THEOLOGY I - Our Catholic Faith
The freshman Theology course offers a bird’s eye view of the fundamental teachings of our Catholic faith contained in the Creed. Topics include scriptures, morality, social teachings, liturgy and sacraments, prayers, saints and others. The course is designed to be both informative and exhortative to cater to a freshman class who are a mix of those who are exposed to Catholic ways and teachings from the parishes or from previous schools, with those who are not. The basic approach is academic, with activities and homework assignments to highlight the relevance of the doctrines to the ordinary experiences of the students.
THEOLOGY II: Salvation History In Scriptures
1st Semester: The Old Testament
Theo2 aims to tell the journey of God’s People to Catholic teenagers in such a way that they will progress in their own journey of friendship with God and as disciples of Christ. It attempts to build in students basic skills, knowledge and motivation to approach the stories in the Old Testament intelligently and in the light of faith. Lessons are academic in nature, with class activities and homeworks designed to lead students to see relevance of scriptures to their daily lives, and to society as a whole.
Reference includes Old Testament: Our Call to Faith and Justice by Ave Maria Press. Students are required to have a New American Bible for use for the whole year.
2nd Semester: The New Testament
This course focuses on three things: First, a background discussion on the authorship, canonicity, formation and interpretation of New Testament writings; second, a study of the person of Jesus Christ- his life and teachings as presented in the gospels; and third, an introduction to the humble beginnings of the Christian Church based on the writings of Paul.
The course is oriented to lead the students to appreciate the gospel teachings and Christ’s ongoing work of salvation continued by the Church today as genuine human helps.
THEOLOGY III - Catholic Church History
The Church History course traces the development of the Catholic Church in and through the lives of people over the past two thousand years. Content includes the beginnings of the Church from the Apostolic Age to the Councils through Vatican II until the Church of the New Millennium. The course is designed to bring the students to an understanding and appreciation of how the Catholic Church has responded to the historical and cultural circumstances of the times, both in the historic past and in the recent years, encouraging them to think about how they will contribute to the Church, now and in the future.
THEOLOGY IV: Christian Morality
The course is divided into two parts. The first part of the course exposes the constitutive elements of Christian moral living: the moral agent – the human person as a social being endowed with freedom. The nature and function of both conscience (as the subjective individual moral norm) and objective universal moral norms are clarified. The social context of following Christ in today’s world is treated in the discussion on the reality of sin, both personal and social, which is the major obstacle towards authentic self-becoming in community. The real evil of sin is sharply contrasted to the perfect self-giving love of Jesus Christ on the cross for the purpose of leading the students to a deeper understanding and appreciation of God’s everlasting and merciful love, expressed both in their personal and communal prayer lives.
The first part continues with the discussion on the process of moral decision-making. A positive approach to morality which gives stress on values, virtues, and character vis-à-vis the former over-emphasis on morality as mere legalism or a series of do’s and don’ts is covered. Specific moral issues relative to the Ten Commandments are taken up in the light of the Church teachings and the concrete experience of the students. The goal of this undertaking is to exercise the students in the process of critical moral reflection and challenge them to believe and live out the truths proclaimed in Christian teachings to their moral decision-making.
The second part focuses on the nature, importance, and power of love and its various expressions. It aims to lead the students to understand that love is a basic human need and as Catholics believe in a God who loves perfectly and unconditionally. They will realize that all Christians are called to love through their vocations as married couples, as single persons, as vowed religious or ordained ministers.