Certificate in Evangelization (CE)
“You must not hide your talent in a napkin, or your light under a bushel. I want a laity, not arrogant, not rash in speech, not disputatious, but men who know their religion, who enter into it, who know just where they stand, who know what they hold, and what they do not, who know their creed so well that they can give an account of it, who know so much of history that they can defend it. I want an intelligent and well-instructed laity… I wish you to enlarge your knowledge, to cultivate your reason, to get an insight into the relation of truth, to learn to view things as they are, to understand how faith and reason stand to each other, what are the bases and principles of Catholicism.” (St. John Henry Newman, Present Positions of Catholics in England)
Included in St. Bernard's Certificate Programs is the Certificate in Evangelization, which aims to equip Catholics to be luminous witnesses to Christ in the world through deepened conversion of the mind. It is comprised of six courses and is carried out over two years, featuring three courses each year. Students sign up for courses one at a time; students who elect to continue through the full program will belong to a cohort that begins each fall. The program is led by priests of the Saint John Society, a congregation founded in Argentina two decades ago to preach afresh the Good News, in partnership with St. Bernard’s School of Theology and Ministry.
Program Curriculum
The required courses meet for 10 consecutive weeks. The First Year begins with an introduction to evangelization, examining the Church as a missionary body in dialogue with the core tenets and approaches of the Catholic faith. The Second Year applies and deepens the principles developed in the first, and relates the transformational impetus of the missionary call to the person and mission of Jesus Christ.
Year One:
- The Missionary Church (Fall, 1 credit)
- Christian Anthropology (Winter, 1 credit)
- Christology (Spring, 1 credit)
- St. John Henry Newman Symposium (Summer, non-credit)
Year Two:
- Kerygma: Content and Proclamation (Fall, 1 credit)
- Morality of the New Life (Winter, 1 credit)
- Sacred Scripture as Text(s) of Transformation (Spring, 1 credit)
- St. John Henry Newman Symposium (Summer, non-credit)
Winter 2025 Course:
CE201: Morality of the New Life (with Sr. Teresa Harrell)
This course explores the morality of the New Life in Christ. Drawing on Sacred Scripture, the Catechism, Papal Encyclicals, and the Summa Theologiae of St. Thomas Aquinas, we will explore the classical Catholic approach to the moral life as the way to union with God, in contrast with other common views of morality as extrinsic, formal, or relative. We will develop the fundamental ideas of Law, Virtue, and Vice, explore the difference between the natural and the theological virtues, and, finally, apply these principles to some of the more controversial moral topics of our time.
(1 academic credit)
Online
Program Overview
New cohorts of certificate students will begin each fall. While we encourage students to take courses with their cohort, we welcome those who need to complete the program at a different pace or who would only like to take individual courses.
Courses will include a mixture of lectures, discussions, readings, and writing assignments. Participation in the course meetings can be completed synchronously or asynchronously from anywhere in the country via Zoom videoconferencing technology. We also encourage and facilitate in-person gatherings for students who reside in the same geographical area, especially those in our “hub cities” of Portland, OR; Corvallis, OR; Washington, DC; and Rochester, NY.
We take Newman’s comments as a mission statement, and we humbly add the summons to go forth boldly on Christ’s behalf! We hope that this certificate serves as an instrument to form well-instructed missionary disciples who will be salt and light in the world, both by their witness of life and also through their explicit proclamation of the New Life in Jesus.
The Certificate in Evangelization aims to provide an opportunity for theological and missional formation at a reasonable cost to the participant. The cost per course is $200 plus a $20 technology and registration fee, totaling $220. In sum, the entire certificate will cost the participant $1,320 (cost of the Summer Symposium not included). Auditing is available at a lower cost, but students are permitted to audit only a single course, given that the audit option is conceived as a means of discerning participation in the program.
Students interested in applying for this program can complete the online application by clicking below. Applicants interested in starting this program in the winter must apply by January 2nd, 2025.
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