Full course description
Partner dioceses receive discounted courses. This link provides a list of partner dioceses and discount codes to use when registering.
On Christian Marriage will explore many aspects of the sacrament of marriage in the Roman Catholic tradition. The U.S. Catholic bishops have undertaken the National Pastoral Initiative on Marriage (NPIM). Our best description of the initiative begun in 2004 comes from its web site:
“In the NATIONAL PASTORAL INITIATIVE FOR MARRIAGE (NPIM) the U.S. Catholic bishops call attention to the meaning and value of married life for the Church and for society. Bringing Catholic belief into dialogue with contemporary needs, the bishops urge the Catholic Church to become a community of hope and help for marriages and to join others in building a culture of marriage. The Initiative weaves together the Catholic faith tradition and its pastoral practice, the data of social science, and the experience of married couples to offer guidance and resources, including a pastoral letter, in order to promote, strengthen, sustain and restore marriages."
It is from these vast resources carefully prepared by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Secretariat of Laity, Marriage, Family and Youth where we will draw most of our learning material. Specifically, we will look to conferences co-sponsored by the NPIM to provide us with papers delivered by many different theologians and social scientists to assist in our reflections on Christian Marriage. We will also look to authoritative documents from the church including the Rite of Marriage and various pastoral letters and a document from Vatican II.
This course is designed to give you many different theological resources to discuss and explore the sacrament of marriage. We hope this course fosters for you an ability to reflect deeply on the sacrament of marriage that not only enhances your ministry and teaching, but also your marriage and friendships as well!
Course Content
Unit 1: The Social and Cultural Context of Christian Marriage in the United States
Unit 2: Marriage in the Christian Tradition Explored through its Biblical Foundations
Unit 3: Christian Marriage as Sacrament
Unit 4: The Ecclesial and Juridical Context of Christian Marriage
Unit 5: The Celebration of Christian Marriage: the Rite of Christian Marriage
Course Format
- Six weeks in duration; first week for orientation.
- Up to 20 students in each course.
- Weekly assigned readings.
- Supplemental readings are provided to encourage further exploration, internet links provided for all readings.
- Written assignments (200-250) required.
- Facilitator-moderated weekly Zoom sessions with participants.
Participation Requirements
- Read assigned texts; keep notes, questions, and comments for class discussions.
- Answer weekly discussion question.
- Respond to weekly unit assignment.
- Attend weekly Zoom for each unit. If you cannot attend, you can still meet the participation requirements.
- Complete the course evaluation.
Time Expectations
3 to 5 hours per week, depending on your learning style and schedule.