Course Schedule
New Year
History Of The Church: Telling Our Stories
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.
( 7 Weeks | $60 )
Jan 6 - Feb 23, 2021
New Testament Visions Of Faith
What does it mean to live a life of faith? How can we be faithful followers of Jesus today? Guided by Thomas Stegman S.J.’s book Opening the Door of Faith, this course explores a rich Scriptural understanding of faith and discipleship by exploring Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, and Paul. To help us engage with the Scriptural texts, each week there is video commentary by a guest scholar.
( 6 Weeks | $60 )
Jan 13 - Feb 23, 2021
The Creed: What We Believe
More than a statement of belief, learn how the Creed is a prayer, a revelation, a way of life, and the shared identity of the Christian community. Using the Apostles Creed as its outline, but referring also to the Nicene Creed and to Scripture, this course offers a fresh exploration of who God is and what it means to believe for lived faith.behind them.
( 5 Weeks | $60 )
Jan 13 - Feb 16, 2021
Catholic Social Teaching: Living Faith In Our Social Context
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.
( 5 Weeks | $60 )
Jan 27 - Mar 2, 2021
Grace And Commitment: The Laity
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.
( 3 Weeks | $30 )
Jan 27 - Feb 17, 2021
Lent Courses
Lent 2021: Reflecting Together
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 (Cycle B), 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.
( 6 Weeks | $60 )
Feb 10 - Mar 23, 2021
Sacraments: The Fabric Of Catholic Life
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.
( 5 Weeks | $60 )
Feb 10 - Mar 16, 2021
The Church: People Of God On A Mission
The church embodies a series of core dynamics: divine invitation and human response; gathering in order to be sent; membership and mission. Reflecting theologically on the way in which these dynamics are expressed in the church today makes up the discipline of “ecclesiology.” Through this course, we explore the nature of the Church including discussion of ministries, the Church’s foundation in word and sacrament, and the call to be an evangelizing people about the work of transforming the world in light of the Gospel.
( 6 Weeks | $60 )
Feb 24 - Mar 30, 2021
John In Holy Week And Easter
The Gospel of John is used prominently throughout Holy Week and the Easter season. Fathers Harrington and Stegman artfully present on the Passion Narrative in John and on the Johannine themes throughout the Easter season. This STM Online: Crossroads course is based on a campus workshop presented in Spring 2011.
( 3Weeks | $30 )
Mar 3 - Mar 23, 2021
Encountering Jesus
In this course, access some of the best modern scholarship on encountering Jesus in the Scriptures. The discussion is based on the Fall 2008 issue of C21 Resources, a publication of Boston College's Church in the 21st Century Center, edited by Boston College School of Theology and Ministry faculty members the late Rev. Daniel J. Harrington, S.J., and Dr. Christopher R. Matthews. It contains approximately 15 short, informative articles centered on Jesus’s birth, ministry, death, and resurrection. Join the conversation to learn not only who Jesus was in the 1st century, but also what he might mean in the 21st century.
( 3 Weeks | $30 )
Mar 10 - Mar 30, 2021
Voices Of Hispanic American Catholicism
In the U.S. today, over 35% of adult Catholics are Hispanic, while over 50% 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 21st 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 Spring 2016 issue of C21 Resources, which was edited by Dr. Hosffman Ospino.
( 3 Weeks | $30 )
Mar 10 - Mar 30, 2021
Easter
Call To Conscience
Conscience is emerging as a pivotal concept in Pope Francis’s papacy. Based on the Fall 2016 C21 Resources issue, edited by Kristen E. Heyer, and drawing upon the rich tradition of Catholic moral teaching, this course urges that our decisions be guided by our faith community and by the voice of conscience within our hearts, and that we wrestle with the tensions between.
( 3 Weeks | $30 )
Apr 14 - May 4, 2021
Eucharist: The Heart Of Catholic Life
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. 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, which center on the meaning of the Eucharist, the theme of real presence, Eucharist as sacrifice, and the connection between Eucharist and justice. 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 new translation of the Roman Missal.
( 3 Weeks | $30 )
Apr 14 - May 4, 2021