What bible courses do men take in seminary before becoming an ordained priest?

What bible courses do men take in seminary before becoming an ordained priest?

I am sure it will vary from seminary to seminary.

The Seminary of Christ the King for example teaches at the high school, college and university levels. It is the smallest university in Canada.

Having been a former seminary student here, I could add that depending on the year in question, other electives may be offered in any one academic year. For example if several Ukrainian students were to enter at once, the seminary would include studies in Ukrainian and so on.

It is the only high school seminary in Canada. Here are their high school courses:

High School Curriculum

We offer a regular academic high school curriculum:

• English

• Math

• Science

• Social Studies

• Latin

• Religion

All students are required to take:

• French

• Choral

• Drama

• Band

• Physical Education

Their Faculty of Arts or their Pre-Theology Program includes the following:

Academic Program The concentration is on Philosophy, with a minimum of 18 semester hours. Other courses from the Faculty of Arts are taken, depending on the individual’s needs and interests. A student is expected to carry not fewer than 15 or more than 19 semester hours per semester. No degree or diploma is awarded, but the student will have fulfilled the academic requirements for the Seminary’s Faculty of Theology programs.

Courses of Instruction

• Philosophy

• History

• Biology

• Education

• English

• Fine Arts

• Geology

• Greek

• Latin

• Religious Studies

• Social Sciences

• Speech – Drama

Their Faculty of Theology or The M.Div. and B.Th. Programs

As the Seminary accepts only priesthood candidates, it can readily carry out the directive of the Holy See’s Basic Plan for Priestly Formation (#94) that “the pastoral aspect must receive special emphasis in all the subjects which are taught.” During the four-year programme students regularly earn between 120 and 132 semester hours of credit. The curriculum normally includes:

• Sacred Scripture: 24 semester hours

• Dogmatic Theology: 24 semester hours

• Moral Theology: 24 semester hours

• Church History and Patrology: 12 semester hours

• Canon Law: 8 semester hours

• Pastoral and Liturgical courses: 30 to 42 semester hours

Courses of Instruction

• Sacred Scripture

• Dogmatic Theology

• Moral Theology

• Church History

• Canon Law

• Pastoral and Liturgical Courses

Their Sacred Scripture academic program is as follows:

SCRI 510

(3) INTRODUCTION TO THE BIBLE. Inspiration; canon; texts; versions; basic rules of interpretation; biblical geography; Church pronouncements.

SCRI 511

(3) WISDOM LITERATURE OF THE OLD TESTAMENT. Non-biblical parallels; place of wisdom literature in the development of biblical theology; selected exegesis.

SCRI 512

(2-6) THE PSALMS. Literary forms of the Psalms; their place in Hebrew and Christian prayer; exegesis of typical psalms in view of their use in worship.

SCRI 520

(3) THE PENTATEUCH. God’s revelation of himself through creation and covenant; the centrality of Exodus in Old Testament history; the concept of People of God and worship by word and sacrifice.

SCRI 521

(3) THE FOUR GOSPELS. The Gospels as records of history and faith written by believers for believers; three stages of evolution of the Gospels; the evangelists as theologians; the Synoptics and St John.

SCRI 530

(3) OLD TESTAMENT PROPHETICAL BOOKS. Nature of prophecy; the call of a prophet and the difficulty of his vocation; introduction to the individual prophets and selected exegesis.

SCRI 531

(3) OLD TESTAMENT HISTORICAL BOOKS. History of salvation from Joshua to the Maccabees; biblical historical forms; king and priests as God’s anointed; Jerusalem.

SCRI 540

(3) THE APOSTOLIC CHURCH. As portrayed in the Acts of the Apostles; kerygmatic speeches of Peter and Paul; portrait of St Paul.

SCRI 541

(3) NEW TESTAMENT EPISTLES. Pauline and Catholic Epistles; selected exegesis; justification in St Paul.

SCRI 590

(3-6) HONOURS TUTORIAL. In-depth study of an aspect of Sacred Scripture; graduating essay.

The Seminary of Christ the King also has a Spirituality Year or SY Formation Program in place. It is a non-academic program to help develop a Catholic priestly spirituality for students desiring to become priests.

In the fall of 2018, the Seminary of Christ the King began its Spirituality Year Program (sometimes referred to as a propaedeutic period) for all candidates who enter the seminary. The purpose of the Spirituality Year is to help seminarians “form a priestly heart” in the atmosphere of a Christian community. This involves acquiring a solid foundation for their faith, a habit of prayer, and a deep personal love for the Word of God. This time of formation (September to May) also prepares candidates to embrace their Christian/priestly vocation with greater freedom of heart. As she states in her most recent guidelines for the training of future priests (2016), the Church now considers programs like the Spirituality Year to be a regular part of seminary formation.

Meditative Study

The approach of the program is non-academic and experiential, that is to say, courses are not for credit. It is hoped that, without the pressure of academic performance, seminarians can more easily integrate the readings and discussions into a lived way of discipleship. Classes include: Scripture, the Catechism of the Catholic Church, priestly spirituality, and the liturgy. Presentations on selected formational topics also occur regularly. It is expected that the candidates will read the whole Catechism and a major portion of the Bible during their year, be instructed briefly in the spirituality of all the major liturgical feasts and read selected Magisterial and Conciliar documents as well as a few important Catholic spiritual classics.