Assignments (Do One)

1. Avery Dulles, Models of the Church (rev. ed.) has been a widely read study. In the book Dulles evaluates various models of the church which are used by theologians today. Task: Select the model which you think is the most useful or comprehensive or needed today and examine its strengths and weaknesses.

2. Based the the orientation notes and one other source (e.g. Rynne, vol. 1) evaluate the process by which those at Vatican II produced the Constitution on the Church.

3. The orientation notes (Lesson I, C) and Gift, 69-92, describe certain characteristics of Vatican II ecclesiology. Do a first reading of LG and find two or three additional characteristics of its teaching about the church and explain their significance.

Lesson 2: Biblical Teaching on the Church Gift, pp. 3-22.

Assignments (Do one only)

1. Investigate a biblical metaphor (People of God) or cluster of biblical metaphors (plant, vine, gardening) which refer to the church; explain the positive and negative aspects of the metaphor(s), keeping in mind that every image of a spiritual realty both conceals and reveals.

2. Read one or more treatments of the four marks of the church (Dulles, “The Church as One,” O’Grady, Roman Catholic Church; etc.), explain the meaning of one or more of these marks, and ponder its implications for today.

3. Do some research about current thinking on the relationship between the Christian church and the Jewish religion, and summarize the changes which have occurred in Christian understanding of the Judaism over the last 50 years.

Lesson 3: The Church as People of God with Different Roles Gift, 293-372, 395-414.

Assignments (In selecting one of the following projects, you might want to choose the one which most pertains to your own calling in the church). (Do one only)

1. Research and reflect: (a) on the development of lay involvement in the church since Vatican II OR (b) on efforts to develop a theology of the laity.

2. Discuss the theology and ministry of deacons as it has developed since Vatican II, drawing on written sources and your experience.

3. Read a recent study of religious life since Vatican II and/or the future of religious life. Reflect on your reading in the light of your experience.

4. Read at least part of O’Meara’s book on ministry and read some reviews of it. Write your own critical review of his book.

5. Thomas Reese, SJ, has edited a study of episcopal conferences: Episcopal Conferences: Historical, Canonical and Theological Studies (Washington, DC: Georgetown UP, 189). An outline of the contents and a list of reviews is available on the internet: www.georgetown.edu/center/woodstock/reese/cc/cc-content.htm. Read in the book and ponder the role of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops-United States Catholic Conference.

Lesson 4: On the Church as the Holy Community of Sinners (LG 5) Gift, 215-230.

Assignments (Do one only)

Lesson 5: The Communion of Saints and Life Everlasting

Assignments (Do one only)

1. Read in one of the books mentioned in the orientation in Lesson 7 (Woodward, Ellsberg, Johnson) or a similar book and explain and reflect on the process of canonization.

2. Study the meaning of the phrase “communion of saints.” What are the implications for Christian faith and life of the belief that living and dead are joined in a church which spans heaven and earth.

3. Study one facet of eschatology (death, resurrection, judgment, heaven, hell, purgatory, hope, the end of time) and summarize the results of your study and reflection.

Lesson 6: Mary, Our Lady Gift, 425-458.

Read on one of the following topics and give a summary of some points and your reflections on them:

Lesson 7: Communion Ecclesiology Gift, 159-176; 111-128.

Here are some possible essays. Do one.

1. Study, explain and reflect on the relationship of Eucharist and ecclesial communion as this is understood in communion ecclesiology.

2. The WCC’s “Lima Document” called Baptism, Eucharist and Ministry generated volumes of responses from churches and denominations throughout the world. The discussions BEM generated on ministry are relevant to some of the issues discussed in this lesson. The World Council of Churches, the USSC-NCCB and publishers like Paulist Press provide ample source material on ecumenism. Some examples: Growing Consensus: Church Dialogues in the United States, 1962-1991, ed. Joseph Burgess and Jeffrey Gros, Ecumenical Documents V (New York: Paulist, 1995); Building Unity: Ecumenical Dialogues with Roman Catholic Participation in the United States, ed. Burgess and Gros, Ecumenical Documents IV (New York: Paulist, 1989); Towards Healing the Schism: The Sees of Rome and Constantinople, ed. E. J. Stormon, Ecumenical Documents III (New York: Paulist, 1987); Frederick M. Bliss, SM, Catholic and Ecumenical: History and Hope (Franklin,WI: Sheed & Ward, 1999); Jeffrey Gros, Eamon McManus, Ann Riggs, Introduction to Ecumenism (Paulist).

Assignment.

Using these or similar sources, explain the Catholic understanding of ecumenism and/or study a specific ecumenical agreement and evaluate the what has been achieved thus far and the outstanding issue.

Lesson 8: Questions in Ecclesiology

Assignments.

Select one of the following topics, and do one of the suggested projects on it. These five topics are certainly not exhaustive. If there is another topic you would like to pursue, consult your instructor. Here are assignments for the five topics listed:

A. Local Community

Read on one aspect community/communion in the local church (organizing a parish to provide community; role of small faith-sharing groups. inter-parochial cooperation) and reflect on how it might be applied in a specific situation. In addition to the authors and titles mentioned in Lesson 8 here are two other recent books: Bernard J. Lee, The Catholic Experience of Small Christian Communities (New York: Paulist, 2000) and James O’Halloran, Small Christian Communities: A Pastoral Companion (Maryknoll, NY: Orbis, 1996).

B. Teaching Authority

The bibliography lists books by Sullivan (Magisterium; Creative), Stagaman and Gaillardetz on (teaching) authority in the church. Read (all or part) of one of these books (or a similar book) and reflect on what it and other sources (including LG, Catechism of the Catholic Church) the issue of teaching authority in the church today.

C. Priests and Deacons

The issues mentioned in Lesson 8 regarding priests and deacons are highly contentious, and much of the literature is highly polemical. Here are some possible assignments:

(1) Compare Phyllis Zagano, Holy Saturday: An Argument for the Restoration of the Female Diaconate in the Catholic Church (New York: Herder & Herder, 2000) with Aime Georges Martimort, Deaconesses: A Historical Study (San Francisco: Ignatius, 1986).

Zagano has also written a number of articles in favor of women deacons:

“Catholic Women Deacons: Present Tense” Worship 77:5 (September, 2003) 386-408.

“Women Deacons” The Furrow 54:9 (September, 2003) 478-480.

“Women of the Church and the New Millennium” Chapter in Themes in Feminist Theology for the New Millennium (II) Francis A. Eigo, O.S.A., ed. (Villanova, PA: The Villanova University Press, 2003) 128-151.

“Catholic Woman Deacons?” America (February 17, 2003), 9-11.

"Women Religious, Women Deacons?" Review for Religious (May-June, 2001) 230-244.

(2) Two disquieting books on the state of the priesthood are Donald B. Cozzens, The Changing Face of the Priesthood (Collegeville: Liturgical Press, 2000) and the relevant chapters of Garry Wills, Papal Sin: Structures of Deceit (New York: Doubleday, 2000) chapters 8-10, 12-13. Wills book makes no attempt to be even-handed. He thinks the papacy has made some bad decisions and is afraid to admit that it is wrong, and so has dug itself into a hole. He seems to assume that the papacy is patently wrong on the points with which Wills disagrees and so could not be in good faith. Read Cozzens or the relevant parts of Wills and evaluate what they say about the state of the priesthood today.

(3) Zagano, Holy Saturday (36-63), provides a summary and bibliography of recent Vatican statements on the ordination of women. Read those pages, one or more of the official documents, and at least one article or chapter arguing for women’s ordination. Summarize the arguments and reflect upon them.

D. The Monastery in the Church

These assignments may appeal to monastics or monastic affiliates and oblates.

(1) Read and ponder communion ecclesiology and think about what it means for the theological understanding of monastic community in itself and in relation to the wider church (diocese and beyond).

(2) Read one of the following a write an essay on the role of the monastic community in the church today.

Theisen, Jerome. “Monks and the Mission of the Church,” American Benedictine Review 28 (1977) 167-179.

–. “Benedictine Monasticism in the Church of Today,” American Benedictine Review 46 (1995) 409-418.

Weakland, Rembert. “Role of Monasticism in the Life of the Church,”American Benedictine Review 32 (1981) 38-52.

E. The Role and Primacy of the Papacy

Here are three possible topics. Do one.

(1) Study and summarize the growing role of the papacy in the first centuries of the church (e.g., read Robert Eno,The Rise of the Papacy (Liturgical Press) or the relevant parts of a recent church history) and reflect on that development.

(2) Read about the role of papal primacy in some recent dialogues between Catholics and another church or other churches, and evaluate the extent of agreement and disagreement.

(3) Read and summarize Bishop John R Quinn’s The Reform of the Papacy: The Costly Call to Christian Unity (New York, Crossroad, 1999) . and give your reflections on it.

Further Information: Courses / History and Mission / Procedures / Tuition Costs

The Monastery Of The Ascension 541 East–100 South Jerome, ID 83338 208-324-2377 Would you like more information? Or just want to drop us a note? We would be happy to attempt to answer. It would be nice just to know that someone has looked at this Web Site!