete.
• Technical assistance is easy to contact and prompt in returning a message.
• A Certificate of Active Participation is awarded to those who post at least three messages of substance for each week of content.

Additional Materials:

Any copy of the encyclical Laudato Si' (the Vatican's online format prints approximately 75 pages)  

Time Commitment

A participant can expect to spend approximately 4 hours each week.  This commitment includes both preparation and interaction online.

Content Scholar:  Pope Francis

The Online Book Club: The Church of Mercy, by Pope Francis

Fee: $50
Five Weeks

About the Book (required text for this course)

The Church of Mercy: A Vision for the Church, by Pope Francis (Loyola Press, 2014) is a selection of the pope’s remarks, many of which are homilies or general audiences. 

About the Online Book Club

Are you a person who regularly reads books and articles on spirituality and theology?

Is the religion and spirituality section of your bookstore a favorite place?

Do you often wish there was a way that you could share your insights about an author and hear what others think?

If you have answered “yes” to any of these questions, whether you are reading for professional development, a committed spiritual practice, or an ongoing hunger to know more about the spiritual life, the Online Book Club is for you!

The Online Book Club offers a setting to encounter an author’s ideas and participate in conversation with others about a selected text.  In addition to providing an experienced facilitator to guide the conversation, we get you started by offering some direction to engage the author and the text.  Then the conversation unfolds in light of the interests of those in the conversation circle.  

Click here for other Online Book Club courses

Check the course schedule for the dates for the Online Book Club.

Topics

• Week 1: 
  
  • Part 1: The Good News of Christ
  • Part 2: A Poor Church for the Poor
  • Part 3: Listening to the Spirit
• Week 2:
  • Part 4: Proclamation and Testimony
  • Part 5: Full-Time Christians
  • Part 6: Shepherds with the “Odor of the Sheep”
• Week 3
  • Part 7: The Choice of the Last
  • Part 8: Demolishing the Idols
• Week 4:
  
  • Part 9: The Culture of Good
  • Part 10: Mary, Mother of Evangelization

Special Features

This course includes:

• Initial comments to introduce the book;
• Weekly questions to begin the discussion; and
• A regularly updated Resources page for further study about the topic discussed in this course.

All Crossroads courses include these features:

• Participants have access 24 hours/7 days a week to the course's password-protected web site. 
• Each participant belongs to a small Community for Conversation and faith sharing guided by a facilitator.
• The course site is usually available to participants at least three months after the course.
• An orientation in how to navigate the web site is always available.
• Technical assistance is easy to contact and prompt in returning a message.
• A Certificate of Active Participation is awarded to those who post at least three messages of substance for each week of content.

Additional Materials Needed

Pope Francis, The Church of Mercy: A Vision for the Church (Loyola Press, 2014) 

Time Commitment

A participant can expect to spend approximately 4 hours each week.  This commitment includes both preparation and interaction online.

Content Scholar:  Pope Francis

The Online Book Club: "The Rebirthing of God"

Fee: $50
Five Weeks

About the Book (required text for this course)

In this book club selection, John Philip Newell calls for a rebirth of Christianity in order to counter its collapse in contemporary Western cultures. He proposes eight ways that Christians and seekers can be attentive to the struggle for rebirth.  Using the island of Iona as an imaginative setting for this spiritual undertaking, he mines the wisdom of those who have provided prophetic leadership in these ways. His book inspires hope that, through reconnection, faith can be renewed and enlivened personally and collectively.

About the Online Book Club

Are you a person who regularly reads books and articles on spirituality and theology?

Is the religion and spirituality section of your bookstore a favorite place?

Do you often wish there was a way that you could share your insights about an author and hear what others think?

If you have answered “yes” to any of these questions, whether you are reading for professional development, a committed spiritual practice, or an ongoing hunger to know more about the spiritual life, the Online Book Club is for you!

The Online Book Club offers a setting to encounter an author’s ideas and participate in conversation with others about a selected text.  In addition to providing an experienced facilitator to guide the conversation, we get you started by offering some direction to engage the author and the text.  Then the conversation unfolds in light of the interests of those in the conversation circle.  

Click here for other Online Book Club courses

Check the course schedule for the dates for the Online Book Club.

Topics

• Getting Started Week: Introduction to the book
• Week 1: Reconnecting with the Earth and with Compassion (chapters 1 and 2)
• Week 2: Reconnecting with the Light and with the Journey (chapters 3 and 4)
• Week 3: Reconnecting with Spiritual Practice and Nonviolence (chapters 5 and 6)
• Week 4: Reconnecting with the Unconscious and with Love (chapters 7 and 8)

Special Features

This course includes:

• Initial comments to introduce the book;
• Weekly questions to begin the discussion; and
• A regularly updated Resources page for further study about the topic discussed in this course.

All Crossroads courses include these features:

• Participants have access 24 hours/7 days a week to the course's password-protected web site. 
• Each participant belongs to a small Community for Conversation and faith sharing guided by a facilitator.
• The course site is usually available to participants at least three months after the course.
• Technical assistance is easy to contact and prompt in returning a message.
• A Certificate of Active Participation is awarded to those who post at least three messages of substance for each week of content.

Additional Materials Needed

John Philip Newell. The Rebirthing of God: Christianity’s Struggle for Rebirth. 
ISBN-13: 978-1683364191 ISBN-10: 1683364198 (paperback)Time Commitment

A participant can expect to spend approximately 3 - 4 hours each week.  This commitment includes both preparation and interaction online.

Content Scholar:  Rev. Dr. John Philip Newell is founder of the School of Celtic Consciousness, Distinguished Visiting Scholar of Spirituality at the Iliff School of Theology, University of Denver, ordained minister in the Church of Scotland, and former warden of Iona Abbey in the Western Isles of Scotland.