This course endeavors to blend the various religious backgrounds of the students with a clear, concise overview of the Catholic Faith. It emphasizes belief in God, and God's Son, Jesus. The roles of scripture, church, prayer, and the sacraments are examined in the light of personal responsibility and one's relationship with God.

This course provides the students with the necessary information and skills to read the scriptures intelligently and fruitfully so that they may apply its message to their lives. This course seeks to foster an appreciation of the historical context in which God spoke to the people of Israel and thereby developed a personal relationship with them. Jesus, as the Word of God, comes as the fulfillment of the Father's promise and the perfect expression of God's message to people of all times.

This course leads the students tp re-examine their faith in the light of today's Church and the teaching of VaticanII. Faith as God's gift to us, caalls for transformation in Christ and a response in our lives. Thus, this course extends the faith concept to include education for jutice and peace as a process based on the values of human dignity, global community, and non-violence intrinsic to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. This course challenges growth in social responsibility and provides ways to effect structural change as an instrument for the transformation of the world.

Within the context of the Judeo-Christian tradition and the Tradition of the Catholic Church, this course explores the burning issues and questions of personal morality, societal morality, and social justice. Utilizing the Ten Commandments and the Sermon on the Mount as structural teaching tools, the course will emphasize formation of conscience and the role of discernment in one's spiritual and moral life.

This required course is designed to give students a more mature attitude about the qualities necessary for a Christian lifestyle and a Christian marriage. Vocations and lifestyles of the ordained ministry, single life, and religious life will be examined. Life attitudes, sexuality, values, biblical and sacramental dimensions of marriage, annulments, and liturgical elements will be explored. Group involvement and interaction will be highlighted along with good communication techniques.

Within the understanding of the conscious formation of a faith community, this course will study the creed, professed each Sunday at the liturgy, with particular stress on apologetics. The student will be prepared to defend and personally witness his/her Catholic faith with courage and humility in response to John Paul II's call to young people to be "genuine apologists for the mystery of redemption".

This course will explore the world's great religions: Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, Christianity, Islam, aspects of Confucianism and Taoism, as well as tribal religions such as Native American Spirituality. Representative texts (scriptures and sacred literature), as well as religious symbols and their meaning (art, music, prayer, etc.) will be examined. Additional aspects of the study will focus on contemporary ethical issues and the role of women within each tradition. From this study students may be able to appreciate their own spiritual heritage as well as clarify what value these specific religions bring to our locus of belief and/or current religious practice.