Purpose

This program leads to a professional degree that prepares men and women for general pastoral leadership responsibilities. In keeping with Catholic tradition, it provides a strong grounding in various theological areas of study, but also develops the skills and experiences essential for ministerial leadership in a collaborative and multicultural church. As such, this degree is normative for those seeking ordination as presbyters in the Roman Catholic Church. It is also the required degree for admission into a Doctor of Ministry program. In addition, it is recommended for those students seeking admission to advanced programs oriented to theological research and teaching.

Curriculum Requirement (effective beginning Fall 2010)

The curriculum consists of 90 credit hours of core and elective courses and 12 credit hours of supervised pastoral experience. Students have a maximum of seven (7) years to complete the curriculum.

Ecclesiastical History
EH531	Ancient and Medieval History (3)
EH532	Reformation and Modern Church History (3)
Pastoral Studies
CL561	Introduction to Canon Law (3)
CL650	Lay Ecclesial Ministry (3) (for lay students only)
CL661	Marriage: Theology and Canon Law (3)
PS515	Pastoral Care and Identity (3)
PS601	Level I Supervised Ministry/Seminar (4)
PS602	Level II Supervised Ministry/Seminar (4)
PS603	Level III Pastoral Internship (4)
Sacred Scripture
SS517	Pentateuch and Historical Books (3)
SS520	Critical Study of the New Testament (3)
SS524	Synoptic Gospels (3)
SS613	Exegesis Seminar (3)
SS614	Prophets, Psalms and Wisdom Literature (3)
SS621	Pauline Letters (3)
Spirituality
SP705 or SP740	Foundations of Christian Spirituality (3) or Christian Spirituality through the Ages (3)
Systematic Theology
SY511	Foundations of Theology (3)
SY512	Christian Anthropology (3)
SY611	Christology (3)
SY651	Theology of the Church (3)
SY653	The Religious Presbyter (3) (for ordination students only)
Moral Theology
MO541	The Christian Moral Life (3)
MO643	Sexual and Biomedical Ethics (3)
MO645	Catholic Social Ethics (3)
Word and Worship
WW500	Word and Worship (3)
WW654	Baptism and Confirmation (3)
WW655	Eucharist (3)
WW657	Sacraments of Healing (3)
WW506	Preaching I: Introduction to the Homily (3)
WW605	Preaching II: The Homily in Particular Liturgical Contexts (3)
WW607 WW612 or WW614	Lay Preaching (3) (for lay students only) Ministry of Presiding for Ordained Ministers (3) or Lay Leadership of Public Prayer (3) (for lay students only)
Required Electives
	Elective course from a Washington Theological Consortium school in another religious tradition (3)
	Elective course in pastoral studies (3)
	Selected elective course (3)

Total: 102 Credits

Semester Sequence of Courses

Supervised Ministry Requirement

Students must take two distinct supervised ministries followed by a pastoral internship. The sequence of supervised ministries normally begins with Level I supervised ministry during the second year of study, followed by the Level II supervised ministry in the third year. A clinical pastoral education program (CPE) or a program sponsored by the Appalachian Ministries Educational Resource Center (AMERC) may be taken during the summer in place of the Level I supervised ministry.

The Level I ministry is intended to be an introduction to ministry and affords students an opportunity to minister on a one-to-one basis. The Level II ministry is to provide ample opportunity for ministering to groups and individuals, as well as an opportunity for continued leadership development. All supervised ministries are done during the academic year and only one ministry may be performed in a given academic year. Each supervised ministry done is accompanied by a theological reflection seminar on-campus that provides an opportunity for the student to identify and correlate issues that arise in theological study and ministerial experience as well as come to an understanding of ministerial identity.

After successfully completing the two required supervised ministries, students must undertake a full-time pastoral internship. The earlier supervised ministries and theological reflection seminars provide a readiness for entering the internship. All pastoral internship experiences must be undertaken within ministry centers approved by the Union. The diversity of internal apostolic experiences of students and of internal programs of the participating religious communities is recognized and is considered in structuring internship experiences.

Integrating Seminar Requirement

The integration of theology and experience is an ongoing process over the entire four-year curriculum. The process culminates in students participating in a seminar during the final year of study. Using a case study method that relies upon material drawn from the student's pastoral internship experiences as well as major themes studies in the curriculum, this seminar helps students to integrate and apply learning with the pastoral situations encountered. The seminar is primarily an educational not an evaluative exercise, designed to encourage active participation and interaction covering a range of topics and situations to be studied. The aim is to enhance the student's ability to develop a sound theology for future ministry.