Return to: Graduate Programs

In keeping with the mission and values of Saint Joseph’s College, the Theology Department is pleased to offer the Master of Arts in Theology with a specialization in Pastoral Theology. This program is guided by the philosophy that effective Catholic ministry requires a solid theological foundation. Featuring a curriculum that is faithful to the magisterium, this program explores the range, depth, and rigor of the doctrines of the Church and the wisdom of the Catholic Intellectual Tradition. It builds upon this foundation with a deeply spiritual and pastoral emphasis, to not only enhance personal faith, but also to better equip students for a wide variety of ministries to the Church. These ministries might include evangelization, liturgy, preaching, administration, counseling, catechesis, sacramental preparation, religious education, social justice and outreach, spiritual direction, and canon law.

Upon completion of this program of study, the student will:

• Understand and appreciate the books of the Old Testament and the New Testament, understand the historical and social contexts of the writings, recognized their literary forms according to appropriate methodologies, and place them in their ecclesial context.
• Understand and appreciate Catholic doctrine and theology, including the doctrines of the Trinity, Christology, ecclesiology, Christian anthropology, and eschatology.
• Understand and appreciate liturgical and sacramental theology and the life of worship in the Church.
• Understand and appreciate the history of the Church.
• Understand and appreciate the foundations of moral theology and of the social doctrine of the Church.
• Understand and appreciate the guiding principles for the practice of ministry.
• Understand and appreciate the foundations of Catholic spirituality which includes the history of Christian religious experience and the types and schools of spirituality.
• Be prepared to enter, or to continue, effective service to Church and society.