Field Education Seminars
Field Education I: Images & Models of Ministry I & II
Field Education is an integral component of education for pastoral ministry. Through field education, students pursue the integration of theological competence with pastoral skill in a developing identity as a public minister. For first year students, the specific goals are to provide initial approaches, of both theoretical and practical kinds, to two sets of foundational questions:
What is theological reflection? How is it done? What are some resources upon which to draw for theological reflection in ministry?
What does it mean to be a minister? How does one go about constructing one's self-understanding as a lay or ordained minister today in the Catholic Church? Where is one's place within the larger mission of the Church? What resources might inform, shape, and sustain one's identity in ministry?
The goal is approached through a threefold constellation of learning contexts: field work in a ministry placement, supervision of that work, and the field education seminar. The primary learning dynamic for the seminar is dialogical and includes conversation about assigned texts, as well as shared reflection on field experiences.
First Year MDiv Students Only
Field Education II: Articulating Faith I & II
Field Education is an integral component of education for ecclesial ministry. Through field education, students pursue the integration of theological competence with pastoral skill in a developing identity as a public minister. The goal of the second year of field education is facility in articulating the Christian faith, particularly as understood in Roman Catholic tradition, and in fostering the development of faith with others.
The goal is approached through a threefold constellation of learning contexts: field work in a ministry placement, supervision of that work, and a field education seminar. The primary learning dynamic for the seminar is dialogical and includes conversation about assigned texts and critical incidents as reported by participants using the prescribed case study method for this course.
Second Year MDiv Students Only
Leadership and Authority
During their third year of field education, Master of Divinity students explore issues of leadership, power, and authority in the role of the public minister.
The goal is to complement the growth in pastoral skills already attained in the first two years with the acquisition of proficiency in skills for collaborative leadership in the contemporary Church. The goal is approached through a threefold constellation of learning contexts: field work, supervision, and the field education seminar. The primary learning dynamic for the seminar is dialogical and includes conversation about assigned texts, shared reflection on field experiences, and faith-sharing.
Third Year MDiv Students Only
