Program Mission
-- Mission Statement passed unanimously by the M.Div. Committee on March 3, 2000, and approved by unanimous vote of the faculty of the Department of Theology May 1, 2000.
The Master of Divinity program at the University of Notre Dame prepares professional ministers for service in the Roman Catholic Church. The program forms leaders who are grounded in Catholic tradition, faithful to the Church's witness to Jesus Christ, pastorally skillful and wise. The M.Div. at Notre Dame, initiated in 1968 as the primary formation venue for Holy Cross seminarians, has from early in its history maintained a commitment to both lay and ordained ministry. The program is designed as part of a comprehensive formation process for two distinct but complementary vocations. The educational experience of M.Div. students at Notre Dame is enriched by the interaction of seminarian, religious, and lay students of diverse backgrounds. The M.Div. remains vitally linked to the spirit and mission of the Congregation of Holy Cross as "educators in the faith." [Constitutions of the Congregation of Holy Cross 2, para. 12]
The M.Div. program is guided by documents published under the auspices of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops with regard to priestly formation and ecclesial lay ministry. The program also participates in the larger community and mission of the University of Notre Dame. The Catholic character, resources, liturgical life, and ethos of the University, especially the faculty of the Department of Theology, shape the context and content of the M.Div. The program embraces concurrent studies in a broad range of theological disciplines indispensable for developing the art of pastoral ministry. Through appropriate spiritual formation, supervised field placements and mentoring, the student is assisted in integrating these studies into a ministerial identity attuned to the needs of the contemporary Church and world. Directed by the Second Vatican Council, we seek to prepare men and women for collaborative ministry in a multicultural Church.
