School of Ministries

School of Ministries (Escuela de Ministerios) Of the Archdiocese of Santa Fe

“Escuela de Ministerios” is a two year formation program initiated in 2001 in Albuquerque, and in 2002 in Santa Fe to form, educate and train Spanish Speaking parish ministers.  Participants meet one Saturday a month for ten months a year to study Scripture, the Catechism of the Catholic Church, and the basic truths of Catholic Faith in order to receive the personal, academic, spiritual and pastoral formation required by our national catechetical documents.

The National Directory for Catechesis (2005) and Co-Workers in the Vineyard of the Lord (2006), two documents published by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, describe the four areas of formation—human, spiritual, intellectual, and pastoral—that provide the framework for the formation of priests and deacons, as well as for lay ecclesial ministers.

  • The Human Formation seeks to develop the lay ecclesial minister’s human qualities and character, fostering a healthy and well-balanced personality, for the sake of both personal growth and ministerial service.
  • The Spiritual formation aims to animate a hunger for holiness, desire for union with God through an ongoing conversion, practices of prayer and the celebration of the sacraments.  It promotes and strengthens the fundamental conversion that places God, and not oneself, at the center of oneself, at the center of one’s life.  Openness to this ongoing conversion is a prerequisite for fruitful spiritual formation.
  •  The Intellectual formation seeks to develop the lay ecclesial minister’s understanding and appreciation of the Catholic Faith, which is rooted in God’s revelation and embodied in the living tradition of the Church. While the sacred sciences are the main focus, lay ecclesial ministers should also study other disciplines, such as philosophy, literature, psychology, sociology, counseling ethics, culture, business administration, and others which could be relevant for their effective ministry.
  • The Pastoral formation cultivates the knowledge, attitudes and skills that directly pertain to effective functioning in the ministry setting and that also pertain to pastoral administration that supports direct ministry.

Year One: The Catechism and the Sacred Scriptures

In an initial effort to welcome the participants where they are at, and in order to invite them to conversion our “Escuela de Ministerios” begins with five lessons on the Catechism and five on the Scriptures. Studying the catechism and the Scriptures is more than just an intellectual preparation for a future ministry; it is the shaping of the entire human person with his or her beliefs, behavior, relationships.  The following is list of the Year One courses followed by a succinct description of each one of them.

  1. Introduction:  The Pastoral Action of the Catholic Hispanic Community: In this Lesson One participants participate in an introduction to ministry from the Hispanic perspective; obtain a better understanding of the community they are part of, a brief history of the Hispanic community in the U. S., their call to serve as laity, the mission of the Church and ways they, as Hispanic community, have helped to make visible the plan of the Father.
  2. What we Believe – The Creed – Our Profession of Faith: The Creed is the summary of our core beliefs.  There are many gods in the United States, which is the true one? Where is Jesus?  What other gods must I leave in order to accept Jesus as my Savior?  Jesus gives us His Spirit, and through Him we become a family of brothers and sisters: the Church.  How can this community lead us to the Father?
  3. In this lesson two participants analyze how their beliefs and values have been challenged or changed by beliefs and values of the dominant culture
  4. What we Celebrate – The Sacraments – The Celebration of the Christian Mystery: The liturgy is presented as the source and summit of the Christian life.  In this course participants reflect on “the mystery of Christ that the Church proclaims and celebrates in her liturgy so that the faithful may live from it and bear witness to it in the world.”  They learn the foundations of our liturgy through the Catechism of the Catholic Church and other relevant documents.  The focus is personal and practical, one that leads the participants to a more frequent and meaningful celebration of the sacraments. 
  5. The Way we live – The Commandments –  Life in Christ: In this lesson, participants will review the history and foundation of our morality based on the commandments and on the beatitudes with reflection and examples from real life.  The course should not have a legalistic or negative approach, but seek the favorable growth of the participants and their application to pastoral situations.  In the spirit of God everything is different:  life, the world, and history reach their most profound meaning.  “It is not I who lives, but Christ who lives in me.”
  6. The Way we pray – The Our Father – Our spirituality: In this lesson participants examine the nature of prayer and Christian spirituality as it is understood in the Catholic tradition.  Participants familiarize themselves with the teachings of the Church on prayer, spirituality, devotions; they are exposed to different spiritualities, and learn different ways to pray and to lead others in prayer.
  7. Introduction to the Scriptures: The following themes provide a general overview of the central themes and message of the Bible.  In this introduction participants learn what the Bible is and why it is considered the Holy Book.   What is the Bible and what is tradition?  How did the Bible come to be? The Bible as the Word of God, its formation over time, some literary forms found in the Scripture, the meaning of inspiration, etc
  8. The Old Testament, Part I:  The Pentateuch, Historical Books: The following themes provide a general overview of the first books and central themes of the Old Testament.  As a result of this session, participants are able to understand the origin of the Old Testament, the  meaning of Genesis, the significance of the Exodus, the development of the traditions and distinguish the different types of writings in the Old Testament.
  9.  The Old Testament, Part II:  Prophets and Wisdom: The following themes provide a general overview of the Prophetic Books and of the Books of Wisdom of the Old Testament.  As a result of this session, participants are able to understand the role of the prophets in the Old Testament as messengers of Gods saving plan.  They learn to appreciate the literature of the books of Psalms and Wisdom with their emphasis on prayer and spirituality.
  10. The New Testament, Part I:  The Gospels and the Book of Acts: The following themes provide a general overview of the Gospels and Acts of the Apostles.  As a result of this session, participants are able to understand the world in which Jesus lived, and how that affected the way He taught, the formation of the Gospels and of the Church.  They analyze the historic and literary development of the Gospels, their message on the Kingdom, and the Acts of the Apostles.
  11. The Letters and the Book of Revelation:   As a result of this session, participants become acquainted with the diversity of the early Christian communities and with the way in which the letters and other writings of the New Testament are a real response to their needs.

Year Two: Theological and Pastoral Formation

 

Theological formation includes ongoing foundational education in Revelation and Sacred Scripture, Christology, Christian anthropology, sacramental theology, ecclesiology, pastoral theology and inculturation, moral theology, Catholic social teaching, spirituality, ecumenism, liturgy and worship.  The following is a list of “Escuela de Ministerios” Year Two courses followed by a succinct description of each one of them.

  1.  Systematic Theology: As result of this class participants gain a better understanding of the foundational teachings of the Catholic Church through the Creed and the Magisterium of the Church. They explore the Mystery of the Trinity, the Person of the Father as Creator, Jesus as Redeemer, the role of the Holy Spirit in the Church, and the presence of God’s mystery in the Church.
  2. Christology: ”Everything we do in the Church, depends on how each one of us responds to the question, ‘Who is Jesus for me?’ said Archbishop Joseph Fiorenza in a keynote address at the General Assembly on the Archdiocese of Santa Fe, November 4th.  As result of this class participants gain a better understanding of the Incarnation of Jesus, deepen into the way He prayed, understand His call to discipleship, and our response through His passion, death and resurrection, to knowing Him better, love Him more, and follow Him closer.
  3.  History of the Church I: As result of this class participants gain a better understanding of the foundations of the Catholic Church, its bases and the Mystery of the Church.  They review the development of the Christian community and consider how we became and are still a community.  They identify Jesus as the founder, review the life style of the fist Christians, some of the heresies and councils of the Church, the growth of the Church,  the political challenges that affected the growth of the Church, the monastic orders and the influence of the cultures on the Church and vice versa.
  4.  History of the Church II:  In this History II class student continue reviewing the History of the Church from the time of the Reformation until our present time.  As result of this class participants gain a better understanding of the Counter-reformation, the evangelization of the Americas, the difficult times during the age of Enlightenment until the beginning of the XX Century and to Vatican II Council.
  5.  Ecclesiology with Emphasis on Vatican II: In the following session on Ecclesiology with Emphasis on Vatican II participants explore the meaning of Church through the images offered in Scripture, some of the different models of Church throughout history and through the documents of Vatican II Council.  In the last two classes we reviewed the Church through the ages, in this class we analyze the theological bases of the ministry of the Church, and models on how the church has ministered in the past and continues to minister.
  6. As a result of this session, participants are able to analyze some of the images of the Church offered in Scripture, become familiar with some of the models of Church, understand some of the developments in theology and ecclesiology that led to the Vatican II Council, articulate Vatican’s II vision of the Church and contrast it with the visions of previous eras, understand the development of documents of Vatican II and their impact on the Church’s self understanding today, define how the four marks of the Church have been traditionally understood and how we understand them in the light of Vatican II teachings today.
  7.  Liturgy and Sacraments I: In the following two sessions on the sacraments participants discover the sacraments as celebrations of the saving power of Christ in our midst.  In year one, we reviewed the sacraments in a reflective and personal way.  The purpose of studying the sacraments again is to form participants to deepen their understanding of the sacramental life of the Church, and to develop a more profound knowledge of the sacraments, their theology, their history, their celebration and policies that regulate their reception.  As a result of this session, participants are able to define liturgy, understand the meaning of rituals in the liturgy, understand the Liturgical year, understand the preeminence of the Sacrament of the Eucharist and the structure of the Mass
  8. Liturgy and Sacraments II: In the following session on the sacraments participants continue to discover the sacraments as celebrations of the saving power of Christ in our midst, deepen their understanding of the sacramental life of the Church, and to develop a more profound knowledge of the sacraments, their theology, their history, their celebration and policies that regulate their reception.  As a result of this session, participants understand the history, theology, and celebrations of the Sacraments of Initiation, of Healing and of Vocation.
  9. Moral Theology and Ethics: In the following session on Moral Life and Ethics participants study more deeply the moral teachings of the Church.  As a result of this session, participants learn the Scriptural bases for the Church’s teachings on morality, articulate the teachings of the Church on formation of conscience and its role on morality, understand the teachings on sin and mercy, understand and articulate the teachings of the Church on sexuality, medical ethics and on social concerns.
  10. Canon Law:  In these present times to say that we are free people could sound as a paradox that while true, it is delimited by so many boundaries, that we could hardly say we are free.  Deep inside however, we know we are free, and if we do not live that freedom, we dream to live it.  We also know that we are pilgrims in a journey with many other pilgrims, and if we are to live in peace with them, we must have some rules to help us to get along.  In the times of haste and hustle street lights stress us, but we also understand that a city without street lights would be an impossible chaos. The street light does not make the vehicle run, it protects the safety of all vehicles and drivers.  Love, and not the law, is what makes men live, but they need the law.  The purpose of this class is to assist participants on the necessity of the law, and how it helps us as Church to live better.  As a result of this class participants are able to articulate the vision of the Canon Law, understand its formation, explain its role in the relationships in the Church, and become familiar with its parts.
  11.  Pastoral Theology with emphasis on Catechesis:  The purpose of this class is to familiarize participants with the concept of catechesis and with the documents of the Church on catechesis, and to equip them with ways methods, procedures, and skills to catechize.  As a result of this class participants are able to articulate the vision and purpose of catechesis through Church’s documents obtain a theological foundation for catechesis and inspire them to share their faith with children, youth, and adults in their multicultural parishes.  Catechesis is an important moment in the evangelizing mission of the Church, Catechesis echoes the word of God contained in Revelation, transmitted through Scripture and Tradition, and faithfully preserved in the teaching authority of the Church.