Theology Department
Mission
Recognizing that Christian Formation is an integral part of St. Joseph High School’s reason for being, the Theology Department is an indispensable component of the school’s goal. As a Catholic institution, our school and department serve the teaching mission of Jesus Christ and His Church. The department seeks to foster a good cognitive understanding of our faith, as well as the personal faith development of each student, and the communal faith development of all who are part of the St. Joseph High School family. Because of this, our department must be involved in activities that promote faith formation such as Liturgies, retreats, counseling, and spiritual development, as well as classroom catechesis.
Goals
- Acquire an understanding of our faith;
- Be open to the reality of God and faith;
- Deepen our commitment to our faith;
- Strive to live and give witness to our faith in a pluralistic society;
- Be exposed to and take an active part in good faith experiences;
- Be part of a community that encourages us to share in the creation of an atmosphere and attitudes that build a sense of community;
- Develop the ability to evaluate and establish Christian values;
- Develop the ability to interact effectively with others through interpersonal and social participation skills;
- Understand the service dimension of our Christian opportunity, the challenge and obligation for stewardship to the school, community, nation and world.
Confirmation Preparation
The Theology Department and Campus Ministry office at St. Joseph High School works directly with the Christian Formation programs at every parish in the Kenosha areas. Most of the parishes allow for exemptions from much of the basic Confirmation preparation because the catechetical, service, and retreat opportunities offered here at St. Joseph far exceeds any opportunity a parish Christian Formation program could offer. That being said though, participation in all of these opportunities is expected by St. Joseph High School and the parishes in order to be sufficiently prepared to receive the Sacrament of Confirmation.
In terms of the immediate preparation (final year, usually 11th grade) for the Sacrament, it is not the responsibility of St. Joseph High School to prepare students for this immediate preparation, as one of the fundamental principles of Confirmation is being prepared for service to the parish community. Because of this, St. Joseph High School honors and supports the Archdiocese of Milwaukee’s mandate that immediate preparation for the Sacrament of Confirmation be in the parish.
With this being said, please know that each parish varies slightly in terms of what is expected for the Confirmation year, and we urge you to be familiar with these expectations throughout the years leading up to the reception of the Sacrament of Confirmation.
Courses Avaliable
Theology I: Scripture
Term One – Hebrew Scriptures
Term Two – Christian Testament
Theology II: Doctrine, Sacraments, & Morality
Term One – Doctrine and Sacraments
Term Two – Morality
Theology III: Church History
Theology IV: Electives:
> Vocations
> Comparative Religions
> Christian Life and Service
Eight terms of Theology is required during the four years at St. Joseph High School. This requirement must be satisfied by taking two terms in grade 9, two terms in grade 10, two terms in grade 11, and two terms in grade 12. Every student should take a Theology course each of the years that they are a student at St. Joseph High School. Therefore, the Theology requirement is not satisfied by taking two courses during one year in order to avoid taking any Theology course during the alternate years. To take two courses during one year and none during another, undermines the intention of requiring eight terms of Theology. The intention is that the student take Theology for eight terms; not simply that they take eight terms of Theology in as short of a time as possible.
Theology I: Scripture
Grade 9 / Required / Two Terms / 1 Credit
In this course, students will develop the skills necessary to study the Bible as the Word of God. They will develop a working understanding of the literal and contextual methods of biblical interpretation. They will develop a more mature awareness of the relevance of biblical accounts and themes in the life of the high school student. The first semester of this course will be devoted to a study of the Hebrew Scriptures, and the second semester will focus on the Christian Testament. Topics during the first semester will include the study of the Torah, especially the Book of Genesis; the Exodus account, and the covenantal relationship God established with His people; Patriarchal history of the Israelites; the Historical, Wisdom, and Prophetic Literature of the Hebrew Scriptures. During the second semester, there will be a survey of the content and principle themes of the Gospels, with a special effort to explore how each author understood the person of Jesus, and how each author conveyed this message to a particular audience. There will also be a more detailed study of the Gospel of Mark. The course will also include a consideration of the style, purpose and Theology in the Letters; a reading and discussion of the message in the Acts of the Apostles; and a reading and discussion of the message in the Book of Revelation.
Theology II: Doctrine, Sacraments and Morality.
Grade 10 / Required / 2 Semesters / 1 Credit / Regular
This course provides one semester of a study of Doctrine and Sacraments and one semester of a study Catholic Morality. In the first semester, students will examine the theology of the Doctrine of the Catholic Church. This examination of basic Catholic doctrine will be seen in relation to holiness, prayer, virtues, the saints, and the Trinity. There will also be a study of the Seven Sacraments of the Catholic Church. A special unit on Confirmation will be presented to help prepare for reception of this Sacrament and hopefully to fulfill the catechetical requirement of the parishes in which our students will be confirmed. It will study the theology of and the current practices and rituals of each Sacrament. During the second term students will continue their examination of basic Catholic doctrine in relation to holiness, prayer, and virtues in relationship to living out a Christian moral life. Students will examine and apply the Ten Commandments and Beatitudes to their everyday decision-making.
Theology III: Church History
Grade 11 / Required / Two Terms / 1 Credit
This class is designed to give students a deeper grasp of the historical development of the Church’s history as well as the historical development of Her theology. This two-term class will cover the entire history of the Church, looking at the culture and influences of Jesus’ time and before, through today. Special emphasis will be put on the writings of St. Augustine, St. Thomas Aquinas, and St. Therese of Liseux, as well as the major councils such as Nicea, Trent, and Vatican II. There will also be special emphasis on the role of youth movements in the Church, especially in the United States.
Theology IV: Electives - Vocations, Comparative Religions, Christian Life & Service
Grade 12 / Electives (Two Terms are required to satisfy graduation requirements) /. 5 Credit each
Vocations
Grade 12 / One Term /.5 Credit
This course is designed to give students a better understanding of each of the ways that God calls us to live out our lives in the service of the Church. It will also help encourage students to better understand their own calling and the discernment of that calling. This course will study in-depth the single life, religious life, priesthood, bishopric, deaconate, and the married life. Special emphasis will be placed on discerning the call to married life as well as preparing for it and living it out.
Comparative Religions
Grade 12 / One Term /.5 Credit
This one term course is designed to study some of the major religions of the world. As it examines the development and beliefs of each religion, it is intended to deepen the students’ own religious lives by giving a deeper appreciation of God’s goodness as we see it at work in the religions studied. Those religions will include Hinduism, Buddhism, Taoism, Confucianism, Shintoism, Zoroastrianism, Judaism, Islam, and Christianity. A large part of this course will include independent research, written accounts of what has been researched, and oral presentations intended to teach what has been researched.
Christian Life and Service
Grade 12 / One Term / .5 Credit
This course is designed to help foster an on-going life of Christian love and service in each of our seniors, as they go on from St. Joseph High School. This course will emphasize responsible living and a commitment to their own personal development and prayer life. It will also emphasize a heart of service as the students will be given weekly opportunities off-campus to participate in various service opportunities throughout the greater Kenosha area, and to reflect on these opportunities in terms of the whole of a Christian life.