Requirements

Major/Minor

The major program in pastoral ministry provides an innovative, comprehensive program that prepares students for parish or other ministries and agencies. Students have the opportunity to study and reflect on the Christian, and in particular the Roman Catholic tradition, and integrate that study with their life experience and ministry. Students in the pastoral ministry program will be challenged to develop the intellectual and practical skills necessary for effective ministry.

Major Requirements
• Forty-five semester hours of credit are required,
• Pastoral Ministry 160, 290; 353 or 357 or 381
• Theology 110; 120 or 230; 122 or 232; 130; 240; 252; 310
• Theology 261 or 320 or Pastoral Ministry 363
• Theology 353 or Pastoral Ministry 254

In addition to these required courses, a three-credit internship Pastoral Ministry 455 is required.
The remaining six credits will be distributed in electives related directly to ministry.
Admission to the pastoral ministry major requires a personal essay on ministerial experience or aspirations, along with two letters of recommendation attesting to the applicant’s aptitude for ministry. In consultation with their advisor, students may design specializations either from courses or programs already offered at Dominican University or from other approved programs. For instance, Dominican students may take the Certificate in Youth Ministry, which is offered in partnership with Loyola University of Chicago, to fulfill their specialization in Youth Ministry.
Possible areas of specialization are care and bereavement, catechesis and evangelization, family ministry, youth ministry, worship and ritual, sacred music, and parish management.
A minimum of eight courses in the major field must be completed at Dominican.

Minor Requirements
• Twenty-four semester hours are required, including
• Pastoral Ministry 160; 290 or 353 or 357
• Theology 110; 122 or 232; 130; 252; 261 or 320 or Pastoral Ministry 363
• Theology 252 or 310

Double Major in Pastoral Ministry and Theology
In the case of a pastoral ministry major wishing also to major in theology, no more than eighteen semester hours may be double-counted. Therefore, no fewer than 54 semester hours are required for the double major.

Certificate in Pastoral Ministry
Dominican University also offers a program leading to a certificate in pastoral ministry. The courses required for this certificate are the same as the major and include a course each in English and mathematics.
The program in pastoral ministry is administered by the theology and pastoral ministry discipline. Courses listed below are designed specifically for the pastoral ministry program.

Courses
160. INTRODUCTION TO MINISTRY: THEOLOGY AND PRACTICE (3)
As an introductory seminar, this course will engage students in discussion of the theological and practical dimensions of ministry and the minister in the Christian/Catholic tradition. Personal reflection and engagement in the issues are key components in the course.

254. INTRODUCTION TO RITUAL AND SYMBOL (3)
In many ways a person’s understanding of ritual and symbol frames his or her world-view. This course will explore the fascinating world of ritual and symbol and examine the deeper source of human imagination, which serves as a context for Christian liturgy and sacrament.

270. COMMUNICATION SKILLS FOR MINISTRY (3)
The ability to listen and respond is the foundation for ministry. In addition, the skills for leading task groups, presentations, and working with staff and volunteers are essential components for a minister. This course will provide theory and practice, and will involve the development of a project for a particular ministerial setting.

290. PASTORAL COUNSELING (3)
This course is designed to equip students with the basic knowledge and skills necessary to help others in times of crisis and need. Attention to the theoretical foundations of pastoral care and counseling complements the development of such skills as listening and responding, assessment and referral.

299. SERVICE LEARNING (1)
Taken in conjunction with a regularly listed pastoral ministry course.
Prerequisite: Consent of instructor
302. SEASONS OF GRACE: CELEBRATING THE LITURGICAL YEAR (3)
Throughout the course of church history, time has been a symbol that unfolds the mystery of God’s love for humanity, revealed in Jesus Christ, as it celebrates the seasons and feasts of the church year. This course will cover the history, symbols, traditions and music of the church year; the calendar of saints; and the celebrations that mark significant transitions in the human life cycle.

351. MINISTRY TO FAMILY (3)
Ministers who work with families know the complex and challenging questions asked about faith development within family life. We will explore the sacred ground of home and examine how parishes can respond to needs by promoting catechesis, liturgy and rituals, prayer, justice and service and family life to strengthen today’s family, called by Vatican II to be the “Domestic Church.”

353. LEADERSHIP IN PRAYER (3)
Increasingly, ministry in the church involves leadership in prayer. This course is designed to help ministers become effective prayer leaders through knowledge of the tradition and development of their own personal skills.

357. CARE AND BEREAVEMENT MINISTRY (3)
This course will explore the Biblical and historical foundations of bereavement ministry, emphasize advanced communication skills for this ministry and consider various approaches to pastoral care of the sick (e.g., hospice, nursing home and homebound ministry). Students will work with their personal experience of grief and apply this to ministry within parishes or other communities.

363. ETHICS FOR MINISTRY (3)
This course helps students to become effective “moral ministers,” both well grounded in the Christian (especially Catholic) tradition of moral reflection and aware of themselves as moral persons and leaders. Topics to be considered include the role of conscience in the moral life, confidentiality, appropriate professional relationships, and fostering communities of moral discourse.

380. EVANGELIZATION: THE MISSION OF THE CHURCH (3)
This course focuses in a theologically critical manner on a central mission of the Church: inviting people to God’s reign and to conversion. Students are invited to draw upon Biblical and other sources within the Christian tradition in order to examine and develop models of evangelization and renewal, especially within present-day parish life.

382. RELIGIOUS EDUCATION AS A TRANSFORMATIVE PROCESS (3)
Religious education is about the life-long work of transforming attitudes, behaviors and understandings into attitudes, behaviors and understandings offered by faith and wisdom traditions. During this course you will determine your religious education style, study the educational models that support your style and develop a strategy to best use your style as a tool in your work as a religious educator. The setting of the work is varied; it may take place in an institution, a family, a corporation, or in whatever setting you find yourself.

455. INTERNSHIP (1-8)

INDEPENDENT RESEARCH OR CREATIVE INVESTIGATION (1-3)
Introductory, Intermediate, Advanced, Senior Thesis Independent Research or Creative Investigation is a course in which students collaborate with faculty
mentors on an ongoing faculty research project or conduct an independent project under the guidance of a faculty member. This directed undergraduate research or creative investigation culminates in a conference presentation, journal article or other creative/scholarly project.
Prerequisite: Consent of instructor