Lay Theology Degree
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- Video
- Overview
- Curriculum
- Our Model
- Skills Developed
- Participation Options
- Full-Tuition Fellowships for Lay Hispanic Ministers
- Apply
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“The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few” (Mt. 9:37).
For those invested in the teachings of the Catholic intellectual tradition who want to further their education, St. John’s Seminary offers a Master of Pastoral Ministry degree designed to enhance ministerial skills. Our Catholic lay theology degree will help prepare you to work in varied areas of the Church and improve your professional and personal connections and abilities.
Read on to learn about how you can deepen your knowledge of the Catholic faith and its traditions with the help of our lay theology trainining.
For more information: mapm@stjohnsem.edu
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Students within our online lay theology training program will take courses that include:
- The Old Testament and its Interpretation
- The New Testament and its Interpretation
- Dogmatic Theology
- Church History
- Moral Theology
- Catholic Social Teaching
- Pastoral Ministry in Theory and Practice
- Liturgical and Sacramental Theology
- Spiritual Theology and Practice
- The Nature and Order of the Church
- Pastoral Care for Marriage and Families
- Practicum
These 12 online lay theology courses total 36 hours and students choose the timeframe for their coursework.
For more information: mapm@stjohnsem.edu
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Students who take part in our online lay theology degree program benefit from both the rich tradition of Catholicism as well as the expertise of our instructors. When you join our program, you will appreciate the rigorous model we have in place, which includes the following:
- Students will read and discuss key texts of the Catholic Tradition, learning from the wisdom of saints, popes, and other Catholic leaders.
- Students will gain access to in-depth video lectures from our expert faculty members, presented from a professional studio with first-rate audio, video, and lighting.
- Students in our online lay theology courses will discuss and evaluate readings and lectures with professors and other students to participate in an exchange of ideas and facilitate ongoing education.
- Students synchronously will meet with the professor and other students in the course one day per week for class discussions.
- For one Saturday every semester, students will be invited to come for an optional visit to the seminary grounds where they take part in hands-on theology work that will enhance their progress, while meeting with professors and fellow students. Activities include the celebration of Mass and eucharistic adoration, along with intellectual, ministerial, and spiritual formation. Workshops will also be held to cover practical issues such as budgeting and administrative responsibilities.
Along with all of these aspects, students within our lay theology program will appreciate that the coursework is completed 100% online at a student’s own desired pace.
For more information: mapm@stjohnsem.edu
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Our M.A. in Pastoral Ministry is an online lay theology degree designed to prepare students for effective ministry in the Church. Within the coursework of our lay theology degree program, students learn and master how to do the following:
- Communicating the Catholic intellectual tradition with clarity and coherence to those who have had little or no prior exposure to Catholicism and its teachings
- Forming the hearts, minds, and souls of K-12 students
- Developing ministry programs for audiences that include youth, young adult, and college
- Overseeing an RCIA program
- Preparing couples for Pre-Cana
- Educating parents on the steps for baptism of their children
- Organizing and operating campus ministry programs
- Leading Bible study
- Networking with new and seasoned volunteers
- Developing key administrative skills
For more information: mapm@stjohnsem.edu
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Students called to pursue their Catholic lay theology degree can expect the following program features:
- Students may join the program full time (three courses per semester) and complete the program in two years.
- Students may join the program part time (one or two courses per semester) and complete the program at a pace suitable to them.
- Students may take courses without pursuing the entire graduate program.
For more information: mapm@stjohnsem.edu
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Financial hardship is one of the main factors preventing young Hispanic Catholics from engaging in graduate-level theological and ministerial formation; Haciendo Caminos Fellowships address this challenge by alleviating some of the financial burdens that come with life in a graduate program.
Through the Haciendo Caminos partnership, St. John's Seminary MAPM Program is able to offer eleven full-tuition fellowships to young Hispanic lay ministers.
All nominations for fellowships are submitted by the institution on behalf of the student. Priority is given to nominations for students who, full time or part-time, can complete their degrees by the end of summer 2027.
The primary criterion for evaluation of nominations is the demonstrated capacity of the Hispanic student to engage in pastoral theological education and employ that education in pastoral leadership, particularly within Hispanic communities.
Fellowships are to be distributed to U.S.-born or U.S.-reared Hispanic Catholic young adult students who show great promise of contributing important ministerial leadership within their communities.
Nominations will also be considered in the context of individual student need.
For more information: mapm@stjohnsem.edu
These fellowships are generously funded by Haciendo Caminos. Haciendo Caminos is a partnership of 18 Catholic graduate schools of theology that seeks to identify and form the next generation of U.S. Latino/a Catholics. Under the leadership of Boston College and the University of Notre Dame, Haciendo Caminos brings together Catholic institutions of higher education, advocates, and other entities in the wider Church to accompany Latino/a Catholic students pursuing graduate theological formation for ministry.
All eligibility requirements to receive these fellowships were written by the University of Notre Dame and Boston College, not St. John’s Seminary.
The Haciendo Caminos website: https://haciendocaminos.nd.edu/
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Why We Are Your Choice for Your Catholic Theology Degree
At St. John’s Seminary, we are blessed with a dedicated faculty and staff who have devoted their lives to the Church, so students considering the Catholic Theology Degree can trust they are in the hands of men and women called to form the next generation of lay ministers.
It is also important to note that our Catholic Theology Degree is a program that can completed 100% online, giving students the freedom to pursue and achieve their degree at their own desired pace. This means theology students can complete their degree in as little as two years or extend their studies and finish the program in six years.
When choosing our seminary for your Catholic theology degree, our mission is to help our students improve their ministerial and leadership skills— as well as their knowledge of the wisdom of the Church—in order to be evangelists for the 21st century.
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