Welcome of the School of Theology and Philosophy! Theology, Philosophy, and Catechetics—the three programs in our School–are strong and vibrant academic programs with excellent teachers and scholars.
Theology and Philosophy have played a special, unitive role in the centuries’ long Catholic understanding of education. Philosophical study offers the most expansive, most inclusive, and most coherent view of all reality, created and uncreated, that the human mind is capable of without the help of revelation. By faith, theology deepens this vision and sees all things (and all disciplines) in the light of the Blessed Trinity.
As St. Bonaventure says, “This is the fruit of all sciences, that in all faith may be strengthened, God may be honored, character may be formed, and consolation may be derived from the union of the [divine] Spouse with the beloved, a union which takes place through charity” (On the Reduction of the Arts to Theology, 26). Without Philosophy, there is no ultimate knowledge of ultimate things; without theology, there is not trinitarian charity, “without which,” for Bonaventure, “all knowledge is vain.” And we can add, without Catechetics there is no art of making disciples aflame with this charity.
We try to capture something of this lofty vision in our core curriculum. All of our Bachelor of Arts students take three theology courses (Foundations of Catholicism, Word of God: Scripture and Tradition, and Christian Moral Principles) and three philosophy courses (Human Person, Ethics, and Metaphysics). And Bachelor of Science students take five out of these six. While courses in Catechetics are not required by the core, many of our students pursue them to prepare for a range of careers in the service of the Church’s mission to make disciples. Catechetics assumes theology and orders it to the preaching of the Gospel and the life of the Church.
The theology and philosophy core serve as a strong foundation for a range of advanced courses. In philosophy we offer a combination of thematic and historical courses, that both hone the students’ philosophical skills and familiarize them with the history of philosophy, while in theology advanced courses both deepen the students’ formation in the whole deposit of faith and offer the opportunity for specialized formation in a whole range of elective courses (historical, biblical, moral, and dogmatic).
Each of the programs in our School—philosophy, theology, and catechetics—offers both Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees, and, in the Fall of 2024, we will launch a Ph.D. program in theology. Both Philosophy and Theology offer also Associate’s Degrees, and the Department of Philosophy is also the home of the Master’s in Catholic Studies, a fantastic opportunity for students to get deeper formation in theology, philosophy, history, science, and literature and to appreciate the unique and powerful contribution of the Catholic faith to these disciplines.
Our School is blessed with a talented and generous faculty. They are faithful to the Church in deed and word—all of our faculty take the Oath of Fidelity; they are excellent teachers, who have genuine and personal concern for students and their formation; and they are active and expert scholars making contributions to the treasury of human knowledge, of which Catholic universities have always been the custodian.
Thank you for looking into our school. Please do not hesitate to reach out with any questions.
Sincerely yours,
Dr. Ron Bolster
Dean, School of Theology & Philosophy
Associate Professor of Theology
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