Course Catalog
St. Bernard's offers Catholic theology and philosophy courses online and on campus throughout the year during our fall, spring, and summer semesters.
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St. Bernard's
Fall 2024 Courses

August 26th - December 13th, 2024

Application deadline for Fall is August 16th; add/drop deadline is September 6th.

BUF (Buffalo Campus) | ROC (Rochester Campus)

A/C392: The Book of Revelation and the Catholic Eschatological Imagination (Rev. David Tedesche, S.T.L.)

This course centers on a close reading of the final book of the Bible, the book of Revelation. We will be reading Revelation, however, not only in terms of contemporary biblical scholarship and its exploration of the Old Testament inspiration and first-century Christian context of Revelation, but also in terms of Revelation’s historical reception. How did authors from the patristic, medieval, and early modern periods read and interpret Revelation? What is chiliasm or millenarianism? What did it mean for ancient Christians that Rome was thought to be the final kingdom? What about the legend of the ‘Last Emperor’? How important is the medieval figure of Joachim of Fiore? In what way does the classic protestant idea of the papal antichrist find its origins among medieval groups of Franciscans? What about the so-called ‘viri spirituali’ and the idea of the ‘Pastor angelicus’? How important to medieval thought was the hope that one day, before the Second Advent, the Jewish people as a whole would convert to Christ? By studying such questions in light of the history of the interpretation of Revelation, we will be exploring the Catholic eschatological imagination. What does this imaginative vision communicate to us today about our place in the drama of salvation history, the importance of the Second Vatican Council, the relationship between Church and state, war and peace issues, and the Catholic spiritual and social vision more generally?

3 credits | ROC and Online

Every other Friday, 6:00 — 9:00pm EDT, August 30th, September 13th, September 27th, October 11th, October 25th, November 8th, November 22nd, December 6th

A202: Introduction to the Old Testament (Matthew Ramage, Ph.D.)

Introduction to the Old Testament introduces exegetical methodology and theology of the Old Testament. Students will consider the fruits and the assumptions of exegesis, using and examining its methodologies both as helpful tools and as products of a particular era. Hebrew poetry and narrative, ritual and ethical instruction, prophecy, historiography, and novella will be analyzed as literature, and students will also examine the development of traditions within the texts of the canon. Since Sacred Scripture is double-authored, by both man and God, and interpreted in the context of the Catholic Church, A202 will also emphasize the theology of the Old Testament, with a special focus on the People of God, and will read spiritual readings of the Old Testament from the Church Fathers to present.

3 credits | Online

Every other Wednesday, 6:30 — 9:30pm EDT, September 4th, September 18th, October 2nd, October 16th, October 30th, November 13th, December 4th, December 11th

B/C490: Political Engagement as a Catholic: Principles, Sources, and Historical Engagements (Matthew Kuhner, Ph.D.; Taylor O'Neill, Ph.D.)

When discussing political authorities, St. Paul famously wrote that “there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God” (Romans 13:1). Some decades later, Pope St. Clement of Rome prayed for political authorities, so that they “may exercise without offense the sovereignty that you, Lord, have given them” (Ad Cor, 61). These passages reveal the Church’s concern for the political realm since the beginning; this concern has unfolded over the past two millennia through consistency of principle and with the dynamism of development. This course attempts to unfold the Church’s vision of political authority, the nature and demands of the political community, and the responsibility of the Catholic vis-à-vis political action. In order to provide a systematic and synthetic response, the course will consider principles elucidated by the Magisterium, sources in Scripture and Tradition, and historical examples of Catholic participation in political life. The question of Catholic political responsibility today will be discussed throughout, with particular attention given to the tradition of political Liberalism as practiced in America and the major political crises of the 20th century (Communism and Fascism).

3 credits | ROC and Online

Every other Tuesday, 6:00 — 9:00pm EDT, September 3rd, September 17th, October 1st, October 15th, October 29th, November 12th, November 26th, December 10th

B/D340: Twentieth-Century Holiness (Lisa Lickona, S.T.L.)

In the twentieth century, the world experienced two World Wars, the Holocaust, the dropping of the atomic bomb, ongoing regional conflicts and genocide, and an emerging environmental crisis. Pope Benedict XVI aptly observed that we have been living through the “Holy Saturday” of history — a time in which God’s voice is apparently silent and His Son has disappeared into the realm of the dead. Yet, in this apparent absence, a Presence remains: God makes Himself known in the flesh of His saints. This course seeks to understand the twentieth century through their lives and writing. Miguel Pro, Dorothy Day, Franz Jaegerstaetter, Edith Stein, Maximilian Kolbe, Takashi Nagai, John Paul II, and Henri de Lubac will be among the figures who will lead us through the course. Along the way, we will deepen our understanding of how God works in time and the circumstances of life — no matter how awful — to draw us to Himself.

3 credits | ROC and Online

Mondays, 6:30 — 8:30pm EDT, August 26th, September 9th, September 16th, September 23rd, September 30th, October 7th, October 14th, October 21st, October 28th, November 4th, November 11th, November 18th, November 25th, December 2nd, December 9th

C/D202: The Revelation of God: Doctrine, Liturgy, and Sacraments (Catechism 1 and 2)

This course introduces us to those teachings that are central to the Catholic Faith as guided by Part One of the Catechism of the Catholic Church: “The Profession of Faith” §§1-1065, and to the liturgical practices and sacraments of the Catholic Faith as guided by Part Two of the Catechism of the Catholic Church: “The Celebration of the Christian Mystery” §§1066-1690.

3 credits | Online

C/D333: Catholic Bioethics at the Beginning of Life (Jean Baric Parker, D.Be.)

This course concentrates on bioethical topics and ethical principles that are most relevant at the beginning of human life. It commences with a biological examination of the beginnings of embryonic life, leading to an in-depth discussion of abortion, artificial contraception, natural family planning, NaPRO Technology, in vitro fertilization, gamete donation, surrogate pregnancy, fetal research, and other related topics. All topics are grounded in a discussion of the history of Catholic health care and fundamental Church teaching on natural law, human status, the human act, conscience, theology of the body, and the common good. Common secular arguments opposed to Church teaching in these areas are critiqued. All issues are considered in a highly practical light, with emphasis on real-life applications in pastoral, academic, and health care settings. This course will benefit health care professionals, clergy, chaplains, pastoral workers, life science researchers, ethics committee members, and ‘Catholics in the pew’ who are interested in learning more about applying Catholic bioethical principles to real life situations that they and their loved ones routinely encounter.

3 credits | ROC and Online

Tuesdays, 6:30 — 8:30pm EDT, August 27th, September 3rd, September 10th, September 17th, September 24th, October 1st, October 8th, October 15th, October 22nd, October 29th, November 5th, November 12th, November 19th, November 26th, December 3rd, December 10th

C217: Fundamental Moral Theology (John Meinert, Ph.D.)

This course introduces the field of moral theology. Students will contemplate the purpose of moral theology in the life of the Church, its methods, and the problems it addresses. Topics will include happiness, action theory, sin, conversion, vice and virtue, and methods of moral decision making.

3 credits | Online

Every other Tuesday, 6:00 — 9:00pm EDT, August 27th, September 10th, September 24th, October 8th, October 22nd, November 5th, November 19th, December 3rd

C226: Liturgical and Sacramental Theology (Rev. Peter Van Lieshout, S.T.L.)

An historical, anthropological and theological investigation of Christian worship and sacrament with special attention to the Roman Catholic Sacraments of baptism and Eucharist; historical overview of liturgical practices, texts, and theology from Jewish and scriptural origins to the 20th-century reforms of the Second Vatican Council; basic principles of liturgical and sacramental theology; and groundwork for interpreting liturgical documents and ritual texts from pastoral practice, multi/inter-cultural concerns, and ecumenical considerations. (Formerly “Worship and Sacraments”)

3 credits | ROC and Online

Every other Monday, 6:00 — 9:00pm EDT, August 26th, September 9th, September 23rd, October 7th, October 21st, November 4th, November 18th, December 2nd

C302: Christology and Trinitarian Theology (Rev. Anthony Barratt, S.T.L., Ph.D.)

This course treats the biblical, historical, and dogmatic dimensions of Christology and Trinitarian theology. It aims to treat the person and mission of Jesus Christ showing the mutual illumination and inseparability of anthropology and Christology, as well the unfolding of Trinitarian theology from the revelation of God fulfilled and completed in Christ. Central to the course will be an in-depth reflection on the statement of Gaudium et spes 22: “(…) Only in the mystery of the incarnate Word does the mystery of man take on light (…) Christ, the final Adam, by the revelation of the mystery of the Father and His love, fully reveals man to man himself and makes his supreme calling clear”. The course will thereby introduce students to an understanding of Jesus Christ as a union of two natures in one divine person, and the One Triune God as a communion of three persons in one divine nature.

3 credits | Online

Every other Wednesday, 6:00 — 9:00pm EDT, August 28th, September 11th, September 25th, October 9th, October 23rd, November 6th, November 20th, December 4th

CP421: Contemplation and the Other Shapes of Happiness (Marco Stango, Ph.D.)

When we hear the word “life” today, we are almost inevitably lead to think of two things. On the one hand, we understand life as that messy total sum of activities, experiences, obstacles, and opportunities we all go through. On the other hand, we think of the subject of study of the natural sciences, especially biology. Almost nobody, however, would think of life as, chiefly, contemplation. The reason is that the idea of contemplation often seems to point to something too abstract, too stiff, and too arid to express the vast richness, tumultuous mutability, and flesh-and-blood drama which are essential to life. Plato, Aristotle, and St Thomas Aquinas, while stressing each in his own way the importance of the active life and the virtues that shape it, still believe that contemplation is the center of gravity of a human life. The aim of this course is to explore the problem of what makes a human life good and happy by paying particular attention to the relation between the active and the contemplative. The course will mainly focus on some texts from Plato, Aristotle, and St Thomas Aquinas, but will also explore concomitantly texts from other thinkers.

3 credits | Online

Every other Thursday, 6:00 — 9:00pm EDT, August 29th, September 12th, September 26th, October 10th, October 24th, November 7th, November 21st, December 5th

CP601: Introduction to Catholic Philosophy (Stephen Loughlin, Ph.D.)

This course centers the student upon the discipline of philosophy as it has been developed and practiced within the Catholic Intellectual Tradition. The methods particular to philosophical investigation will be examined as the philosopher seeks to articulate the nature of wisdom, how it can be attained, and especially incorporated into the entirety of one’s life. The student will understand the differences between philosophy, the sciences, and theology, as well as their respective complementarities, with a focus upon the supportive and illuminative role that philosophy plays in theological education.

3 credits | ROC and Online

Wednesdays, 6:00 — 8:00pm EDT, August 28th, September 4th, September 11th, September 18th, September 25th, October 2nd, October 9th, October 16th, October 23rd, October 30th, November 6th, November 13th, November 20th, December 4th, December 11th

CP611: Our Search for Meaning: The Beginning of the Greatest Conversation (Ancient Philosophy) (Marco Stango, Ph.D.)

A survey course from the beginning of philosophy with the pre-Socratics, through Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle, and ending with the Cynics, Skeptics, Epicureans, Stoics, and Neoplatonism. In particular, those problems posed by Heraclitus, Parmenides, Socrates, and Plato that are important to the philosophical tradition will be considered, Aristotle’s philosophy will be surveyed as a whole, and the themes that are central to post-Aristotelian philosophy will be examined.

3 credits | Online

Every other Tuesday, 6:00 — 9:00pm EDT, August 27th, September 10th, September 24th, October 8th, October 22nd, November 5th, November 19th, December 3rd

CP631: Metaphysics (Marco Stango, Ph.D.)

This course examines the basic concerns and principles that undergird the whole of reality and guide the way by which we think of the ultimate things to which the mind can aspire: existence, essence, the categories of being, the transcendentals, the analogy of being, and the existence and creative activity of God. This course acts as a capstone study to the whole of philosophy and is preferably engaged upon at the end of one’s certificate/degree studies.

3 credits | Online

Every other Tuesday, 6:00 — 9:00pm EDT, September 3rd, September 17th, October 1st, October 15th, October 29th, November 12th, November 26th, December 10th

D211: Discernment and Formation for Ministry (Lisa Lickona, S.T.L.)

This course is an introduction to formation for diaconal ministry. The first half of the course is an exploration of the historical development of and the theological basis for the diaconate. Special attention will be given to the unity and relation of the four dimensions of formation and the deacon in his state in life (either marriage or celibacy). The second half of the course will focus on the integration of the spiritual and human dimensions of formation through attention to one’s lived encounter with God in and through the daily circumstances of life. To aid one in this pursuit of holiness through life — which is to “seek God in all things” — key aspects of Ignatian spirituality will be explored, including the importance of spiritual accompaniment, the function of spiritual direction, the basic principles of discernment of spirits, and the practice of the daily examen.

3 credits | ROC and Online

Every other Wednesday, 6:00 — 9:00pm EDT, September 4th, September 18th, October 2nd, October 16th, October 30th, November 13th, December 4th, December 11th

D214: Spiritual Formation (Lisa Lickona, S.T.L.)

This course seeks to approach the world of prayer in its unity with lived experience. Beginning with a consideration of the witness of the Son of God who “teaches us how to pray” in and through His relationship to the Father in the unity of the Holy Spirit, we will then move to consider the lives of various saints, including Ignatius of Antioch, Anthony of the Desert, Benedict of Nursia, Bernard of Clairvaux, Teresa of Avila, Ignatius of Loyola, Francis de Sales, Therese of Lisieux, Charles de Foucauld, Teresa of Calcutta, and Tagashi Nagai. The attention to each figure will include both an awareness of their place in the history of Catholic spirituality and a consideration of their contribution to the life of prayer. Asynchronous lectures will focus on particular topics in the “practicum” of prayer, including spiritual direction, prayer to Mary, lectio divina, and Ignatian meditation/contemplation.

3 credits | ROC and Online

Every other Thursday, 6:00 — 9:00pm EDT, August 29th, September 12th, September 26th, October 10th, October 24th, November 7th, November 21st, December 5th

D215: Introduction to Pastoral Theology (Jessica Cole, D.Min.)

The purpose of this course is to introduce students to the nature and function of pastoral theology. The discipline of pastoral theology is the practical application of theological study to ministry and practice. Through basic pastoral skills, best practices, self-reflection, as well as case studies, we will engage in theological reflection on the act of ministry, ever mindful of how to best communicate and encourage people to come into or deepen their relationship with Christ and his Church.

3 credits | Online

Every other Tuesday, 6:30 — 9:30pm EDT, September 3rd, September 17th, October 1st, October 15th, October 29th, November 12th, November 26th, December 10th

W500: Academic Research and Writing

This course is intended for students who have never written or have been long removed from the task of writing a research paper. It will focus on research methods and techniques with an emphasis on: selecting a topic, identifying sources, as well as writing and grammar principles and style. Students will be afforded guidance and suggestions on how to compose a research document written on a scholarly level. Students will also receive helpful information for constructing theological questions and arguments.