The seminary is 'the heart of the church', for it is where the future priests are fostered. Therefore, it is true to say that the themes learned in the seminary have a great effect on the future church; for if 'the future shepherd'(the seminarians) ar...
The seminary is 'the heart of the church', for it is where the future priests are fostered. Therefore, it is true to say that the themes learned in the seminary have a great effect on the future church; for if 'the future shepherd'(the seminarians) are misguided in their scholar years, than there is a great chance that the 'lambs'(the faithful) are misguided as well. Hence it becomes apparent that the curriculum has to be properly structured in a way so that th 'deposit of faith' could be well delivered. Among many subjects in the curriculum, dogmatics, in particular, has to be carefully reviewed since of its importance of dealing with the core teaching of the church.
For this reason in this thesis, we will be focusing on the contents of the curriculum of dogmatics based on the "Catechism Of The Catholic Church", which includes the core teachings of the church. First, in chapter one, we will be looking briefly at the history and the meaning of the catechism, as well as its birth, goal, structure, and authority. Next, in chapter two, we will examine the structure of the curriculum in other seminaries and consider some of the possibilities of its improvements in the curriculum of dogmatics. And in chapter three, on the basis of what we have gone through, we will make a summary for each subject of dogmatics accordingly to the appropriate contents of the catechism. And furthermore, we will consider 'what are the prime subjects that has to be dealt first in the curriculum' as well as the structural problem and its alternatives.
Meanwhile, the problem with the curriculum concerning the dogmatics is that each University has its own unique curriculum which makes the reconciliation difficult. Also, another problem is that Mariology and Theology of the Holy Sprit are not Widely given among the Universities. In fact, only two out of seven seminaries were giving these subjects. To this, as a possible solution, if the addition of new courses to the curriculum is not possible, we can suggest to establish a single course that integrate all dogmatics in one.
As Pope Jean Paul 2nd mentioned, the catechism is the 'tool for the new evangelization'. Consequently, teaching dogmatics based on the "Catechism Of The Catholic Church" to the seminarians who will become the next leaders in evangelization, is of sure an essential one.