Theology of the Body for High School Students

Our Theology of the Body for High School Students series continues with Theology of the Body, the Church & the Sacraments starting October 30, 2012.

You can jump into this series anytime, so no worries if you didn't take the course from September.. There is no prerequisite. We would love for you to join this great group of Catholic homeschooling students. Monica Ashour is the kind of teacher who can bring understanding to the most complicated theological truths. The students love her, partly due to her gift of for that reason, but also because they can see her joy for her subject matter -- Pope John Paul II's Theology of the Body!

Theology of the Body, the Church and the Sacraments (Ecclesiology & Sacramental Theology)

(click on course title to register)

Class dates: Tuesdays, Oct. 30 to Dec. 18, 2012
Total classes: 8
Starting time: 1:00 pm Eastern (Noon Central)
Duration: 1 hour
Fee: $90 for entire 8-week course.
Instructor: Monica Ashour, MTS; M Hum
Prerequisite: None
Suggested grade level: 10th to 12th
High school credit: ½ semester credit or full semester with extra reading
Course description: The students in this course will study the nature of the Church, that is, how She is in the “nature of a sacrament” (Lumen Gentium), along with all of her other aspects from the perspective of Pope John Paul’s Theology of the Body. We will examine the thoughts of our Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI, who has written extensively on the Church and on the Liturgy.
Course outline:
Class 1: Course expectations and overview
Class 2: The source of Revelation
Class 3: The Marks of the Church
Class 4: Recapitulate ecclesiology
Class 5: The Sacraments
Class 6: The role of the Holy Spirit
Class 7: The Mass and liturgy
Class 8: Recapitulation of everything
Course materials (All can be found FREE online -- links will be provided to students):
1. The Bible—The Institution of the Last Supper in all 3 synoptic Gospels and John’s Washing of the Feet; all of the book of Ephesians; Hebrews 5-13
2. The Catechism of the Catholic Church
3. The Documents of Vatican II, especially Sacrosanctum Concilium and Lumen Gentium
4. Ecclesia de Eucharistia (Pope John Paul’s encyclical on the Eucharist and Its relationship to the Church—Read 6 paragraphs a week)
5. The short essay “The Weight of Glory” in the longer collection with the same name: The Weight of Glory and short essay “Man or Rabbit”, both by CS Lewis.
6. Fr. Godfrey Diekmann’s “Two Approaches to Understanding the Sacraments”
Homework: Weekly quizzes, a major project, & final exam: Answer keys provided for parental or self grading. A minimum of 30 minutes a day suggested for study, reading, quizzes, project, and final Note that the pressure is not great, as rarely is there discussion over the reading assignments. Rather, Miss Ashour gives the reading list to help the students find good resources and to promote exploring their faith on their own as they grow into adulthood.
Note: Please email homeschoolconnections@gmail.com for a complete syllabus.