Theology Department

Introduction

Within the Catholic, Jesuit identity of Loyola Academy, the mission of the theology department is:

to invite each student to respond
to the transformative call of Christ,
encountered sacramentally
and in an ecclesial community
that fosters spiritual, intellectual,
and social conversion
to a faith that does justice.

As students move through the four courses that make up the theology program, students will develop the ability to:

1. Respond to the invitation of Jesus, the Christ to live not for selves but for God as they encounter that invitation in prayer, study, worship, Scripture, and community.
2. Use kingdom values as preached by Jesus the Christ in the Gospels and from the spirituality of Ignatius in order to evaluate social structures and personal choices.
3. Articulate an Ignatian worldview that seeks God in all things which includes living a faith that does justice.
4. Express a sacramental imagination and symbolic thinking through arts, literature, and theology.
5. Articulate how God is calling them to a vocation of living a faith that does justice.
6. Critique social structures, both local and global, in light of social justice principles as articulated in Catholic social teaching.
7. Practice a process of moral decision making informed by gospel values, the Christian tradition and Ignatian spirituality.
8. Demonstrate Scriptural literacy.
9. Use the methods of modern biblical scholarship to interpret and to experience the Scriptures in personal reflection, prayer, and contemporary application.
10. Participate in shared experiences inside and outside of the classes and practice a method of theological reflection to explore these experiences.
11. Participate in classroom prayer and develop skills for liturgical worship. 
12. Engage in dialogue regarding the ideas and practices of a variety of world religions in order to better understand their own faith and promote respect and unity.