120 Complete Theology Foundations Course

UPDATES ON THEOLOGY: Participants at the Theology update course offered at St. Patrick’s, Bay Ridge, are all smiles after receiving their certificates of completion.

Recently, 120 women and men from 33 parishes received Certificates of Completion for their participation in the 10-week Theological Foundations for Ministry course sponsored by the Diocese of Brooklyn’s Pastoral Institute.

Classes were held starting in January at four locations in English and Spanish, including the parishes of St. Patrick, Bay Ridge; Our Lady of Peace, Park Slope; Corpus Christi, Woodside; and Holy Family, Fresh Meadows.

Participants expressed appreciation for the spiritual and theological growth experienced during the 10 weeks and to the many excellent instructors. Many expressed gratitude for the ability of the instructors to break down the content into easily understood language so that it applied to their everyday life and ministry.

STUDENTS LISTEN during theology courses offered by the Pastoral Institute at Corpus Christi, above, and Holy Family, both in Queens.

Organizers also thanked the funds provided by the John Paul II Fund for Lay Leadership of the Alive in Hope Foundation, which allowed the courses to be offered for a nominal fee of $40 for the 10 weeks.

Participants who enrolled in the course did so for various reasons. Some enroll as preparation for participating in the Pastoral Institute’s three-year Lay Leadership Formation for Ministry Program, which prepares persons for volunteer leadership roles in parishes. Others enroll because they are on their parish’s pastoral council or are working on implementing their pastoral plan’s goals and objectives. Still others take the course as a theological refresher.

Registration is currently ongoing for the 10-week course starting in September. Sessions will be held in English and Spanish at Immaculate Conception parish in Astoria; in English at Holy Name, Park Slope; and in Spanish at St. Gertrude, Far Rockaway. Anyone interested should contact their pastor or the Pastoral Institute at (718) 229-8001, ext. 350 for more information.