STM 721F / STM 861F: Understanding our Local Churches and their Histories: Issues and Implications for Pastoral Ministry
A. Bonta, PhD
Summer I: May 13 – June 21
Mondays 5 – 9 p.m.
Course Description: Understanding who we are, our backgrounds, and the histories and development of our institutions and applying that understanding to present-day life is crucial for ministers, leaders and educators. This course has three major objectives: 1) to introduce students to a general history of Christian Life and Thought; 2) to invite students to examine the history of their own faith tradition, or religious denomination, with emphasis on their local Church; and 3) to have students develop a Pastoral Action plan which focuses on a theological topic or life issue of personal or professional interest, and integrates that learning into everyday life and ministry.
Tony Bonta, an Indiana native, is the Director of Campus Ministry at Barry University, Miami Shores, FL. He was born in Gary, Indiana and grew up in Northwest Indiana. He earned his Ph.D. in Historical Theology from Marquette University (Milwaukee, WI). His dissertation work focused on a local church leader and his efforts to promote faith and justice, which crossed interracial, interfaith, and civic boundaries. He is a member of the Archdiocese of Miami Synod Focus group on Campus Ministry, and a Board of Trustee member of the Holocaust Documentation & Education Center, Inc. (Hollywood, FL). His personal interests include cooking, volleyball, history and visiting National Parks.
STM 721G: Conflict, Religious Peacebuilding, and Reconciliation
STM 861B
M. P. Aquino, STD
Summer VI: Weeks of July 8 and 15
M-T-W-Th
5:30- 8:30 p.m.
Course Description: This course will explore the theory and practice of religious peace building, and will survey constructive religious resources for conflict transformation, violence prevention, and reconciliation processes in transitional societies.
Maria Pilar Aquino, Professor of Theology at the University of San Diego since 1993, received her doctorate from the Pontifical University of Salamanca, Spain. Her teaching and research focus on the function of theologies in societal systems and human relationships, and their implications for social justice and constructive change. Aquino has published over 50 articles and essays and has authored, edited or co-edited a dozen books including: Teología Feminista Latinoamericana (1998); Theology: Expanding the Borders, with Roberto Goizueta (1998); Entre la Indignación y la Esperanza. Teología Feminista Latino-americana, with Ana Maria Tepedino (1998); In the Power of Wisdom. Feminist Spiritualities of Struggle, with E. Schüssler Fiorenza (2000); The Return of the Just War, with Dieter Mieth (2001); A Reader in Latina Feminist Theology. Religion and Justice, with Daisy Machado and Jeanette Rodríguez (2002); Reconciliation in a World of Conflicts, with Luis Carlos Susin (2003); and Feminist Intercultural Theology: Latina Explorations for a Just World, with Maria Jose Rosado-Nunes (2007). Aquino has received numerous awards for her commitment to women’s theological education. She holds an honorary doctorate from the University of Helsinki, Finland. In 2006, she was the Eusebio Francisco Kino, S.J. Professor of Faith and Culture at the Universidad Iberoamericana, Mexico City. In 2008-2009 she was Visiting Professor of Theology at Harvard Divinity School.
STM 721E / STM 861E: Augustine and Grace
P. Paciorek, STD
Summer I
May 13 – June 21
Tuesdays 5 – 9 p.m.
Course Description: This course introduces the students to the Augustine of Hippo’s (354-430) outstanding teaching on grace. Through lectures and readings from selected sections of Saint Augustine, the course surveys his great theological concepts which indelibly influenced Christian theology. At the end of this course students will understand the profound concept of grace and will be able to articulate their own account of this characteristic mark in Christian life. As a result every participant of this class will be able to engage in ongoing academic and pastoral reflection on various aspects of the mystery of the divine-human relationship.
Petr Paciorek received his STD in Systematic Theology, his Licentiate in Ecclesiastical History and an M.A. in Theology from the Catholic University of Lublin, Poland. He also has a Diploma of Advanced Studies in Didactics of Languages from University of La Sorbonne Nouvelle-Paris III, France. Dr. Paciorek has taught in Poland and France. In the United States, he has taught locally at St. Vincent de Paul Regional Seminary, Boynton Beach Fl. His areas of expertise include Augustine, Christian Anthropology, early formation of Christian Philosophy and Theology, History of the early Church and Patristic exegesis of the Bible. Dr. Paciorek has published numerous articles in prestigious international journals of patristics, has two manuscripts under rveiw for publication, and another in progress.
STM 681: Preaching & Presiding
J. Reho, PhD.
Summer VI:
7 Day Intensive
July 20-27, 2013
M-T-W-Th
6:00p.m.-9:00 p.m.
Saturday 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Course Description: This course explores the nature of Christian worship with attention to the ministry of preaching and presiding. This course is designed to provide students with experience in preaching as well as the art of presiding in worship. Students will be encouraged to integrate and show the relevance of biblical texts to contemporary social issues and concerns.
James Reho is Chaplain and Director of Pastoral Care, Deployment and Formation and Director of Theological Field Education at The General Theological Seminary in NYC. James holds advanced degrees in Divinity and in Chemistry as well as a degree in Asian Studies with a focus on Hinduism and Buddhism. As a pastor in Miami, Dr. Reho developed the popular "Awakening: A Kirtan Mass" service which draws from both ancient Christian liturgy as well as East Indian sacred music traditions. In addition to his academic credentials, Dr. Reho is an ordained priest in the Episcopal Church and a certified yoga instructor. He was a researcher and professor of chemistry before studying for the ministry. His current areas of interest include ritual studies, inter-spirituality, and the place of ecstatic and contemplative experiences in communal worship.
STM 851
Advanced Practical Theology
M. Carter Waren, D. Min.
Summer I: May 13 – June 21
Mondays 5 – 9 p.m.
Course Description: Integrates major contemporary topics across all practical theology, including method, related religious studies topics, and major fields of Christian practice. This course serves as a capstone course that brings together previous study of the practical theological literature in one course. It is designed for students preparing for the candidacy examination and is to be taken just before candidacy exams.
Mary Carter Waren is Associate Professor of Pastoral Studies. She has been part of the St. Thomas University faculty since 1992. She was the founding director of the Center for Peace and Justice at St. Thomas University, and served in parish social ministry for Catholic Charities prior to joining the faculty. She is a practical theologian and a dedicated teacher, chosen as one of “Fifty Most Effective Teachers of Introductory Religious Studies in the US” by the Wabash Institute (2004). She holds professional memberships in the American Academy of Religion, the Association of Professors Practitioners and Researchers in Religious Education (APPRE), and the Catholic Theological Society of America (CTSA).