Theology Institute enriching program to serve more

Diocesan program adding classes in philosophy and spirituality to degree curriculum

Published: June 20, 2014

By Dwain Hebda
Associate Editor

Dwain Hebda

Little Rock Theology Institute students can soon study spirituality and philosophy en route to a degree, say program administrators. The classes are developed in partnership with St. Gregory’s University in Oklahoma.

Dwain Hebda

The Little Rock Theology Institute continues to augment its curriculum to deliver students the most comprehensive educational experience. Director Deacon Chuck Ashburn said the program is being infused with two new courses, one in philosophy and one in spirituality in the coming school years.

The courses are being developed and integrated into the office’s three-year degree curriculum in partnership with St. Gregory University, with whom the diocese has maintained a relationship for more than 15 years in support of its faith formation and education ministry. In fact, St. John Center in Little Rock is considered a satellite campus of the university, along with its home campus in Shawnee, Okla., and another satellite campus in Tulsa.

“Our partnership with St Gregory’s University is growing and developing,” Ashburn said. “They are very open to everything that we recommend, and I try to remain open as much as I can within our time and distance constraints.

“So in this development they suggested we needed to add a course. That was a philosophy course, because there was none offered in our program and philosophy is a necessary thing to study theology. We discussed it and we have now decided to place it into our normal weekend courses.”

Beginning with the 2014-2015 school year, Introduction to Thomistic Philosophy will be inserted into the course progression, right after Introduction to Scripture and right before students get into the meat of theology coursework. The addition of the class will not extend the time required to get a degree, as a corresponding course will be dropped to make room for philosophy. Ashburn said department officials had yet to decide which class would make room for the new coursework.

Another class, currently under construction and anticipating a rollout in the 2015-2016 school year, is an as-yet unnamed course in spirituality. Unlike the philosophy course, which was suggested to the diocese by the university, the idea to add the spirituality class came from within Ashburn’s office and St. Gregory’s was approached to construct the curriculum.

“They don’t currently offer (spirituality) or make that a requirement of their theology students,” Ashburn said. “But it’s something they’re working on too, because while it’s great to get all of the intellectual knowledge, we’ve got to be able to do something with that. We do have spirituality programs — we do spirituality in leadership and some of those things — but this intro to spirituality course is going to be more looking at the different schools of thought.”

Such close connection between the two institutions is relatively rare for a mission diocese, Ashburn said. Yet, it’s a relationship both sides take very seriously.

“It’s been a great partnership; they’ve bent over backwards for us,” Ashburn said. “They really see, and this is in the words from their provost, that even though they’re a Catholic university that functions within the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City, their real major Catholic connection is with our diocese.

“There are other dioceses around the country that offer lay ministry programs, but I’d venture to guess there aren’t many where the diocese offers and administers bachelor degree programs. I think if you’re looking at a rural diocese and a mission diocese like we are, that’s fairly unique.”

Prior to this year, the Office of Faith Formation could only offer a degree in theology if the student already had a bachelor’s degree. The program has evolved so students without any prior college coursework can enter the program and earn a first degree in theology through the diocesan program. General education courses are taken through the University of Arkansas Little Rock, the bulk of coursework through the Office of Faith Formation’s 10 classroom weekends per year and some additional independent study through St. Gregory. Students already taking advantage of this option are several seminarians living at the House of Formation in Little Rock.

Around 60 people are currently enrolled in the program at various levels. Ashburn said between 25 and 30 students on average start the program; the number who complete all three years in a given class dwindles down to about half. He said while the program could handle more students, experience has shown the program’s future does not currently lie in distance learning.

“Last year we attempted to offer (a philosophy course) online. It didn’t work well, at all,” he said. “Everybody, from the teacher who taught it to the students to the administration, we all recognized that it just didn’t work.”

This isn’t to say the office is standing still when it comes to cultivating new programs to appeal to new pools of students. Ashburn predicted a Spanish language version of its coursework would be offered in the coming years and also mentioned St. Gregory’s was considering tracks in pastoral theology, religious education and even a master’s program, versions of which could one day be offered through the diocese.

“The master’s program in theology is something that, right now, is an on-campus program, but they are working on the online components so we could potentially offer that to our students,” he said. “It’s an example of our continued evolution as we both continue to grow this partnership going forward.”

The Little Rock Theology Institute is accepting new students through Aug. 15. Classes begin Sept. 5. Students can attend for personal enrichment, catechist certification or a bachelor’s degree in theology. Students meet at St. John Center in Little Rock from 7-10 p.m. Fridays and 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Saturdays once a month from September to June.

For more information, call (501) 664-0340 or visit http://www.dolr.org/offices/religiouseducation/theologyinstitute.php.