St. Bernard's School of Theology and Ministry - Program Offerings

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Graduate Degree, Certificate, & Formation Programs www.stbernards.edu | (585) 271-3657

INSIDE YOU'LL FIND:

MISSION

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PRE-THEOLOGY FORMATION

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PERMANENT DIACONATE FORMATION

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GRADUATE DEGREES

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CERTIFICATE PROGRAMS

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ST. BERNARD'S MAGAZINE

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BLOG & STUDENT TESTIMONIAL

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Should you have any questions regarding our programs, please feel free to contact the Office of Admissions.

M R .

M A T T H E W

B R O W N

M A T T H E W . B R O W N @ S T B E R N A R D S . E D U ( 5 8 5 )

2 7 6 - 3 6 5 7 ,

O P T .

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Mission & Vision Our

institution

has

a

rich

history

spanning

over 125 years

of

providing theological education and formation. We strive to reunite theology,

sanctity,

and

prayer

in

and

through

our

courses

by

contemplating what is true, beautiful, and good, thereby appealing to both the mind and heart in coming to know and to love Truth, Beauty, and Goodness Himself. Our physical campus is located in upstate New York and has a legacy that includes people and places such

as

Venerable Archbishop Fulton Sheen

and

the

nearby

Cistercian Abbey of the Genesee.

Our mission is to nurture the entirety of the human person through attention to the pastoral, intellectual, spiritual, and human pillars of formation with the hope that we may, in a definite and dedicated way, assist our students to understand the things of our Faith and to incarnate them in their day-to-day service to God's people and the world as a whole.

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Pre-Theology Formation

As part of our ongoing contribution to the St.

ministerial

needs

Bernard’s

of

our

developed

Church, a

Pre-

Theology Program to address a need that

many

country

dioceses

face:

to

throughout

prepare

young

the men

who, although possessing a bachelor’s degree,

have

not

received

the

necessary

spiritual,

human,

pastoral,

but

especially the philosophical training required for entrance into the seminary.

The

Pre-Theology

program

uses

the

Master of Arts in Catholic Philosophy curriculum, courses

to

outlined

in

combined meet the

with

the

additional

requirements

Program

of

Priestly

Formation. By the time a candidate is ready for seminary, he will have received St. Bernard's Master of Arts in Catholic Philosophy degree.

A student’s intellectual formation can be

completed

semesters),

or

in at

two a

years

more

(six

leisurely

pace chosen by the student’s Director of Vocations, and can be taken from anywhere in the country.

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Permanent Diaconate Formation As part of our ongoing contribution to the ministerial needs of our Church, St. Bernard’s offers formation for the Permanent Diaconate in partnership with the Dioceses of Rochester, Albany, Buffalo, and Allentown. This formation program is designed to be part of a concerted effort on the part of a diocese to form a man spiritually, pastorally, humanly, and intellectually so that he might discern and be formed for the sake of successful ministry as a permanent deacon.

Typically,

five

years

are

devoted

to

preparation

Master of Arts in Pastoral Studies degree

is

for used

this as

sacrament. the

basis

of

The the

intellectual formation for a dicoese’s permanent diaconate program and each diocese customizes this degree program with specified electives and program completion

timelines

to

meet

their

formational

needs.

St.

Bernard’s

is

prepared to be a collaborator alongside the broader team of formators within each diocese to ensure that excellent intellectual formation is provided, which is

also

bolstered

by

the

other

three

dimensions

of

formation.

St.

Bernard’s

offers a robust academic advising program and is able to provide diocesean formation teams with intellectual reporting tools such as advising assessments, reporting, and regular evaluation meetings - all at the individual direction and request of each diocese.

This program is developed in accordance with the National Directory for the Formation, publication

Ministry,

and

authored

Life

and

of

Permanent

published

by

Deacons

the

United

in

the

United

States

States,

Conference

a of

Catholic Bishops (USCCB).

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Graduate Programs St. Bernard’s academic offerings assist students of all ages in coming to know and to love the Lord and his Church through theological, philosophical, and pastoral engagement. Men and women, cleric and lay, ecclesial ministers and those seeking personal formation and edification enroll in our programs, seeking the good, the true, and the beautiful alongside one another. More on our graduate programs can be found on our website here.

We have four degree programs:

1.

MASTER OF ARTS IN THEOLOGICAL STUDIES .

Our MATS seeks to

provide students with a thorough understanding of theology that simultaneously increases knowledge of the faith and incites the humble adoration of the mysteries of divine revelation.

2.

MASTER OF ARTS IN PASTORAL STUDIES .

This degree seeks to

provide students with a dynamic combination of theological and ministerial formation, which prepares them to offer an engaging, wellformed witness to the world.

3.

MASTER OF DIVINITY.

Our MDIV seeks to provide students with an

extensive and dynamic combination of theological and ministerial formation, thereby providing a firm foundation for professional ministry.

4.

MASTER OF ARTS IN CATHOLIC PHILOSOPHY .

This degree seeks to

engage students in a systematic study of philosophy as realized within the Catholic intellectual tradition at a graduate level. Students will become historically informed, independent thinkers who can engage in the discipline of philosophy as practiced within Catholic intellectual circles and outside of these within contemporary culture for the sake of the goods for which the Diaconate, priesthood, or other ministries within the Roman Catholic Church exist.

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Certificate Programs Our Certificates seek to enrich those wanting to learn more – who desire to be formed and informed so as to offer a well-formed witness to the world. Below you’ll find a summary of our programs. Note that a bachelor’s degree is not required for our certificates. More on our certificates can be found on our website here.

We have five programs that are each comprised of 5 courses (15 credit hours):

1.

CERTIFICATE IN CATHOLICISM AND FINE ARTS (CCFA) .

This

certificate program seeks to explore various art forms and their relation to and revelation of the faith.

2.

CERTIFICATE IN CATHOLIC PHILOSOPHY (CCP) .

Our CCP seeks to

provide a basic introduction to the practice of philosophy as realized within the Catholic intellectual tradition.

3.

CERTIFICATE IN CATHOLIC BIOETHICS (CCB) .

This certificate program

will provide an introduction to the realm of bioethics from the Catholic perspective.

4.

CERTIFICATE IN CATECHETICAL LEADERSHIP (CCL) .

At the heart of

St. Bernard’s exists the desire to form those discerning ministry – being Christ’s hands and feet to those around them. This certificate program provides a basic introduction to the tenets of the faith and ways to discern calls to ministry.

5.

CERTIFICATE IN CATHOLIC BIBLICAL STUDIES (CCBS) .

This certificate

provides a thorough grounding in the study of Sacred Scripture with a focus on its historical context combined with the fullness of the canon, an explicit philosophy of interpretation, and a hermeneutic of faith in the context of the Church.

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St. Bernard's Magazine Each

semester,

St.

Bernard's

publishes

its

Magazine

as

an

opportunity

to

update its community of alumni, students, donors, faculty, and others with our news,

events,

student

and

alumni

spotlights,

and

faculty

writings.

We

were

thrilled to give our publication a refreshed look and invite you to view it by clicking the image below! If you'd like to receive a copy of our magazine in the mail, you can fill out this form here.

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St. Bernard's Blog & Student Testimonial St.

Bernard's

blog

is

an

opportunity

for

students,

alumni,

and

professors

to

engage current events and topics of faith and culture. We invite you to peruse our blogs, found on our website and by clicking the image below:

Student Testimonial Jonathan Molik Graduate Certificate in Pastoral Studies, Buffalo Campus As someone who has been involved in ministry in the Diocese of Buffalo for

several

provide

him

years, the

Jonathan

best

was

opportunity

searching to

grow

in

for his

a

school

ability

to

that

could

serve

and

further his career goals. He was drawn to the Graduate Certificate in Pastoral Studies program because not only will it further his knowledge of theology, but it will teach him how to bring a pastoral approach to modern

problems

of

the

world.

He

hopes

to

devote

his

entire

life

to

fostering a culture built on a foundation of love and faith.

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For more than 125 years, St. Bernard's has steadily pursued a course of dedication and service to Christ and His Church. In 1981 St. Bernard's became one of the first accredited Roman Catholic theological schools in the eastern US to offer graduate education to lay people. In 1989, St. Bernard's opened its doors in the Diocese of Albany, and in 2011 held its first class in the Diocese of Syracuse. In 2019, St. Bernard's began its first ever online distance learning program allowing anyone anywhere to access our graduate theology and philosophy degrees.

Our mission is to nurture the entirety of the human person through attention to the pastoral, intellectual, spiritual, and human pillars of formation with the hope that we may, in a definite and dedicated way, assist our students to understand the things of our Faith and to incarnate them in their day-today service to God's people and the world as a whole.

120 French Road

(585) 271-3657

Rochester, NY 14618

www.stbernards.edu