Emphasis Course Descriptions

In addition to the eight foundational courses required of all students, the program offers three curricular emphases:

Latina/o Ministry (a four-course emphasis)
Restorative Justice & Chaplaincy (a five-course emphasis)
Youth & Young Adult Ministry (a five-course emphasis)

Students do not need to enroll in an emphasis to complete the degree; those students simply take 7 elective courses and complete the capstone requirement. Electives may be one of the foundational course alternates, an emphasis course, or any of the area electives.

Students in the emphasis take the required emphasis courses and elective courses from any area to round out the required 15-course, 60-unit total. Thus, LATM students take 3 electives, while RJUS and YMIN students take 2 electives. These students may select their electives from the alternate foundational courses, emphasis courses outside their emphasis, or any of the area electives.

Latina/o Ministry Emphasis

The Master of Arts degree in Pastoral Ministries with an emphasis in Latina/o Ministry prepares ministers to deepen their theological education as they prepare for ministry in intercultural and Latino contexts.

The fifteen-course (60-unit) program consists of:

eight foundational courses: Theological Foundations; Christology; Ecclesiology; Church History; Hebrew Bible; New Testament; Theological Ethics; and Sacraments and Liturgy.
four emphasis courses: U.S. Latina/o Theology; Enfrentamiento y Encuentro: History and Mission in Latina/o Perspective; Latino Popular Religiosity and Its Ethics of Solidarity; Latin@x Youth and Young Adult Ministry
three electives
a Capstone Portfolio or Practicum*

LATM 220 U.S. Latina/o Theology

This course acquaints students with the historical development of Latina/o theology in the United States. Attention will be given to the works of representative U.S. Latina/o theologians and to the themes and concerns that these works address. A required course in the Latina/o Ministry emphasis (an elective for other students). Formerly PMIN 296; 4 units.

LATM 221 Enfrentamiento y Encuentro: History & Mission in Latina/o Perspective

This course explores the colonial and postcolonial history of the Americas and the role of the Catholic Church in this history. It examines the dynamics of the colonial encounter and the ambivalence of identity in the borderlands (the nepantla) that the colonial encounter creates. The course probes pastoral issues related to the creation of cultural borders, from immigration to detention to family separation, and considers the Christian imperatives of reconciliation and justice in light of these cultural realities. A required course in the Latina/o Ministry emphasis (an elective for other students); 4 units.

LATM 222 Latina/o Popular Religiosity & Its Ethics of Solidarity

This course explores popular religious devotions, liturgies, and practices in the Latina/o community in terms of both their origins and their dynamic roles in the imagination and activism of Latina/o communities. It explores the church, as well as the home, the field, and the workplace, as sacred space. A required course in the Latina/o Ministry emphasis (an elective for other students); 4 units.

LATM 223 Latin@x Youth & Young Adult Ministry

This course explores the particular issues and challenges of youth and young adult ministry in the Latin@x church, including the tensions between the individualism of U.S. culture and the importance of la familia, the challenges of migration and citizenship status for youth and their families, the difficulties of forming a cultural identity from a place between cultures, and questions over sexual issues and identities. A required course in the Latina/o Ministry emphasis (an elective for other students); 4 units.

Restorative Justice and Chaplaincy Emphasis

The Master of Arts degree in Pastoral Ministries with an emphasis in Restorative Justice and Chaplaincy prepares ministers to deepen their theological education as they prepare for ministry as chaplains in hospitals, prisons, schools and communities.

The fifteen-course (60-unit) program consists of:

eight foundational courses: Fundamental Theology; Christology; Ecclesiology; Church History; Hebrew Bible; New Testament; Theological Ethics; and Sacraments and Liturgy
five emphasis courses: Introduction to Restorative Justice; Chaplaincy; Trauma and Healing in a Broken World; Introduction to the Criminal Justice System, or Integrative Chaplaincy; or Ministering at the Margins; and Intercultural and Interreligious Competencies
two electives
a Capstone Portfolio or Practicum*

The emphasis presumes a paradigm shift from retributive systems to restorative justice, which envisions the social fabric that is damaged in circumstances of illness, violence and crime and seeks to restore individuals, families and communities to health and wholeness. Enrollment is open to students in any diocese.

RJUS 220 Introduction to Restorative Justice

While retributive justice models focus on the criminal and the government, restorative justice widens the circle of stakeholders to victims, offenders and community members, whose needs may be met through the justice system and through pastoral ministry. This course introduces three pillars of restorative justice: harms and needs (to/of victims, communities and offenders), obligations resulting from and contributing to the harm (the offender’s obligations, but also the communities’), and engagement of those who have a legitimate interest or stake in the offense and its resolution. A required course in the Restorative Justice & Chaplaincy emphasis (an elective for other students). 4 units

RJUS 221 Chaplaincy

A foundational study of the chaplain ministry in hospital, hospice, and homebound settings, as well as settings of incarceration. This course includes pastoral education that develops spiritual care providers and educators skilled in delivering theologically informed, clinically competent and culturally sensitive spiritual care within hospitals, correctional settings, congregations, and the community. This course also introduces various models of chaplaincy: pastoral, spiritual, missional, educational, liturgical, and prophetic. A required course in the Restorative Justice & Chaplaincy emphasis (an elective for other students). 4 units.

RJUS 222 Trauma & Healing in a Broken World

This course focuses on the needs of victims of violence and the responsibility of society to help them heal. It examines the experience of trauma, particularly that experienced in early childhood, and its impact on criminal and violent behavior, in order to imagine meaningful and effective opportunities for change. It suggests cultural changes that recognize the rights and needs of all those impacted by crime and violence from within a restorative justice framework. A required course in the Restorative Justice & Chaplaincy emphasis (an elective for other students). 4 units.

RJUS 223 Introduction to the Criminal Justice System

This course introduces the history, philosophy, and practice of the discipline of corrections within the criminal justice system of the United States, with an emphasis on the institutions and practices found in contemporary California. It includes an overview of the genesis and dynamic evolution of the institutions and methods society uses to respond to crime, including the origins and nature of the prison-industrial complex and the disproportionate incarceration of people of color, particularly after the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. It offers a description of the organizations, structures, and stakeholders that will be encountered by pastoral ministers. Additionally, students will become acquainted with the practice and limitations of advocacy on behalf of the populations they serve. A required course in the Restorative Justice & Chaplaincy emphasis (an elective for other students). 4 units.

RJUS 224 Intercultural & Interreligious Competencies

This course introduces the basic beliefs of the world’s major religions, informed by the conciliar document Nostra Aetate and its invitation to recognize God’s presence and action in all faiths. There is a particular focus on those religions outside Christianity that are recognized and practiced in California Detention Centers, such as Islam, Native American spirituality, Hinduism, Buddhism, Wicca, Odinism, and Santa Muerte. Attention is given to history, spiritual leaders and historical figures, beliefs, practices, important texts, ethical values, places of worship, rituals, and rites. Students learn how to exercise pastoral sensitivity to faiths other than their own (rather than proselytize), and develop skills for ministering to practitioners, including conducting ecumenical and interfaith services. A required course in the Restorative Justice & Chaplaincy emphasis (an elective for other students). 4 units.

RJUS 226 - Ministering at the Margins

The servant leadership model of ministry is not only biblical, it represents the best of Christian tradition and history. It is also “marginal” by nature: lived along the edges of society. Informed by Jesus’ distinctive commitment to those who are ignored, overlooked or undervalued, as a prophetic vocation, ministering at the margins is a life-giving and precarious mode of faithful discipleship. The course explores theological sources that underlie the theoretical basis for pastoral care among marginalized populations, as well as case studies in street ministry. With an emphasis on practical applications, students engage in theological reflection while cultivating their pastoral skills for prophetic work among the people of God. 4 units.

RJUS 227 - Integrative Chaplaincy

Effective chaplains are pliable, intrepid caregivers. An integrative approach to chaplaincy equips ministers with the tools needed to navigate complex pastoral situations such as prisons, hospitals, and shelters. They must understand the differences between a dark night of the soul and a mental health crisis. Integrative chaplaincy focuses on helping individuals, families, and communities mine their faith traditions for resources that promote healing and wholeness. In addition to essential spiritual care interventions, students will learn about the practice of self-care, a vital skill for chaplains who work in challenging environments. Students will also practice creative approaches to problem-solving within their unique pastoral setting. 4 units.

Youth and Young Adult Ministries Emphasis

The Master of Arts degree in Pastoral Ministries with an emphasis in Youth and Young Adult Ministries is a comprehensive theological and practical training program to prepare leaders to engage, evangelize, and empower youth and young adults in discipleship and service, and accompany them through the various stages of their faith journey. It prepares people to begin or enhance careers as parish or diocesan youth or young adult ministers, religious educators, or campus ministers in the parish or school setting, directors of religious education, parish leaders, or social service workers.

The fifteen-course (60-unit) program consists of:

eight foundational courses: Fundamental Theology, Christology; Ecclesiology; Church History; Hebrew Bible; New Testament; Theological Ethics; and Sacraments and Liturgy
five emphasis courses: Evangelization & Discipleship; Reimagining Youth Ministry; Reimagining Young Adult Ministry; Community, Ritual, and Mission: Nourishing the Christian Life; and Family, Relationships and Ministry
two electives
a Capstone Portfolio or Practicum*

Emphasis courses will be scheduled on an alternating basis over a three-year period. Enrollment is open to students in any diocese.

YMIN 220 Evangelization & Discipleship

In Evangelii Gaudium, Pope Francis locates the call addressed to all Christians to become “missionary disciples” in the encounter with God’s love in Christ Jesus and the mission to “Go and make disciples of all nations” (Mt. 28:19). This course examines how that shared call is embodied by missionary disciples in ministry to youth and young adults. The first part of this course examines the scriptural and historical roots of evangelization and discipleship. It then explores the challenges of missionary discipleship in parishes, schools, and the world today as ministers discern the needs of those they serve and identify how those needs should shape ministry. Finally, it explores how disciples might be formed to be agents of interfaith cooperation in our religiously diverse world. A required course in the Youth & Young Adult Ministry emphasis (an elective for other students). Formerly CATE 213; 4 units.

YMIN 221 Reimagining Youth Ministry

This course explores the historical and contemporary dimensions and challenges of ministry to people in middle school and high school (6th-12th grade). The first part of the course examines the principles, foundations and history of youth ministry and Pastoral Juvenil Hispana with adolescents. The second part of the course addresses the developmental needs of young people and studies their diverse cultural realities in contemporary society. The last section of the course offers practical applications for developing effective ministry and outreach strategies and investigates models of accompaniment of young people —whether active, unchurched or disaffiliated—as they explore their faith and beliefs. A required course in the Youth & Young Adult Ministry emphasis (an elective for other students); 4 units.

YMIN 222 Reimagining Young Adult Ministry

This course explores the principles and foundations of Young Adult Ministry, examines the needs of young adults at different life stages, and reimagines practical ways for developing effective models of ministry to young adults that enliven their faith and accompany them into missionary discipleship and leadership. A required course in the Youth & Young Adult Ministry emphasis (an elective for other students). 4 units.

YMIN 223 Community, Ritual & Mission: Nourishing the Christian Life

This course equips students to provide leadership skills and strategies that empower the family and relationships. The minister will be trained to recognize and respond to the needs of persons at various stages of life in light of diverse expressions of family, gender, sexuality, relationships, and culture. Emphasis is placed on the minister’s role in accompanying families and sustaining life-giving relationships that animate the mission of discipleship of the parish and community. A required course in the Youth & Young Adult Ministry emphasis (an elective for other students). Formerly PMIN 286; 4 units.

YMIN 224 Family, Relationships and Ministry

This course equips students to provide leadership skills and strategies that empower the family and relationships. The minister will be trained to recognize and respond to the needs of persons at various stages of life in light of diverse expressions of family, gender, sexuality, relationships, and culture. Emphasis is placed on the minister’s role in accompanying families and sustaining life-giving relationships that animate the mission of discipleship of the parish and community. A required course in the Youth & Young Adult Ministries emphasis (an elective for other students). Formerly PMIN 286; 4 units.