Theology

Department Philosophy

The Theology Department at Fontbonne Academy subscribes to the following statement:

The education mission of the Church is an integrated ministry embracing three interlocking dimensions: the message revealed by God which the Church proclaims (didache); fellowship in the life of the Holy Spirit (koininia); service to the Christian community and the entire human community (diakonia).
(To Teach As Jesus Did, page 4, #4)

In essence, it is our conviction as Catholic educators that we should provide a curriculum that will enable the student to know:

• What Catholics believe in relation to the spirit and particular charism of the Sisters of St. Joseph;
• How to express one's belief in one's personal life and in the life of the Church; and
• How to live one's life in accord with the Christian message.

We view Theology as an academic subject that supports Fontbonne Academy's college-preparatory program. To this end, we endeavor to develop critical thinking, writing and oratory skills. We develop these skills over the course of the four-year program through the use of simple summary, essays, reflection papers, research papers, and oral presentation.

Placement of Students

Students who begin their high school studies at Fontbonne Academy will proceed through the class levels as listed. Transfer students with no background in Theology will begin in Theology 2 no matter their class year. All other transfer students will be placed taking into account their course of study at their previous school.

Faculty

Curriculum

Theology I: The Catholic Faith

This course will present the major developments in Church history, as well as the essential teachings of the Catholic faith. It will provide students not only with knowledge of the Church's tradition, but with the opportunity to examine its relevance to their lives.

Theology II: Old Testament/Traditions and Myths

Students will explore the development of religious thought through the study of the Old Testament and eastern religious traditions (Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism and Taoism), as well as primal religions. The course will cover the role of myth and the growth of religious truths. Though the primary emphasis will be the Judaic tradition and its presentation of the relationship between God and the Hebrew people, the other traditions, which predate Judaism, will aid students in learning about the human quest for meaning, the search for understanding suffering, and the need for liberation. Finally, students will discover not only the relevance of religious truth from its inception but also its role in our contemporary world.

Theology III: Living the New Testament

A thorough grounding in scripture is important to the growth and development of Faith and its expression in the lives of Christians. In particular, the foundations for Catholic moral development are intricately linked to the teachings of Jesus presented in the New Testament, as well as to traditional Church teaching. Theology 3 thus begins with an exploration of the person of Jesus as historical figure and as the Christ of Faith. We will study the Gospels to understand their formation, each one’s distinct presentation of Jesus in relation to the community for whom it was written and the values each Gospel emphasizes. In turn, we will seek the wisdom of the early Christian community via the study of the Epistles and other historical texts. By exploring the fundamental question who is Jesus, we then can ask how the living God guides our lives and decision making today.

Theology IV: Social Justice

This course challenges students to explore the application of Catholic social teaching to today’s world. As such, seniors will learn theology both within the classroom setting and on their own through independent research and experience outside of the classroom. Each quarter the students will write a paper on the issue that they have chosen to explore over the course of the year. They will then integrate their classroom learning with their research thereby producing papers, which together comprise the mid semester and final exam grades. Finally, they will develop a plan of action for justice and put their learning into practice. The culmination of this project is the final step for satisfactory completion of the 100-hour Service Requirement for graduation.