Course Details

Parish Life and Ministry

Course Description

The aim of this course is to help participants reflect on today’s experience of the parish in its many shapes and forms. Pastoral practice and canon
law are used during this course as reference points for discussion of the pastoral and canonical issues raised by the student and the course content.

Course Goals

By the end of this course, you will be able to:

articulate your vision of a vibrant parish in relation to the wider mission of the church;
explain how the social teaching of the church influences various dimensions of parish life;
describe some of the key dimensions of liturgical renewal that have sprung from the Second Vatican Council and contemporary liturgical
principles;
develop resources for engaging parishioners in evaluating and improving the liturgical life of the parish;
identify sections of the Code of Canon Law that guide parish life and ministry in parishes and discuss the role of canon law in the every
day life of the parish: and
respond to specific situations that the pastoral administrator and/or minister might encounter in their ministry sites.

Coriden, James. The Parish in Catholic Tradition: History, Theology, and Canon Law. New York: Paulist, 1996. ISBN 0-8091-3685-6. (Copies are available in Europe by calling Columba Book Service at 353-1- 294-2556.)

Ferrone, Rita. Liturgy: Sacrosanctum Concilium. New York: Paulist, 2007. ISBN 13:078-0-8091-4472-3.

Hater, Robert J. The Catholic Parish: Hope for a Changing World. New York: Paulist, 2004. ISBN 0-8091-4281-3.

Sweetser, Thomas P., and Patricia Forster. Transforming the Parish. Franklin, WI: Sheed and Ward / Rowman and Littlefield, 1993, 1999. EAN 978-1-55612-654-3.

U. S. Catholic Bishops. Communities of Salt and Light. Washington, DC: United States Catholic Conference, 1994. ISBN 1-57455-764-5. (Order by calling 800-235-USCC, or outside the U.S. and Canada 202-722-8716; or by visiting the web site http://www.usccbpublishing.org/productdetails.cfm?PC=685.) Available online at http://www.usccb.org/sdwp/saltandlight.shtml.orig.

Clark, William A. A Voice of their Own: The Authority of the Local Parish. Collegeville, MN: Liturgical, 2005. ISBN 13:978-0-8146-5218-3.

McNamara, Patrick. Called to be Stewards: Bringing New Life to Catholic Parishes. Collegeville, MN: Liturgical, 2003. ISBN: 0-8146-2889-3.

Course Requirements

LIM online courses are available for 3 graduate semester credits or 3 continuing education units.

Graduate students will participate in the class by:

completing readings in assigned texts and review of other course materials each week
posting responses to discussion questions and to the reflections of other students at least three times each week (10 weekly sessions)
completing two reflective essays (described in more detail in the course syllabus)

CEU students will participate in the class by:

completing readings in assigned texts and review of other course materials each week
posting responses to discussion questions and to the reflections of other students at least three times each week (10 weekly sessions)

How to Register