Phoenix parish offers new theology program

Coursework to focus on in-depth study of the faith

By Joyce Coronel | Sept. 3, 2009 | The Catholic Sun

As students all over the state get reacquainted with their new class schedule, there’s another group ready to begin studies of a different sort.

Theology students will commence classes Sept. 14 at the new Institute of Catholic Theology, based out of St. Thomas the Apostle Parish. Fr. John Ehrich, pastor, said he began the institute to help adult Catholics dig deeper into the truths and theological foundations of the faith.

The new endeavor will complement the work of the Kino Institute, which focuses on catechetical education for candidates for the diaconate and other adults involved in ministry.

“The institute will provide a more in-depth study of the theological concepts of our faith and is a natural next step from Kino,” Fr. Ehrich said. “Even though the classes will be more in depth, they are meant to be accessible to the average adult.”

The Institute of Catholic Theology will offer six classes this fall, with three featured in the first quarter during September and October and three more featured in a second quarter during November and December.

The six professors who will teach at the institute have all attained a degree at the master’s level or higher. Fr. Ehrich, who studied moral theology in Rome, earned his licentiate in sacred theology in 2007. The Institute of Catholic Theology is one way he plans to share what he learned in his advanced studies.

“I have heard many Catholics throughout my years as a priest talk about how they don’t know their faith and that they wish they could spend more time learning about these deep truths,” Fr. Ehrich said. He hopes classes offered by the institute will help address those needs.

At a time when atheists have become more vocal in their beliefs and many Catholics are not sure how to defend the faith, Fr. Ehrich’s course during the second quarter will examine the ever-thorny problem of evil.

“If God is all-loving and all-powerful, why does He allow us to suffer? Does that not make Him either not all-powerful, not all-loving or both?” the course description reads. Students will consider insights on this topic from such heavyweights as Augustine, Aquinas, C.S. Lewis and John Paul II.

Other courses available in the fall lineup include Theology for Beginners, the Catholic Philosophy of Education, the Story of Salvation, a course on Church teaching on marriage and chastity, and an introduction to the works of C.S. Lewis.

Cultivating growth

Although the Institute of Catholic Theology will not offer certifications or diplomas this fall, Fr. Ehrich envisions the possibility of pairing with an existing university in order to be able to offer a bachelor’s degree at some point in the future.

For now, the emphasis is to cultivate and deepen the Catholic intellectual discussion in the diocese by offering a variety of classes that will enrich an adult’s understanding of the faith.

Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted said the institute was an important and welcome development in the Phoenix Diocese.

“The Institute of Catholic Theology will provide our people, here at the local level, with the opportunity to explore important theological questions of our time. It will build on the catechesis offered at the Kino Institute and in other programs of the diocese and of our parishes,” Bishop Olmsted said.

Defending faith

Anthony DiStefano, who has taught theology and philosophy at Xavier College Preparatory for the last 11 years, will be one of the institute’s instructors. His class, an the Introduction to C.S. Lewis, will be offered during the institute’s second quarter.

“Lewis possessed a remarkable ability to help Christians understand their beliefs, the implications of those beliefs, and why the most popular attacks on the faith fail to help us make sense of our reason or experience,” DiStefano said. “As the so-called new atheists are gaining attention and selling scores of books by oversimplifying the beliefs, practices and history of Christianity, reading and discussing Lewis can be profitable for anyone interested in thinking through their faith.”

So far, about 100 people have signed up to take classes at the institute, but registration continues online.