Holy Cross Catholic Seminary

The Seminary of the Reformed Catholic Church

 SACRED THEOLOGY

PROGRAM OBJECTIVE

Objective:  This program of study is meant to promote a schematic overview of essential theological areas that are paramount to a catholic understanding of God, Jesus the Christ, the church, the sacramental and eucharistic life of the people of God, and authentic spirituality.

There are 10 sections of study, and each is meant to focus on a complete understanding of that topic, hopefully leading to further exploration in the future. It is a primer for those beginning theological study within the Reformed Catholic Church, leading to future ministry and ordination.

It is a refresher for those already serving the church and her members, or those seeking incardination into this independent catholic jurisdiction of the one, holy, catholic and apostolic church of Jesus the Christ.

The Rector of the Seminary, along with proficient faculty members will not only serve as teachers, but mentors, providing a pastoral approach to each area of study and for every seminarian and candidate.

To be ignorant of our spiritual and theological background is to be ignorant of Christ.  Let us always be seeks of the Truth, Who is Jesus the Lord!

Upon Completion of the course:  Students who successfully complete this program will be recommended for the A Diploma in Sacred Theology. 

PROGRAM OUTLINE

Course: SPR100                 SPIRITUALITY

The life of the Spirit is the source and inspiration for anyone seeking a deep, personal and committed relationship  with the Lord Jesus.

There are many paths that one can take in developing that encounter with the Risen Christ., BUT, every form of spirituality and ministry must be rooted in prayers, the Eucharist, a holy way of life and theological inquiry.

St. Dominic summarized spirituality and ministry in the best way:  “contemplare et contemplata aliis trader” meaning:  “to contemplate and to share the fruits of one’s contemplation”

Daily prayers, with meditation on the Gospels, frequent participation in the Eucharist, spiritual direction and contact with the larger church body will help to shape, mold, and express the personal gifts given to each person, for the common good. 

It is important that one be conscious of their own path of spirituality and seek not only to enflesh it, but to nourish it daily, for the life of the soul is the heart of Christian ministry.

Essential reading for this course includes:

        St. Augustine THE CITY OF GOD

        Thomas Merton,THE SEVENSTORYMOUNTAIN and CONTEMPLATIVE PRAYER

        Henri Nouwen, REACHING OUT and COMPASSION and WOUNDED HEALER

        Anthony diMello, SONG OF THE BIRD, AWARENESS and WAY OF LOVE

Course:  SCR100         HOLY SCRIPTURES

The word of God, in the form of the written books of revelation and the person of Jesus the Church, are the ultimate sources and expression of the nature of the Unseen God.  All traditions find their point of origin and their meaning in the Tradition, which is the Bible and the Person of Jesus.

In this course, special emphasis is placed on the books of EXODUX, ISIAH, JEREMIAH, MATTHEW, MARK, LUKE,  JOHN, and the EPISTLES.

The texts used in the presentation of this course are excellent tools to introduce students to theological studies, and provide elaboration of the Gospels and the Letters of Paul.

Essential reading for this course includes:

                Wilfred Harrington, KEY TO THE BIBLE

                John McKenzie, DICTIONARY OF THE BIBLE

                And  THE JEROME BIBLICAL COMMENTARY

Course:  CHR100               CHRISTOLOGY

The church’s varied understanding and interpretations of the God-Human, Jesus the Christ, can be seen, first of all, in the images from the OLD and NEW Testaments.  They can be further explored in the creedal affirmations of the early church and the church fathers. 

Our understanding of “and you, who do you say I am?” will be the basis of how we view the church and our own personal ministry.   We will explore our understanding of Jesus the Christ, and present further possibilkities for relating to the cosmic Christ in the present and in the future.

Essential Reading includes:

                Raymond Brown,  AN INTRODUCTION TO NEW TESTAMENT CHRISTOLOGY

                And the CONCISE SACRAMENTUM MUNDI

Course: ECC100                 ECCLESIOLOGY

It is always to be held that even in though the church was founded by Christ in a hierarchical mode, that the soul of the church is always the Spirit and the heart of the church is always communal.  By Baptism, we are all a priestly people.

The very nature of the church will be explored through the words of Pope Pius XII’s encyclical letter, MYSTICII CORPORIS and Vatican Council II’s CONSTITUTION ON THE CHURCH.

Essential reading includes:

                Avery Dulles        THE MODELS OF THE CHURCH

                                                 CONSTITUTION ON THE CHURCH.

 MYSTICII CORPORIS

Course:  CAT100                CATHOLICISM

Since the Reformed Catholic Church is part of the Catholic Church, and one expression of the church in our present day, it is essential that each member comprehend the depth of church history, the impact that the church has had down through the centuries on humanity, and the special gift that the church can give to the modern world and the hope  to which it calls us in this live and beyond.

Essential reading includes:

                      Richard McBrian         CATHOLICISM

Course:  SAC100       SACRAMENTAL LIFE

The seven sacraments of the church distinguish the catholic experience of faith in its totality of expression, it is the source and the summit of the church and the unique contribution that catholicism brings to the world.

We believe that Jesus the Christ is the sign of the Creator’s love, and that the church is the elongation of the presence of Jesus into our world, taking seven specific manifestation of the Spirit of the Lord through Baptism, Confirmation, Penance, Eucharist, matrimony, Holy Order, and the Anointing of the Sick.

The Roman Church’s rite and form for each sacramental action will be explored, and each past of the rite will be fully explained, as the basis for all sacramental life within the Reformed Catholic Church. 

Essential reading includes:

        Vatican Council II,      DECLARATION ON THE LITURGY

       Edward Shillebeeckx,  CHRIST:  THE SACRAMENT OF THE ENCOUNTER WITH GOD

Course:  EUC100                EUCHARIST

The word “eucharist” means “thanksgiving”, and all forms of worship within the catholic community of faith must take on the form of genuine thanksgiving. Thanksgiving is our ultimate form of worship, and within the Body of Christ that is ultimately symbolized and expressed in the Mass of Christian Worship.

Essential Reading includes:

                Josef Jungmann, THE MASS   and  THE MASS OF THE ROMAN RITE

                Joachim Jeremias,  THE EUCHARISTIC WORDS OF JESUS

                Pope Paul VI,        MYSTERIUM FIDEI

Course:  MIN100     MINISTRY & ORDERS

All ministerial life in the church finds its inspiration in the life, ministry, death and resurrection of the Lord, as witnessed in the Gospels and Letters of St. Paul. 

 Our ministry is simply a continuation of the healing, reconciling and saving work of the Lord.  Every baptized person takes on the person of Christ, and are meant to be Christ for their world. 

In this course, we will highlight the history of Christian Ministry, and Holy Orders in the Catholic Church.  The words of the rites of  baptism and ordination are used to understand the concrete and visible call to serve.

Essential reading includes:

                               Bernard Cooke,   MINISTRY OF WORD AND SACRAMENT

Course:  MOR100              MORALITY

The Reformed Catholic Church teaches and believes that there are objective norms and truths that flow form creation, the natural law and the life of the Spirit.  That individual and informed conscience, mold on Gospel values of truth, justice, compassion and love are supreme and absolute motivational forces for the human person and are to be respected in each human judgement and human act.

Morality is always our response to the life of the Spirit within each human person and a loving way of life for the community at large. The Reformed Catholic Church teaches the values of the Gospel, however, we teach those values with the individual in mind and with a pastoral approach. Respecting human freedom and dignity.  We trust that if people are living in the Spirit of Truth, they will be able to decide right and just conduct with their lives and interactions with the broader community of individuals. 

Essential reading includes:

                Rudolph Schnackenburg, THE MORAL TEACHING OF THE NEW TESTAMENT

                Philip Keane,  SEXUAL MORALITY

                Richard McCormick, HEALTH AND MEDICINE IN THE CATHOLIC TRADITION

Course:  MAR100               MARIOLOGY

At the foot of the Cross, Jesus gave us Mary, as Our Mother and the Mother of the Church She is seen as co-redemptrix in the plan of salvation and as mediatrix of all graces.  Devotion to the Mother of God and the Mother of the Church has always been a part of our spiritual life from the very beginning.  Without her fiat, made in absolute faith, the redemption of humanity would not have taken place,  As a result, She is also the fist Christian and the first preacher of the Good News.

Essential reading includes: 

                Raymond Brown,                 MARY IN THE NEW TESTAMENT

                Edward Schillebeeckx,     MARY, THE MOTHER OF THE REDEPTION

                J. Neville Ward.                FIVE FOR SORROW, TEN FOR JOY

                George Maloney,               MARY:  THE WOMB OF GOD

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