St. Patrick’s Seminary & University’s (STPSU) Pre-Theology Program corresponds to the Discipleship Stage, as stated in the 6th edition of The Program of Priestly Formation, #278-279. The Pre-Theology Program provides an integrated introduction into the four dimensions of priestly formation for men with either no background in philosophy or no previous seminary formation experience. It helps seminarians to develop an understanding of the fruitful relationship between faith and reason in preparation for their theological studies (cf. PPF, #279-280). STPSU’s Pre-Theology Program offers a comprehensive curriculum in the Catholic philosophical tradition. As the well-formed human intellect demands a truly liberal education, the Pre-Theology Program also features coursework in the Humanities, Introductory Theology (including Sacred Scripture and Catholic spirituality), and Latin (cr. PPF, #275 and 285).
STPSU’s Pre-Theology Plan of Studies is as follows:
Fall | Spring |
LA-101: Latin I (3) | LA-102: Latin II (3) |
PH-101: Academic Writing I (1) | PH-102: Academic Writing II (1) |
PH-114: Humanities I: Arts and Ideas: Catholic Approaches to Beauty in Music, Architecture, and Art (3) | PH-115: Humanities II: Theology through Literature (3) |
PP-101: Logic (3) | PP-104: Philosophy of Nature (3) |
PP-112: History of Philosophy I: Ancient Philosophy (3) | PP-113: History of Philosophy II: Medieval Philosophy (3) |
TH=105: History of Christian Spirituality (3) | TH-107: The Spirit of the Liturgy (3) |
Fall | Spring |
PP-205: Philosophical Anthropology (3) | PP-207: Epistemology (3) |
PP-206: Metaphysics (3) | PP-209: Philosophy of God (3) |
PP-208: Philosophical Ethics (3) | PP-214: Political Philosophy (3) |
PP-212: History of Philosophy III: Modern Philosophy (3) | PP-213: History of Philosophy IV: Contemporary Philosophy (3) |
TH-204: God and Human Existence (2) | PP-215: Capstone Seminar (1) |
TH-205: Sacred Scripture: Old Testament (2) | TH-206: Sacred Scripture: New Testament (2) |
GR-101: Biblical Greek I (2) (Elective - not required) | GR-102: Biblical Greek II (2) (Elective - not required) |
SP-101: Pastoral-Liturgical Spanish I (2) (Elective - not required) | SP-102: Pastoral-Liturgical Spanish II (2) (Elective - not required) |