Immaculate Conception Seminary School of Theology

Lewis Hall
(973) 761-9575, (973) 275-4651, (973) 275-2182, (973) 275-5878
shu.edu/theology

Rector/Dean: Monsignor Gerard H. McCarren, S.T.D.
Vice Rector and Business Manager: Reverend Robert K. Suszko, M.B.A., M.Div.
Associate Deans:
Reverend Christopher M. Ciccarino, S.S.L., S.T.D.,
Dianne M. Traflet, J.D., S.T.D.
Coordinator of Undergraduate Admissions and Retention:
Monsignor C. Anthony Ziccardi, S.S.L., S.T.D.
Undergraduate Chairs:
Timothy P. Fortin, Ph.D.
Ellen R. Scully, Ph.D.
Director of Formation: Reverend Renato J. Bautista, M.Div., M.A.
Director of the Institute for Christian Spirituality: Dianne M. Traflet, J.D., S.T.D.
Director of the Center for Diaconal Formation: Deacon Andrew E. Saunders, M.A.

Faculty: Justin M. Anderson, Ph.D.; Jamie Boulding, Ph.D.; M.A.; Rev. Christopher M. Ciccarino, S.S.L., S.T.D.; Timothy P. Fortin, Ph.D.; Gregory Y. Glazov, D.Phil. (Oxon.); Eric M. Johnston, Ph.D.; Rev. Joseph R. Laracy, S.T.D.; Patrick R. Manning, Ph.D.; Monsignor Gerard H. McCarren, S.T.D.; Rev. Douglas J. Milewski, S.T.D.; Rev. Roberto Ortiz, S.T.L., S.T.D. (cand.); Joseph P. Rice, Ph.D.; Ellen R. Scully, Ph.D.; Rev. Pawel Tomczyk, Ph.D.; Dianne M. Traflet, J.D., S.T.D.; Víctor Velarde Mayol, M.D., Ph.D.; Monsignor C. Anthony Ziccardi, S.S.L., S.T.D.

Faculty Emeriti: Rev. W. Jerome Bracken, C.P., Ph.D.; Zeni V. Fox, Ph.D.; Monsignor Thomas G. Guarino, S.T.D.; Rev. Lawrence B. Porter, Ph.D.; Monsignor James C. Turro, S.T.L., S.S.L., Ph.D.; Monsignor Robert J. Wister, Hist.Eccl.D.

Immaculate Conception Seminary was founded in 1860 at Seton Hall and remained part of the University until 1927, when it moved to separate facilities in Darlington, near Mahwah, NJ. In 1984, Immaculate Conception Seminary School of Theology (ICSST) re-affiliated with the University. In 2007, the School launched a Bachelor of Arts degree in Catholic Theology, available to the University’s entire undergraduate population.

The Bachelor of Arts in Catholic Theology enables students to engage their world from a rich theological and spiritual perspective that enhances any career or vocational path. Students participating in the program experience the profound intellectual heritage of Catholicism as a living faith that has laid the foundations for much of world civilization and that provides compelling spiritual and moral perspectives and guidelines for the modern age.

The program addresses the interests and needs of a wide range of students, following two basic directions of study. The first of these program options is designed to satisfy all undergraduate education requirements for religious order and college seminarians planning to prepare for priesthood formation at the major seminary level following graduation. The content of this course of study explores intensely the interaction of faith and reason at the root of Catholic thought, and follows the academic requirements stipulated by the Program of Priestly Formation (Sixth Edition, 2022) mandated by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops in June 2022. This option is open to any student; however, it is mandatory for all undergraduate seminarians.

The second program option allows a student to pursue a more focused study in particular fields of theology: sacred Scripture, moral theology, spiritual theology and systematic theology.

With this Bachelor of Arts in Catholic Theology, Seton Hall offers its students a unique opportunity to understand better Catholicism’s traditions and place in contemporary thought and society, as has been called for by the Second Vatican Council and articulated throughout the pontificates of Popes John Paul II, Benedict XVI and Francis.

Mission Statement

Immaculate Conception Seminary is a House of Formation for the Roman Catholic priesthood and the School of Theology of Seton Hall University.

As a House of Formation, the Seminary offers men preparing for the priesthood the personal, academic, ministerial and spiritual formation essential for their conversion to Jesus Christ and for their commitment to a life of service to the Church.

As a School of Theology, the Seminary provides: a theological and philosophical foundation for men and women pursuing undergraduate and graduate studies; a theological foundation and a pastoral and spiritual formation for men and women preparing for ministries among the people of God; a theological foundation for men and women desiring to pursue doctoral studies; and varied opportunities for continuing theological education. Approved by the Board of Overseers – March 23, 2017.

The order of knowledge and the order of love are complementary. — St. John Paul II

Accreditation

ICSST is accredited by the following organizations: Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada; Middles States Association of Colleges and Schools.

Note to Students: The following listing represents those courses that are in the active rotation for each department, i.e., have been offered in the past five years. Some departments have additional courses offered more rarely but still available – to find the complete list of all official courses for a department, please use the “Course Catalogue Search” function in Self-Service Banner

Course Descriptions

BIBL 1113 Biblical Hebrew (3 Credits)

BIBL 1114 Biblical Hebrew II (3 Credits)

BIBL 1400 ST/Reading the Old Testament (3 Credits)

BIBL 1401 ST - Reading the NT (3 Credits)

BIBL 2503 Johannine Literature (3 Credits)

Consideration of the general characteristics, literary relationships, possible sources, overall structure and recurrent themes in John's Gospel; numerous passages exegeted. Overview of the Johannine epistles and their historical context. Pretheology Program/Undergraduate credit only. 3 credits.

BIBL 2517 ST/Letters to Hebrew & Cath (3 Credits)

BIBL 3106 New Testament Greek I (3 Credits)

Introduction to New Testament Greek vocabulary and grammar, focusing on noun declensions and elementary verb tenses. Reading, translation, and analysis of short passages from the New Testament.

BIBL 3107 New Testament Greek II (3 Credits)

Further study of New Testament Greek vocabulary and grammar, focusing on more advanced verb tenses and moods. Reading, translation, and analysis of passages from the New Testament.

BIBL 3791 ST:Grace & Romans (3 Credits)

PLTL 1111 History of Philosophy I (3 Credits)

An initiation into philosophical thinking, focusing on ancient and medieval philosophy. Special attention to the influences of Greek philosophy and the Gospel on each other. Includes: pre-Socratics; Socrates; Plato; Aristotle; Stoicism; Epicureanism; Neoplatonism; Augustine; Boethius; Bonaventure; and Aquinas.

PLTL 1112 History of Philosophy II (3 Credits)

An examination of four themes in modern and contemporary philosophy, starting with Ockham and Bacon through Descartes, Locke, the Empiricists, Enlightenment and contemporaries: the body-mind problem; success of the natural sciences; expansion of liberty and equality; the question of God.

PLTL 1113 History of Philosophy III (3 Credits)

Beginning with the end of the 19th century through the end of the 20th century, an analysis of the development of three major schools of contemporary philosophy – phenomenology, existentialism, and analytic philosophy – and more recent philosophical developments, such as postmodernism. Special emphasis is given to Christian philosophers and the revival of Thomism.

Prerequisites: PLTL 1112

PLTL 1242 Philosophical Logic (3 Credits)

A study of the ens rationis, including: the nature of concept, judgment and inductive-deductive argument, basic notions of theory of language, theory of definitions, informal fallacies, syllogistic (Aristotelian) logic, propositional and predicate logic. The major emphasis is on the use of logic in philosophy and theology.

PLTL 2218 Philosophy of Being (3 Credits)

A classical description of being in terms of essence of being; substance and accidents; transcendental characteristics of being; the laws of being, such as the four causes. Alternative metaphysical systems as related to theology. (Formerly PLTL 1218)

Prerequisites: PLTL 2223

PLTL 2223 Philosophy of Nature (3 Credits)

A study of ens mobile, including the analysis of movement and nature, the first division of being into substance and accidents, and the second division of being into matter and form in the Aristotelian-Thomistic tradition. Special analysis is given to Aristotle’s physics and Aquinas’ commentaries on Aristotle’s books on nature. (Formerly PLTL 1223)

PLTL 2241 Philosophical Ethics (3 Credits)

A study of ens qua bonum. The question of the moral nature of human action, what makes actions good and bad, and how this is knowable. Different ethical systems are examined along with the metaphysics they presuppose. Representative authors studied include Aristotle, Aquinas, Kant and Mill. Four areas are covered: the analysis of human action, natural law, moral conscience and theory of virtue. (Formerly PLTL 1241)

Prerequisites: PLTL 2218

PLTL 2243 Theory of Knowledge (3 Credits)

A study of ens qua verum, including a consideration of the ontological nature of human knowledge as knowledge, followed by an historical survey of epistemological theory, with special emphasis on the rise of critical philosophy in the modern period. Special emphasis is given to topics such as the notion of truth, certainty, evidence, the problem of skepticism, idealism and realism. (Formerly PLTL 1243)

Prerequisites: PLTL 2218

PLTL 2251 Philosophical Thought of Aquinas (3 Credits)

A historical introduction to the philosophical principles, in metaphysics, natural theology, psychology, and ethics, that make the thought of St. Thomas Aquinas an attractive alternative for our present age.

PLTL 2255 Financial Ethics in Thought and Practice (3 Credits)

Financial services industry ethics in thought and practice. Review of ethical concepts and terminology required today for employment, licensing, and certification in banking, brokerage, and insurance. Drawing from world philosophies, Catholic teachings on business, and financial industry regulations and rules. Emphasis on the application of traditional ethical theories to financial services business practices.

PLTL 3214 Philosophy of Person (3 Credits)

Basic issues of human reality and philosophical anthropology, including: fact of being; relation of body and soul; cognition; spirituality; relation of self to society; religion; and death. St. Thomas’ realist metaphysics, contemporary existentialism and phenomenological methodology are employed to discuss the spirituality of the soul. The role of imagination and subconsciousness, the meaning of male and female and the role of the person in society. (Formerly PLTL 1214)

Prerequisites: PLTL 2243

PLTL 3416 Philosophy of God (3 Credits)

That part of metaphysics dealing with Being that is first absolutely. First principles and natural knowledge; arguments for the existence of God; ways to God, including the Thomistic approach; pantheism; Divine attributes. (Formerly PLTL 1416)

Prerequisites: PLTL 3214

PLTL 3591 Independent Study (3 Credits)

PLTL 3597 The Philosophy of Sexual Diffe (3 Credits)

PLTL 3600 Independent Study (3 Credits)

PLTL 3901 Phenomenology (3 Credits)

THEO 0100 Research Seminar (2 Credits)

THEO 1102 The Bible: Word of God and Book of the Church (3 Credits)

This course introduces students to the many ways Catholics have read and interpreted Sacred Scripture. Focusing on key Old Testament and New Testament passages, the course surveys historical-critical, narrative and canonical approaches, as well as methods grounded in liturgy and lectio divina, highlighting the advantages and challenges of each.

THEO 1203 New Life in Christ (3 Credits)

The course examines the basic themes in Roman Catholic moral theology in light of the renewal of the discipline by the Second Vatican Council, The Catechism of the Catholic Church, the legacy of teachings from Pope John Paul II and the integrating work of major Catholic theologians.

THEO 1297 Catholic Liturgical Music I (3 Credits)

THEO 1300 Intro Hist of Catholic Church (3 Credits)

THEO 1404 The Life of the Soul (3 Credits)

The course considers the centrality in the Catholic tradition of: a spiritual life rooted in personal prayer; the various expressions, methods of prayer and spirituality which have developed in the Church over the centuries (e.g. Benedictine, Dominican, Franciscan, Carmelite and Jesuit); and how prayer serves as the basis of both radical personal transformation and modes of communal Christian life, (e.g. monasticism, religious life and ecclesial movements).

THEO 1501 To Know God-Intro to RC Doctri (3 Credits)

The course explores the primary ways Catholicism believes God in Jesus Christ reveals Himself to humanity: through Sacred Scripture, Tradition and the Magisterium; communal life and worship; personal prayer, moral development and spiritual growth; and the ongoing engagement of all these elements with human learning, reason and history.

THEO 1502 Churchs Saving Mysteries (3 Credits)

The course considers the worship and sacraments of the Catholic Church as necessary expressions and celebrations of the presence of Jesus Christ's Incarnation and Paschal Mystery, and how these encounters with Christ have played a role in shaping Catholic doctrine. The course culminates in a consideration of the role of liturgy and sacraments in human transformation to fulfillment in God. Pretheology program /undergraduate credit only. 3 credits

THEO 1600 Independent Study (3 Credits)

THEO 2111 Theo of the Old Testament (3 Credits)

This course aims to clarify how and why the Hebrew Scriptures became the Old Testament of the Catholic Church. The course examines the various ways these Scriptures constitute the Word of God that is still normative for Catholic theology, worship and living.

THEO 2112 Theo of the New Testament (3 Credits)

This course examines how the experience of Jesus Christ, especially in His death and resurrection, compelled His followers to interpret Him and the heritage of the Old Testament in a new light, how these insights opened new directions for Jesus’ disciples beyond Judaism while also preserving the Old Testament as indispensable for comprehending God’s revelation through the Paschal Mystery.

THEO 2113 The Apocryphal Bible (3 Credits)

This course explores the wide range of Jewish and Christian writings that appeared c. 100 B.C. – 400 A.D., making claims to Scriptural status but ultimately rejected as such by each religious community. The origins and theology of these writings, their relation to Sacred Scripture and their impact on Christian thought and culture are considered.

THEO 2212 Culture of Life (3 Credits)

This course examines how human personal life is fulfilled in social relationship; how the particular settings of family, nation and culture all receive a deeper understanding through the revelation of Jesus Christ; and how this reflection has led the Church to articulate a comprehensive body of teachings concerning social, legal, medical, political and economic institutions.

THEO 2223 Modern Christian Thought (3 Credits)

THEO 2315 Theology of Marriage (3 Credits)

THEO 2413 Monasticism (3 Credits)

This course investigates Eastern and Western Christian monasticism from its origins in 4th century Egypt to the medieval mendicant orders. Particular attention is given to examining the various forms of monastic life, its rules and ideals, devotions and ways to sanctity, and how the monastic movement has both challenged and sustained the Church and society.

THEO 2490 Discernment (3 Credits)

THEO 2512 JC and Mystery of the Church (3 Credits)

An exploration of how Christian reflection on the person and mission of Jesus Christ led to an understanding of His community of followers, whereby the Church becomes an object of faith; and how this Christological reflection is the basis of the Church’s self-understanding, even in its concrete historical, cultural and institutional manifestations.

THEO 2513 Apologetics (3 Credits)

This course examines how Christians have defended and proposed their faith from New Testament times to today. Emphasis is given to the various methods of apologetics that have developed as part of the Church's engagement of the modern world's profoundly religious questions about humanity and society.

THEO 2514 The Fathers of the Church (3 Credits)

The course introduces students to the writers and theologians of the Church¿s first seven centuries who laid the common foundations for Christianity¿s understanding of God, Jesus Christ, the Church, the Bible and the essentials of Christian living. Special attention will be paid to the most pre-eminent of the Fathers and samples of their writings.

THEO 2515 The Teachings of John Paul II (3 Credits)

The extensive legacy of teachings from Pope John Paul II is examined, especially his emphasis on Jesus Christ as the basis for personal fulfillment, social responsibility and human culture. His contributions to a renewed sense of Christian mission following Vatican II and for the III Millennium are also examined.

THEO 2520 Sprit Transform Augustine Conf (3 Credits)

Augustine’s Confessions contains several stories of spiritual transformation, not just an account of his own famous conversion. This course will entail a close reading of the entire Confessions with a view toward how Augustine presents all these transformations. The course will complement and augment what students encounter in the Core Curriculum Signature courses.

THEO 2522 Medieval Christian Thought (3 Credits)

THEO 2596 ST - Mary in Sacred Scripture (3 Credits)

THEO 2597 ST - Trinity (3 Credits)

THEO 2598 ST:Priesthood-Theo JohnPaul II (3 Credits)

THEO 3282 Morality through Fiction (3 Credits)

This course is centered on the question: How do we learn not only what virtue is but how to be virtuous? In accordance with Catholic Virtue Ethics, this course considers virtue within the framework of character formation and begins with the premise that we can learn how to be virtuous by watching other people’s actions and decisions. By giving us a broad lens of human experience, fiction can serve as the primary teacher of virtue. Through reflection on the fiction works of Franz Kafka, Ayn Rand, Ursula Le Guin, Graham Greene, Walter Miller, and Azar Nafisi, in dialogue with various Catholic magisterial documents, for example, Gaudium et spes, Dignitatis Humanae, Evangelium vitae, Deus caritas est, and Lumen fidei, this course will address questions such as: Is all self-sacrifice virtuous? Is luxury necessary for authentic human development? Can governments prevent virtue? Is there virtue in failure? Is there a necessary connection between religion and morality?

THEO 3321 Anti-Catholicism Amer Experien (3 Credits)

This course explores the complexity of anti-Catholicism as an aspect of American history and society. It critically examines the phenomenon from historical, sociological and theological perspectives and considers its implications for American culture and the Catholic Church in America. Recommended: HIST 1301 & 1302 taken previously.

THEO 3393 ST:Cath Theo/Phil Benedict Tay (3 Credits)

THEO 3394 ST Happiness is...Theo-Psyc Pr (3 Credits)

THEO 3395 ST 20 Cnt Christian Theologian (3 Credits)

THEO 3401 Poems - Plays of John Paul II (3 Credits)

Pope John Paul II (Karol Wojtyła) indicated to his closest collaborators that studying his literary works is an optimal way to grasp the implications of his larger philosophical and theological project. Following his advice, this course will consider selections from his poems and plays in order to identify hermeneutic keys to a fuller understanding of his thought.

THEO 3411 Theology of Dante's Commedia (3 Credits)

– A detailed reading of Dante’s masterpiece The Divine Comedy, uncovering the theological content expressed in the poem’s doctrinal, spiritual, liturgical, biblical, and historical layers, as well as in its artistic construction. Text in translation.

THEO 3501 The Church’s Marian Teaching (3 Credits)

This course will provide a survey of the place of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the History of Salvation and, in particular, in the life of Christ and the Church. The main areas of concentration are Mary in the Scriptures, Mary in the writings of the Fathers of the Church, the Marian Dogmas of the Church, the teaching of the contemporary Magisterium, Mary in the Liturgy of the Church, the spiritual motherhood of Mary, and the Marian orientation of Catholic spirituality, Mary in Ecumenical and Interreligious Dialogue, contemporary approaches, questions and controversies.

THEO 3510 John Henry Newman - Life-Teach (3 Credits)

This course will focus on the life and teaching of John Henry Newman (1891-1890), whom Pope Benedict XVI declared “Blessed” in September, 2010. The course will trace Newman’s life, from his early and Anglican life to his conversion to Roman Catholicism in 1845, his subsequent life as a Catholic and his becoming a Cardinal in 1879. Among Newman’s works treated will be his sermons, his Essay on the Development of Doctrine (1845), The Idea of a University (1856), his Apologia pro vita sua (1863) and his Grammar of Assent (1870). The course will also indicate Newman’s influence on modern Catholic theologians, including Fr. Bernard Lonergan, S.J. who called Newman “my fundamental mentor and guide.”

THEO 3515 Science - Theology of Food (3 Credits)

An examination of the scientific, theological, cultural, and ethical dimensions of food. Topics to be covered include the science of food and food components; risk-benefit issues, such as those pertinent to genetically modified food and food and color additives; biblical perspectives on food and food aid, the Holy Mass as a sacred meal, food taboos, and “feasting” and “fasting”; diets including vegan/vegetarian, gluten-free, and weight loss plans, and food addictions; issues of hunger and malnutrition, and food coping mechanisms for stress.

THEO 3585 Creation and Science (3 Credits)

This course seeks to deepen a student's understanding of the relationship between the Catholic theology of creation and contemporary empirical science. Topics to be covered include the birth of science, the historical-philosophical environment of this birth, the interventions of recent Popes on the issue, the specificity of the cosmos as shown by current science, the unity of the cosmos and its beauty, the importance of philosophical realism, the doctrine of creation, the theory of the Big Bang, the theory of evolution, and the fundamental of climate science. Primary sources will be emphasized. This course will show how early Christian thought built upon the accomplishments of Greek, Roman, Egyptian, Islamic, Chinese, Indian, and Mesopotamian insights into the natural world and how modern empirical science emerged. It will also show how the development of empirical science in Europe is the direct result of the fruitful dialog of Aristotelian metaphysical and epistemological insights and the Christian doctrine of creation ex nihilo et cum tempore. It references the Old and New Testaments, the proceedings of Ecumenical Councils, the writings of pre-Christian civilizations in Mesoamerica, India, Egypt, China, Mesopotamia, Greece, Rome, and the Arab world.

THEO 3592 Intro to Theology of Balthasar (3 Credits)

Hans Urs von Balthasar (1905-1988) is widely regarded as one of the greatest Catholic theologians of the twentieth century. Yet approaching him can seem daunting: many of his 100 books contain ornate language and long, technical treatments of other authors. This course aims to provide an accessible entryway into the heart of Balthsar’s vast theological project by focusing on his notion of love as mutual self-giving. According to Balthasar, the Trinitarian God, revealed to us in Jesus Christ, is an eternal mystery of giving and receiving love. This groundless love in the Holy Trinity is the cause of mankind’s creation and redemption in Christ. In light of this unifying claim, we shall introduce the following: Balthasar’s life and spirituality, his philosophy, his Christology, and his Trinitarian theology. The course begins with an overview of Balthasar’s life, influences, and central works. The rest of the course will be a close reading of his two short books, Love Alone is Credible and Life out of Death, and several essays from his Explorations in Theology.

THEO 3593 ST: Amer Hisp Cath Sprituality (3 Credits)

THEO 3594 ST - Is Business Moral? (3 Credits)

THEO 3595 ST:Theo Vision Sec Vatican Cou (3 Credits)

THEO 3596 ST Theo Vision 2nd Vatican Cnl (3 Credits)

THEO 3597 ST - Liberation and Mercy (3 Credits)

THEO 3598 ST - Theology of Death (3 Credits)

THEO 3599 Prayer-Sprt Life Early Church (3 Credits)

THEO 3600 Independent Study (3 Credits)

THEO 3684 ST: Conversion of St. Monica (3 Credits)

THEO 3999 ST: Fall and Sin (3 Credits)

THEO 4272 Gnosis - Political Theol III (3 Credits)

THEO 4298 Catholic Liturgicl Music Today (3 Credits)

The course will survey the key elements of the development of Sacred Music as seen through the prism of 2000 years of musical development in the RomanCatholic Church. The course will explore the music as it developed within the Mass and the Church’s Liturgy of the Hours. It will also chronicle the music as itdeveloped along geographical, political and social contexts of the explored period. A core element of the class will be the student’s learning to sing Gregorian Chant.

Immaculate Conception Seminary School of Theology

Mission Statement

Accreditation

Course Descriptions

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