THEOLOGY
In alignment with the directives of the Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Orange, the religion curriculum at SMCHS is aligned with the Curriculum Framework for Secondary Education unanimously adopted by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB).
The Theology Department seeks to:
- Develop a commitment and/or an attraction to the teachings and values of Jesus.
- Promote a critical understanding of the tenets of Catholic faith, of our sacramental nature, of the Sacred Scriptures and of Catholic social teaching.
- Promote the application of the Catholic spiritual tradition to daily living and service of others and to ethical reflection on what it means to live a faithful life.
- Develop a sensitivity to the religious thought, practices and moral systems of non-Catholic Christians and non-Christian faiths.
COURSES
ACADEMIC
0100A THEOLOGY 1: SACRED SCRIPTURE & THE GOOD NEWS OF JESUS CHRIST
The first semester introduces students to the biblical narrative of Salvation History through a critical study of the structure of various literary genres, the senses of Scripture, and sources of Divine Revelation. In exploring the overarching question, “What is it to be human?” students will journey through the stories of the Old Testament through the lens of God’s covenant with humankind anticipating an encounter with Jesus Christ. Beginning with the book of Genesis and continuing through the Prophets, students will be invited to reflect upon their own life story woven into God’s ongoing story of salvation. The second semester continues asking the anthropological question, “What is it to be human?” looking to the perfect response in God’s gift of himself in the person of Jesus. The four gospels will be the primary readings in our study of the life, ministry, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Beginning with the Annunciation and Mary’s “yes” that brought the humanity of God into existence, students will explore ways in which they can say yes to God guided by the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. Through an exploration of the gospels, students will develop an understanding of the Kingdom of God revealed in the new and eternal covenant in Jesus Christ.
Length of Course: Year
Open to Grade: 9
0101A THEOLOGY 1: CHRISTIAN WORLDVIEW, SCRIPTURE AND JESUS CHRIST
Theology 101 was created for students who have not studied religion in either a school or church setting or have a limited knowledge of the Christian faith. The course provides foundational understandings of a Christian worldview that will inform the study of Sacred Scripture and prepare the student for future grade level Theology classes. The pace of the class will accommodate for exploration of unfamiliar concepts, while the structure and content of this course will generally follow that of Theology 1. The first semester begins with knowledge foundational to Christianity, such as an understanding of God as a Trinity of persons and the nature and relationship between these divine persons and humankind. Students are then introduced to the biblical narrative of Salvation History through a critical study of the structure of various literary genres, the senses of Scripture, and sources of Divine Revelation. In exploring the overarching question, “What is it to be human?” students will journey through the stories of the Old Testament through the lens of God’s covenant with humankind anticipating an encounter with Jesus Christ. Beginning with the book of Genesis and continuing through the Prophets, students will be invited to reflect upon their own life story woven into God’s ongoing story of salvation. The second semester continues asking the anthropological question, “What is it to be human?” looking to the perfect response in God’s gift of himself in the person of Jesus. The four gospels will be the primary readings in our study of the life, ministry, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Beginning with the Annunciation and Mary’s “yes” that brought the humanity of God into existence, students will explore ways in which they can say yes to God guided by the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. Through an exploration of the gospels, students will develop an understanding of the Kingdom of God revealed in the new and eternal covenant in Jesus Christ.
Length of Course: Year
Open to Grade: 9
This class is only open to students who have no previous Religion classes.
0200A THEOLOGY 2: THE CHURCH CONTINUES CHRIST’S MISSION
The first semester continues the biblical narrative of Salvation History culminating in the life and teachings of Jesus in the Gospels and expressed through the early Christian community as expressed in the biblical books of the Acts of the Apostles and the New Testament Letters. Students will grow to understand that in and through the Church, they encounter Jesus Christ. As Jesus founded the Church, the Holy Spirit was sent to sustain this living Body of Christ and continue Christ’s work in the world. Through biblical references students will examine different images of the Church and the marks of the Church – One, Holy, Catholic, Apostolic – will be explored. The second semester helps students understand that they encounter Christ today in a full and real way in and through the sacraments, and especially through the Eucharist. Students will examine each of the sacraments in detail so as to learn how they may encounter Christ throughout life in these sacramental celebrations. Additionally, students will reflect on the efficacy of the sacraments and on their nature as sacramental people as members of the universal sacrament that is Church.
Length of Course: Year
Open to Grade: 10
0300A THEOLOGY 3: MORALITY: LIVING THE GOSPELS
The first semester begins with the quest for human happiness. Students explore what the “good life” looks like according to ancient philosophers and the biblical narrative, with a focus on the Beatitudes and the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. Students reflect on their nature as being made in the image of a Trinitarian God and apply these understandings to their relationship with God and others, and self. Students will develop an understanding of virtue ethics with application to habitual patterns of thought, word, and action that shape our character as moral agents. Students delve into the complexity of moral decision-making through different ethical lenses and develop a process for discerning right from wrong in both a personal and social context. The second semester explores further concepts of justice, human dignity, respect life, and the common good. Students will apply various ethical lenses and moral principles in response to contemporary issues that address these concepts.
Length of Course: Year
Open to Grade: 11
0401A THEOLOGY 4: THE HISTORICAL CHURCH THROUGH TIME
This course weaves together a dynamic understanding of the 2000-year history of the Church as it intersects with other faith traditions along the way and develops spiritual traditions and practices that we continue to engage today, enriching our own journeys of faith. Students will come to appreciate that the Church throughout time is the Body of Christ, evolving under the leadership of human successors to the apostles and the guidance of the Holy Spirit, with both divine and human elements active in its history and development. Furthermore, in exploring the contributions of important people and movements throughout history to the breadth and beauty of the Catholic tradition, this course encourages students to discern the unique way God calls each of them to answer the universal call to holiness, inspired by those who have gone before them in faith.
Length of Course: Year
Open to Grade: 12
0402A THEOLOGY 4: SOCIAL JUSTICE, RIGHTS, AND COMMUNITY/COMPARATIVE COMMUNITIES OF FAITH
This course guides students in exploring and understanding the foundational principles of social justice, human rights, and the role of community. The social teachings of the Catholic Church regarding human dignity, poverty, discrimination, worker’s rights, solidarity, care for the creation, and just peace form the foundation for an inquiry into understandings of justice with the aim to inspire students to promote peace, forge advocacy roles, and provide service to others. Comparative Communities of Faith examines the ways in which the major faith traditions of the world approach the various questions and issues of life, beginning with a focus on ecumenism and interreligious dialogue as articulated in the Catholic Church documents of Nostra Aetate and Gaudium et Spes. Students examine the teachings, ethical norms, sacred texts and rites of Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, and Buddhism in conversation with Catholic teaching with an objective of understanding the teachings, rules of life and sacred rites of these world religions. Students will be guided to examine the diversity of the world’s people, with the goal of respectful dialogue and global understanding.
Length of Course: Semester
Open to Grade: 12
0406A THEOLOGY 4: INTRODUCTION TO PHILOSOPHICAL FOUNDATIONS OF THEOLOGY
Students explore various philosophical positions about the soul and body, human nature, death and immortality, freedom of the will, as well as the possibility of human happiness. The purpose of the class is to set the foundations for Christian, particularly Roman Catholic, views on these issues. Students navigate questions such as “what is the soul and is it immortal? Does God exist? What control and responsibility do I have concerning my actions? What is the nature of human happiness? What constitutes ethical living in accordance with human nature?” In order to properly give solid ground to an overall Christian position on these issues, students read Plato, Aristotle, the Stoics, Augustine, Aquinas, and Descartes among many others alongside contrasting opinions from traditional philosophical inquiry. Where applicable, students dive deeper into Catholic theological doctrine rooted in these positions. By the end of the year, students should have an awareness of methods in philosophy, consistent exercise of both deductive and inductive reasoning and analyses, the skills to initiate in organized contemplation of life and its relation to the divine, and the tools to operate a life focused on what St. Maximos calls “well-being” with the hope for “eternal well-being", that is, to live well in accordance with virtue and the natural law.
Length of Course: Year
Open to Grade: 12
INTERNATIONAL BACCALAUREATE
0300F THEOLOGY 3: PHILOSOPHY IB HL 1
g) UC Approved, NCAA Approved
The Philosophy IB HL course is a two-year course, HL1 in the junior year and HL2 in the senior year. It approaches metaphysical questions of “What is human nature? How do we develop? Are we free? What is a person’s identity? Is there such a thing as a soul or spirit? What is the right thing to do? Does God exist? Why is there evil?” (aligned with Fides et Ratio, 1998). The first semester lays the groundwork for logical argument and begins to explore the IB Core Theme of what it means to be human. This question is examined through 5 lenses: human nature, the mind-body problem/consciousness, personhood/the self, identity, and freedom. These questions are examined through the lenses of classic and medieval philosophy, Enlightenment, and modern philosophical movements, as well as Hindu and Buddhist perspectives. In the second semester, the investigation of Core Theme continues and extends to the theme of how people engage the moral and ethical decision-making process. Students reflect on their human nature as beings who seek the Good and will be introduced to the schools of virtue ethics, deontology, and utilitarianism, discussing virtue, the Moral Law, Natural Law, human dignity, and the Common Good.
Length of Course: Year
Open to Grade: 11
Prerequisite: A, B- or higher in Academic English or a C or higher in Honors English both semesters.
0400F THEOLOGY 4: PHILOSOPHY IB HL 2
g) UC Approved, NCAA Approved
The first semester builds on the introduction to moral and ethical decision-making that ends the first year of the two-year Philosophy HL course. Students continue to investigate morality and ethics with an overview of various meta-ethical positions, followed by an in-depth exploration of Kantian deontology and the categorical imperative, utilitarianism, and virtue ethics. Theories are applied in a variety of case studies, comprising the applied ethics aspect of the semester. The second semester begins with a close reading of Descartes’ Meditations. Then, students probe the meaning of religious belief, practices, and language and evaluate the various source explanations for the Divine Attributes. Students also critically reflect on questions and theories of God’s existence (teleological, cosmological, ontological) and the challenge of the problem of evil.
Length of Course: Year
Open to Grade: 12
Prerequisite: IB Full Diploma Candidacy
PEER MINISTRY / CHRISTIAN LEADERSHIP
0463A THEOLOGY 4: MINISTRY OF CHRISTIAN VOCATION / SOCIAL JUSTICE, RIGHTS AND COMMUNITY
The Ministry of Christian Vocation helps students to understand the ways in which God calls us to live and the ways in which we respond to God’s call, in prayer, discernment, and self-examination. Beginning with the student’s own spiritual profile and various models of spirituality in the Church (mendicant/Franciscan/Dominican, Ignatian, monastic/Benedictine), the course guides students in opening to the call of God, listening to God’s voice in their lives, and living with God in the world. Students then apply their developing spiritual insights to examining the vocations of married life, single life, and consecrated life, learning what it means to live in service of others and the value of fulfilling a vocation in service to the Christian community. Social Justice, Rights and Community guides students in exploring and understanding the foundational principles of social justice, human rights, and the role of community. The social teachings of the Catholic Church regarding human dignity, poverty, discrimination, workers’ rights, solidarity, care for the creation, and just peace from the foundation for an inquiry into secular views on justice, such as the Universal Declaration on Human Rights and John Rawls’ Theory of Justice. This course aims to inspire students to promote peace, forge advocacy roles, and provide service to others, applying theory to practice in areas such as economic rights, human trafficking, homelessness, and poverty Throughout both semesters, students will serve and lead the faith community of SMCHS, planning and coordinating school Masses, school prayer services, retreats at all grade levels, praise and worship activities, and most importantly, are encouraged to create new opportunities for the 7 SMCHS community. In order to both plan and implement these areas of ministry, students must be willing and able to attend meetings and events after school, before school, and/or on the weekends.
Length of Course: Year
Open to Grade: 12
Prerequisite: Because of the nature of this class and what is expected of the students in the class, all interested students are required to complete the Spring application process which includes a written application, teacher recommendations, in person interview and a service check.
Faculty & Staff
Theology Department
Dr. Maria Johnson
Patrick Visconti '06