Approved: October 22, 1999

Mission. The mission of the Theology Department is to educate students towards a deeper understanding of the divinely-revealed mysteries that make up the deposit of faith, with a commitment to dynamic orthodoxy. As part of this commitment, we affirm the rich Franciscan theological tradition, along with a Marian model of receptivity to God's Word and Spirit.

Principles. For all students, theology is the summit of liberal education, and a capstone for integrating studies across the liberal arts and sciences and in professional programs, in accord with the University's mission. This is so because the truths theology considers are the highest truths about God and man, and they reveal the full significance and the coherence of other truths relevant to human life.

For undergraduate majors and graduate students, the study of theology is a necessary preparation for competent academic and apostolic work for Christ and the Church, in the power of the Holy Spirit.

Fulfillment. The fulfillment of our mission entails reasoned investigation of God's word in Scripture and Sacred Tradition, in the light of faith, in accord with the teaching of the Magisterium. It also entails study of various theological issues and movements in the historical development of Christianity. Finally, it entails not only mastery of that which is proper to theology as an autonomous discipline but also, from the perspective of such mastery, dialogue with other disciplines, insofar as our faculty are able to engage in it and draw students into it.

Programs: In the Bachelor of Arts program, we apply faith and reason in these ways to foster some fluency in the Church's theological discourse, from the past to the present. In keeping with our affirmation of the Franciscan theological tradition, we also offer a Franciscan Studies minor.

In the Master of Arts program, we foster a more advanced level of spiritual insight, critical inquiry, and historical understanding on the part of our graduate students, along with the ability to apply theology in pastoral ministries. As a result, graduates will be prepared for professional ecclesial service (e.g., diocesan, parochial), or for further graduate study and academic work.

The Catechetics concentration prepares undergraduate and graduate students to grasp the intelligibility and coherence of the divine mysteries, to equip graduates to apply proper predagogical and apostolic means for conveying the scriptural, doctrinal, moral and liturgical aspects of the Faith, as it is lived in communio.

In the Distance Learning Program, we use a variety of interactive delivery systems to advance the Department's goals for the graduate students who live "beyond the walls" of the University campus.