Catholic Theological
Society of America

The Distance Learning programmes in Catholic Theology, led by Durham University’s Centre for Catholic Studies (CCS) in the UK, are designed so that participants can work through material at their own pace, studying equally well in any time zone and in many different life situations, alongside work, ministry, family or caring obligations. 

NEW for 2024-25: In addition to the Postgraduate Certificate, the Postgraduate Diploma, and the MA, students can now enrol for a single module. Students with a BA or BSc who have not studied Theology or a related discipline before, are now free to apply to enrol for the core module, ‘Catholic Theology: A Preliminary Tour’ and proceed to the MA following its successful completion. The single module is also a standalone option for Continual Professional Development and general interest.

Further details are available at Distance Learning - Durham University

The CCS are offering a Bursary Fund specifically to support students on these distance learning programmes. The deadline for applications has been extended to 7 July 2024.

If you have any questions about the Distance Learning programmes, please do not hesitate to contact theresa.phillips@durham.ac.uk

Please do share details of this opportunity to those looking to do further study.

The CTSA remembers and prayers for member Mary L. Collins, OSB who died on May 2, 2024.

May Mary's soul and the souls
of all the faithful departed,
through the mercy of God,
rest in peace. Amen.

Read Sr. Mary Collin's Obituary

Boxed and ready to go are sets of resources for beginning theology professors to plan their own courses in the following areas:

Introduction to Theology 

Doctrine of God

Ecclesiology

Mariology

Christ and World Religions

Foundations of Spirituality

Each set includes:

Sample Syllabus

Required Readings (hard copies)

Recommended Readings (hard copies)

Reference articles

Actual Course Textbooks

I'm in touch with several institutions, so first come, first served. I ask that you let me know which resources you would like sent to you, your mailing address, and how you plan to cover the cost of the mailing. An offering for the resources is voluntary. I ask only that the postage be covered.

Carla Mae Streeter, OP
Emerita
Aquinas Institute of Theology
23 South Spring Avenue
St. Louis, MO 63108
streeter@slu.edu
314-249-4499

Cristina L. H. Traina, Finitude, Feminism, and Flourishing: On Being Mortal Like Everyone Else, Paulist Press (March 2024).

Stephen B. Bevans, Community of Missionary Disciples: The Continuing Creation of the Church

Catherine Clifford with Stephen Lampe, eds. Vatican II at 60: Re-Energizing the Renewal

Mary Frohlich, The Heart at the Heart of the World: Re-visioning the Sacred Heart for the Ecozoic Era

Elizabeth Johnson, Come, Have Breakfast: Meditations on God and the Earth

Chris Pramuk and William Hart McNichols, All My Eyes See: The Artistic Vision of Fr. William Hart McNichols

Antonio D. Sison, editor: Deep Inculturation: Global Voices on Christian Faith and Indigenous Genius

The CTSA prays for and remembers longstanding member Joseph A. Bracken, S.J.  

Eternal rest grant unto Joseph, O Lord,
and let perpetual light shine upon him.
May he rest in peace. Amen.

Fr. Bob Hurd, S.J., Xavier University, wrote to a CTSA member the following:

We just got word from our Jesuit infirmary near Milwaukee that our prime Jesuit theologian/philosopher/writer, Fr. Joe Bracken, died this morning. He was 94 years old.

Joe kept up his interest in Whitehead and “process philosophy” long after he retired from Xavier’s theology department and the Brueggeman Center and was a great inspiration for all of us somewhat younger Jesuits. He was also rector of the University Jesuit Community for many years and a great lover of racquetball and tennis.

You may also read about Fr. Bracken at the Jesuits Midwest website page, where he is quoted as saying "Being a Jesuit has been such a blessing in my life. It has allowed me to pursue an occupation that isn’t immediately profitable, but one which I believe has value through advancing knowledge as well as faith.”

Funeral is set for April 26 at the St. Camillus Jesuit Retirement Center in Milwaukee; burial of cremains at Mt. Olivet Cemetery.

Dear CTSA Colleagues,

I am glad many of you (69) had the opportunity to participate in the two listening sessions the USCCB team held with theologians last month. I now write with an opportunity for wider dialogue with other theologians across North American guilds in light of the synod (room for up to 600 participants across two sessions).  Nancy Pineda-Madrid and I have been meeting with our counterparts in other Catholic theological guilds across North America again this year, and together with them we invite your participation in one of two cross-guild synodal dialogues next month. These will not be occurring within the structures of the synod on synodality consultation, but participants will engage questions in small groups that revisit some of the guiding questions of the synod on synodality in light of our own "successes and distresses" of teaching and studying theology in the church today. Please register via the link below for the session you wish to attend:

Interguild Synodal Dialogue
Time: May 6, 2024 02:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
https://bccte.zoom.us/j/97119609180
Meeting ID: 971 1960 9180

Interguild Synod Dialogue II
Time: May 8, 2024 07:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
https://bccte.zoom.us/j/93136893002

Here are the participating guilds: Academy of Catholic Hispanic Theologians of the United States, Academy of Catholic Theology, Black Catholic Theological Symposium, Canadian Theological Society, College Theology Society, Fellowship of Catholic Scholars and CTSA. 

Thanks for considering our invitation to dialogue.

Kristin Heyer, CTSA President 2023-2024

“Synodality as Field Hospital” is the theme for the Second Annual Schreiter Institute Spring Symposium on a Praxis of Reconciliation.  The global Church is entering into a culmination of a unique synodal process meant to renew global Catholicism and create a “listening Church”. The presenters and attendees at this symposium will explore together how this synodal process can help bring about Pope Francis’ image of the Church as an authentic “field hospital” that tends to the wounds of creation in global and local contexts.

This unique gathering will convene scholars, theologians, artists, and practitioners in a public conversation about the challenges and possibilities for renewing the Catholic Church into a Field Hospital, through the Synodal process, that authentically attends to the healing of trauma and moral injury in God’s creation.

MARIA CIMPERMAN, RSCJ,  will provide the keynote presentation on May 9th. The final session on May 10th will be an opportunity for all presenters and attendees to participate in a synodal “Conversation in the Spirit”

The Symposium can be attended in person or on Zoom.  To Register or to find out more information: https://ctu.edu/event/schreiter-institutes-spring-symposium-on-a-praxis-of-reconciliation-synodality-as-field-hospital/?

A great student opportunity to work with the Vatican. Master's Degree required. Applications due April 22.

Preparing the Future Research Fellowship on the Vatican’s engagement on peace, development, human rights, and ecology

September 1, 2024, to July 31, 2025. 

This fellowship provides an opportunity for a qualified candidate to contribute to the work of the Holy See on peace, development, human rights, and ecology. 

The fellow will be a research associate of the University of Notre Dame’s Rome Global Gateway and do research either with the Vatican Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development or Caritas Internationalis (CI). 

This fellowship is co-sponsored by Notre Dame’s Rome Gateway and Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies, and the Catholic Peacebuilding Network, with the generous support of Foundations and Donors Interested in Catholic Activities.   

It is part of a wider effort to develop a new generation of lay women and men to serve the Catholic Church in its mission of transforming the social order in light of the Gospel.

For more information and to apply:  https://jobs.nd.edu/postings/34187

CTSA Spring 2024 Virtual Event - Recording now available.
"Is Peace Possible in a World of Violence?"
Monday, April 8, 2024

Moderator:  Susan Reynolds, Candler School of Theology

Panel:  Heather M. DuBois, Boston College
              Lilian Ehidiamhen, Katholic University of Leuven
              Eli McCarthy, Georgetown University

In light of the violent conflicts around the world, what resources might the Catholic theological tradition offer to conversations about peacebuilding? Our panelists will draw on their expertise in just peace, conflict transformation, trauma studies, and nonviolent communication to help the CTSA membership think together about the role of our work in the face of global conflict and violence.

Recording: Now posted within Members Resources (CTSA Home Page); see bullet "Recorded Event Videos".  The link will navigate members to a website page where they may view recorded event videos.  Note: Members will be required to login to access the website page.