Theology

The Theology Department of St. Mary's Springs High School is committed to academic excellence and preparing students for lives of service, leadership and learning based on Gospel values.  Students should come to appreciate the Sacred Scriptures, the Catholic Church's core doctrines, the role of prayer and worship in their lives and the implications of the Christian faith on daily living, decision making, relationships and personal morality.  Our vision for our students is that they come to recognize and celebrate the joy of being a Catholic Christian.

Theology
The Scriptures	1.0 credit	This course is designed to give students a working knowledge and understanding of the Old and New Testaments.  Emphasis is placed on the structure, content, and meaning of the scriptures and linking this content to students' lives.
Sacraments	0.5 credit	This course enables students to better understand the meaning of sacraments and the Catholic Church, and to find new interest in celebrating them.
Church History	0.5 credit	This course examines the development of the church beginning with the Jewish community, the early church, through the Middle Ages and the Reformation, to our current church history in-the-making.
Christian Morality	1.0 credit	This introductory course in morality is designed to help students develop attitudes about life, themselves, other people that stem from the Christian interpretation of life.  This course attempts to help students understand what it means to be human - in the image of Jesus.  Emphasis is on the positive expression of the Christian life, specifically in light of Catholic moral teachings.
Christian Lifestyles	0.5 credit	This course intends to help students make forward-looking informed decisions about their future.  Everyone needs to ask "What gives my life focus". "On what basis do I make decisions?"  Loving is the central value that can guide a person to a full life along with acquiring good communication skills to develop relationships.  Various life style paths including married, religious, single and single-again are explored and discussed.  Because service should be a part of every Christian lifestyle, four hours of social outreach in the community are required each quarter for this course.
Peace and Justice	0.5 credit	Each Christian has the responsibility to bring about justice and peace where it is lacking in the world about us.  This course examines the basis in Scripture for a just society and the Church's response to justice and peace issues.  Focus is on the issues of human dignity, discrimination, poverty, hunger, economic justice and peace.  Students explore opportunities to help promote a more just world, while learning more about themselves, through required service hours.