LIVING MINISTRY/ CCRS

MODULE OUTLINES

THE CHURCH

Aim
The purpose of this module is to enable participants to reflect on the nature of the Church and its mission in the world today.

Learning Outcomes

Participants should :

be familiar with the Vatican Il teaching on the Church

be aware of the variety of roles in the Church of today

recognise the relationship of the Church to the world as one of service

appreciate the relationship between the Catholic Church and other Christian Churches

appreciate the relationship between the Catholic Church and other faiths

be able to communicate what they have learned from an adult stance.

Learning Process

This will include:

reflection on personal experience

related input to deepen understanding

the gathering of information through reading and listening

group discussion .

Syllabus Outline

The meaning and significance of the term Church, as used in the earliest days and developed in later practice

The significance and practical implications of the ecclesiology of Vatican II

The mission of the Church in the world today

The relationship between the Catholic Church and other denominations

The relationship of the Catholic Church to other faiths .

Assessment for CCRS Students

Participants will be credited with this module upon satisfying both of the following conditions:

Attendance for at least 80% of the ten hours' contact time

Successful completion of an Assignment based on some aspect of the content of this module and related to one or more of the identified learning outcomes .

Recommended Reading

Contemporary Catholic Theology: a Reader
edited by Michael A Hayes & Liam Gearon, 1998 Gracewing

Catechism of the Catholic Church
1994, Geoffrey Chapman

Models of the Church
Avery Dulles, 1987 Doubleday

The Church in the Midst of Creation
Vincent Donovan

Lost Soul: The Catholic Church Today
Donal O'Leary, Columba

From the Second Vatican Council

Lumen Gentium - The Constitution on the Church
Gaudium et Spes - The Pastoral Constitution on the Church: The Church in the Modern World

Sample Assignment Titles

"Where do I stand in the Church?"

How are the Holy Scripture, Sacred Tradition, the Magisterium and Religious Experience related?

Looking at the models of the Church discuss the positive and negative features of the different images. How do they relate to personal experience?

Models of the Church: select some you think are important and review their positive and negative features. If you wish, say where you are in the Church and why.