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Module Specifications.

Current Academic Year 2024 - 2025

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Date posted: September 2024

Module Title Theology of Ministry
Module Code HD8100 (ITS) / WEL1001 (Banner)
Faculty DCU Institute of Education School Human Development
Module Co-ordinatorSandra Cullen
Module TeachersJoseph Rivera
NFQ level 10 Credit Rating 10
Pre-requisite Not Available
Co-requisite Not Available
Compatibles Not Available
Incompatibles Not Available
Coursework Only
Description

This course is rooted in the premise that all consideration of ministry must take place in an ecclesial context. Hence the philosophy underpinning this course is based on a belief that all discussion of ministry begins with our understanding of what it is to be a faith community, and is implicitly linked to a theological understanding of God. This course will consider the historical evolution of the practice of ministry over 2,000 years of Christian growth. Vatican II and its influence on a renewed theology of ministry as intercultural and interreligious shall also be critiqued. Pastoral ministry, ordained and lay, shall be considered from a universal perspective, in so far as possible. The particular needs of Europe, and of Ireland shall also be addressed.

Learning Outcomes

1. Engage with the early sources, beliefs and practices which have defined Christian ministry making guided use of primary and secondary documentation.
2. Argue and reference a point of view in the theology of ministry supported by relevant academic sources
3. Demonstrate an ability to organise and communicate their understanding of issues in the theology of ministry through written assignment.
4. Critique current ecclesial strengths and deficits and suggest, in creative fidelity to the past, theologically rooted responses to the pastoral role of chaplaincy in the 21st century.



Workload Full-time hours per semester
Type Hours Description
Assignment Completion125No Description
Total Workload: 125

All module information is indicative and subject to change. For further information,students are advised to refer to the University's Marks and Standards and Programme Specific Regulations at: http://www.dcu.ie/registry/examinations/index.shtml

Indicative Content and Learning Activities

Church Ministry

Church and image of God

History of Ministry

Vatican II

Ministry, ordained and non-ordained

Ministry in Europe and Ireland

Assessment Breakdown
Continuous Assessment100% Examination Weight0%
Course Work Breakdown
TypeDescription% of totalAssessment Date
Assignmentn/a100%n/a
Reassessment Requirement Type
Resit arrangements are explained by the following categories:
Resit category 1: A resit is available for both* components of the module.
Resit category 2: No resit is available for a 100% continuous assessment module.
Resit category 3: No resit is available for the continuous assessment component where there is a continuous assessment and examination element.
* ‘Both’ is used in the context of the module having a Continuous Assessment/Examination split; where the module is 100% continuous assessment, there will also be a resit of the assessment
This module is category 1
Indicative Reading List

  • Austin Flannery: 1975, Vatican Council II, Vol I and II, Costello Publications Company,
  • Faith and Order paper no. 111: 1982, Baptism, Eucharist and Ministry, World Council of Churches, Geneva,
  • Wood, Susan K., ed: 2003, Ordering the Baptismal Priesthood: Theologies of Lay and Ordained Ministry, Liturgical Press Collegeville,
  • Paul F. Bradshaw: 1990, Ordination Rites of the Ancient Churches of East and West, Pueblo,
  • Raymond E. Brown: 1984, The Churches the Apostles left Behind, Paulist Press, London,
  • Elisabeth Schüssler Fiorenza and Hermann Häring eds: 1999, he Non-Ordination of Women and the Politics of Power, Concilium,
  • Cardinal Roger Mahoney and the Priests of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles: 2000, As I Have Done for You,
  • Nathan Mitchell: 1982, Mission and Ministry – History and Theology of the Sacrament of Orders, Delaware,
  • Osborne Kenan B: 1993, Ministry: Lay Ministry in the Roman Catholic Church, Its History and Theology, Paulist Press, New York,
  • Power, David N: 1992, Gifts that Differ: Lay Ministries, Established and Unestablished, Liturgical Press, New York,
  • Schillebeeckx, Edward: 1985, The Church with a Human Face – a New and Expanded Theology of Ministry, SCM Press, London,
  • Congar, Yves: 1965, Lay People in the Church, Geoffrey Chapman, London,
  • John N. Collins: 1990, Diakonia: Re-Interpreting the Ancient Sources, Oxford University Press, Oxford,
Other Resources

40006, Website, 0, Co-workers, http://www.co-workers.org/, 40008, Website, Vatican, 0, Vatican Website, http://www.vatican.va/,

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