One night, deep in the forests of Japan, high on a mountain,
a Zen monk sat in his hut on a mat, meditating. 
Suddenly, a thief burst into the hermitage demanding everthing the man owned. 
The hermitage was empty. 
The monk saw the disappointment in the thief's face. 
"I'm sorry.  I have nothing.  But please, here, take my clothes." 
The monk stripped naked and handed the man his robe. 
The thief left, embarrassed. 
The monk sat down again on his mat,
looked out his window at the black night sky. 
He said: "I wish I could give him the moon."

Religion is inscrutable, mysterious.  It is tremendous and fascinating mystery.  It is the very mystery that unravels and unfolds the secret of our own being and, indeed, touches on the dark mystery of God.

How do you teach religion?
How do you give someone the moon?

Religion overwhelms us in its variety.  It spans every historical period, from prehistory to the present day.  It embraces every culture in a host of manifestations and forms.  Its dimensions are multiple: aesthetic, mythical and ritual, philosophical and theological, psychological, spiritual and mystical.  But every expression is significant as it reveals the human spirit, its quest for itself, for transcendence, for God.

How do you teach religion?
How do you give someone the moon?

The Program

Convent of the Sacred Heart is part of the tradition of Catholic humanism. Although the above questions are unanswerable in an absolute sense and will remain so, this tradition can embrace these questions and present some answers in a relative sense.  The Catholic humanist tradition sheds a unique light on religious education.  It asserts the importance of the head and the heart, of intelligence in its reasoning, interpreting and analytical powers, and of the spirit in the depths of its experience and intuition.  This tradition appreciates a variety of approaches to the study of religion, which include the literary, psychological, philosophical and theological.  It also appreciates the underlying unity of all religions and the common religious aspirations of all peoples, as well as the wonderful diversity of religions.  In this context, Catholic tradition stands out as both universal and unique, as a religious revelation and yet as a religion similar to other religions in inspiration and aspiration.

The Department of Theology and Philosophy addresses the academic dimensions of students' understanding and experience of religion.  The curriculum is designed to provide a student with a solid intellectual basis for the conviction and practice of religion.  The department subscribes to a Christian and Catholic humanism which believes that the development of the mind should parallel the progress of a person's emotional and active life in the world.  This department is dedicated to the cultivation of mind, spirit and conscience in the young women of today, so that they may realize the fullness of their excellent gifts.  Flowing from all that has already be stated, the Department of Theology and Philosophy has as its objectives:

1. To foster curiosity about and knowledge and understanding of ethics, religion, spirituality, the dynamics of personal and social relationships, the Judeo-Christian heritage, Roman Catholicism, and the disciplines of literary criticism, psychology, philosophy and theology as they pertain to these topics.

2. To develop in all students an acute sense of conscience, one which embraces both personal and social moral responsibility, especially as young women destined to be engaged in the transformation of their world.

3. To create opportunities for the students to actively participate in their own education in order to discover their own personal convictions about religion, and about how to live and practice their religious vision.

4. To perfect the skills requisite for any liberal arts program, which include reading, writing, speaking, imagining and thinking at the highest level of one's ability.

 

Julia Dobel

Education: 
B.A. / University of San Francisco
Classical Books Certificate, St. Ignatius Institute / University of San Francisco
M.A. / Pontifical Gregorian University

Other CSH involvement: 
Freshman Community Service Moderator
Coach, JV Volleyball
Campus Ministry          

Theology II: World Religions

During their sophomore year, students study Hinduism, Buddhism, Taoism, Confucianism, Judaism, Islam and indigenous religions, focusing on the sacred stories and texts of these faith traditions, their development over time, as well as key elements of the lived faith experience of those who follow these religions today.  Over the course of the year, students will have opportunities to participate in ceremonies and traditions from multiple religions, as well as to engage in dialogue with people from various faith backgrounds.  In addition, students are asked to reflect upon their own thoughts, images, and experiences and God, the sacred, religion, faith, miracles, ethics, mysticism, belief, worship and the varieties of religious experience and expression.  As they study, witness and reflect upon the beliefs and practices of others, students have an opportunity to deepen their understanding of and appreciation for the compelling nature of the human-Divine encounter, both in their own lives and in the lives of others.

Kate McMichael

Education: 
B.A., History & English / Holy Names College
M.A., English / Holy Names College
M.Div. / Franciscan School of Theology

Other CSH involvement: 
Sophomore Symposium Lead Teacher
Sophomore Community Service Moderator
CSH Campus Minister           

Favorite activities outside of teaching:
hiking in the mountains, cooking, singing, songwriting, reading and napping with her cat, Zeke

Favorite quotes:
"I did not ask for success, I asked for wonder --
and You gave it to me."
           - Abraham Joshua Heschel

"Well-behaved women rarely make history."
           - Laurel Thatcher Ulrich

Theology III: Moral Philosophy

What is good? What is just? How ought we live? Through a close reading of major philosophical texts, study of theological frameworks, and critical analysis of art, this course introduces both the theory and practice of ethics. We will read classical and modern thinkers to learn how philosophers, scholars, and religious traditions approach questions of morality and justice. Throughout the year, students will be asked to evaluate their own positions and to apply theoretical arguments to current ethical dilemmas.

By simultaneously engaging key ethical theories and historical and contemporary moral dilemmas, students gain a greater appreciation of the complexity of ethical decision-making as they build the foundation of their own moral lives.

Paul Pryor Lorentz

Education: 
B.A., Philosophy / Loyola Marymount University
M.A., Philosophy / Boston College

Other CSH involvement: 
CSH Community Service Coordinator
Campus Ministry
Film Club         

Favorite Book: 
The Road
by Cormac McCarthy

Favorite Philosophical Film Featuring Zombies: 
28 Days Later

Theology IV: Philosophical Theology and Mysticism

The first semester of senior year is entitiled "Philosophical Theology."  Students consider some of the  major questions and answers concerning religion.  These include different perspectives on the nature of religion itself: the rational and spiritual approaches to the divine, which entail reflection on the knowability and unknowability of God; the adequacy of images and concepts for God; and the problem concerning God and the existence of evil and suffering.  Students read J.D. Salinger's Franny and Zooey, Sigmund Freud's The Future of an Illusion, Carl Jung's Modern Man in Search of his Soul, Rainer Maria Rilke's The Book of Hours, Lao Tsu's The Tao Te Ching, Annie Dillard's Holy the Firm, and various other poets, including Emily Dickinson.

The second semester of senior year is entitled "Mysticism," and introduces students to the study of spirituality in the history of world religions.  The class concentrates on Jewish, Christian, Islamic and some indigenous spiritualities.  Key figures include John of the Cross and Teresa of Avila.  Students come to understand the nature of religion as it relates to spiritual experience, both personal and communal.  Students read texts describing the initiation rites of archaic cultures, particularly the shamanistic experience and practice.  They also read Zen Buddhist literature, both philosophical and poetic, as well as The Interior Castle of Teresa of Avila, selected poetry of John of the Cross and Annie Dillard's Teaching a Stone to Talk.

Julia Arce

Education: 
B.A., English / Pacific Lutheran University
M.I.T. / Whitworth College
M.A., Biblical Studies & Systematic Theology / Graduate
Theological Union

Other CSH involvement: 
Chair, Department of Theology & Philosophy
Senior Class Moderator
Coach, Cross Country        

Favorite activities outside of teaching:
swimming, cycling, running, making compliation CDs, thinking, writing poetry

Favorite quotes:
"It is difficult to get the news from poems
    yet men die miserably every day
    for lack of what is found there."
           - William Carlos Williams