|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||
|
|
|
|||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||
|
|
||||||||||||
 |
 |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
4407
Sano Street
In 1969, the Sisters of Notre Dame in Chardon, Ohio, and Msgr. Eugene Kevane, then Dean of the School of Education at the Catholic University of America, founded the Notre Dame Institute in Middleburg, Virginia. Originally, its purpose was to train religious sisters from various communities to teach Catholic doctrine to other teachers. In 1971, John Cardinal Wright, Prefect of the Congregation for the Clergy, established the Notre Dame Institute as an official catechetical institute recognized and authorized by the Holy See. In 1982, the Bishop of Arlington entrusted the Institute with the educational training and pastoral formation of candidates for the permanent diaconate. In June 1994, the Institute relocated to its present facility in Alexandria, Virginia. Upon the recommendation of the Boards of both the Notre Dame Institute and Christendom College, the two institutions merged on February 1, 1997. The Notre Dame Institute became the Notre Dame Graduate School of Christendom College.
The Christendom Graduate School is located in the Northern Virginia suburbs of Washington, D.C., in the eastern, "Alexandria" section of Fairfax County. The campus is on Queen of Apostles Parish grounds, in a quiet, residential neighborhood, at 4407 Sano Street, Alexandria, Virginia, within convenient access to Interstates 66, 395, and 495, and other major roads. The campus facilities include offices, classrooms, library, chapel, computer lab, study and recreational areas, and a beautiful enclosed garden. Classes are held at this Alexandria campus primarily during the fall and spring semesters (with a limited number of summer courses), and most are scheduled during the evenings and on Saturdays. The Alexandria campus does not include residence facilities, but students from out of town are usually able to find affordable housing in the vicinity, and the Graduate School facilitates this search by maintaining a current list of people wishing to rent to NDGS students. The main campus of Christendom College is at 134 Christendom Drive, Front Royal, Virginia. The Summer Program of the Graduate School is located at this campus, where residence and dining halls make it possible for students from all over the world to attend. The hundred-acre campus is situated in a beautiful pastoral setting on the Shenandoah River near the Blue Ridge Mountains, and includes facilities for a full range of recreational, academic, social, and religious activities. Dulles International Airport serves both campuses, and in addition, Ronald Reagan National Airport is convenient to the Alexandria Campus.
For the Master of Arts in Theological Studies degree, students may choose to concentrate their studies in the disciplines of Systematic Theology, Moral Theology, Catechetics or Theology of the Consecrated Life. Students must earn a minimum of forty-two (42) graduate-level credits for the master's degree, of which six credits may be for a master's thesis. Students must maintain a "B" (3.0) average during the course work, and are expected to become familiar with the works of the NDGS Bibliography, which support the curriculum, provide suggested material for research, and help prepare the student for comprehensive exams. Finally, the student must apply for Candidacy for the Master's Degree, and then pass a Comprehensive Exam including both written and oral portions. The Advanced and the Basic Apostolic Catechetical Diplomas are distinct from the academic order of the Master of Arts degree in Theological Studies, although the two may be earned simultaneously. The diploma is awarded by the Holy See in recognition of the catechist's competence in the field of catechetics and his or her personal commitment to teach Catholic doctrine in communion with the Holy See. To receive the Advanced Apostolic Catechetical Diploma, a student must have a Bachelor's Degree and successfully complete forty-two (42) semester hours in required course work, including all course requirements for the Catechetics concentration. The Basic Apostolic Catechetical Diploma may be awarded to those students who do not possess a Bachelor's degree but who fulfill the forty-two semester hours of catechetics course requirements. Research papers are not required of students in the Basic Diploma program, and Comprehensive Exams are not required for either Catechetical Diploma. Students must maintain a "B" (3.0) average in order to be eligible to receive these Apostolic Diplomas. Finally, a students must apply for Candidacy for the Diploma, and must produce a 1,000-word essay on the Role of the Magisterium in catechesis. Christendom College offers a Graduate Summer Program for those students who wish to pursue graduate Theological studies during summers. Both the Master of Arts in Theological Studies degree and the Apostolic Catechetical Diploma may be earned at the Summer Program, over the course of at least four summers. It is a residential program, held at the main Christendom College campus just outside of Front Royal, Virginia. The NDGS Summer Program runs for six weeks, ending the last week of July. A full cycle of courses is offered each summer, along with several elective courses. Special guest professors often supplement the Christendom faculty for the Summer Program. The beautiful riverside campus with its full range of recreational possibilities provides a perfect milieu for the study, prayer, and good times that make up Christian academic community life. Many of the fall/spring graduate students also chose to attend the summer program, accelerating their studies by going year-round. The Vita Consecrata Institue (VCI), co-sponsored by the Institute on Religious Life, is held every summer in conjunction with the NDGS Summer Program. The VCI is an intense summer program of theological studies and spiritual renewal for religious, priests, seminarians, and other consecrated persons. The VCI focuses on the theology of the consecrated life as reflected in the mission and life of the Church. Students penetrate the mystery of the consecrated life by investigating magisterial documents (especially those of Vatican II and Pope John Paul II), by examining the rich historic tradition of the Catholic Church, and by prayerfully reflecting on this wondrous gift. The institute is structured in such a way as to assure religious men and women the full living of their consecrated life in a context of prayer, silence, study, and community. Students may earn graduate credit towards the degree of Master of Arts in Theological Studies from Christendom College, or they may attend for personal renewal, auditing courses and participating in the liturgical life of a community enriched by the religious of various congregations. For those students who are not interested in a master’s degree, but who want to do more than just “take courses,” the Christendom Graduate School offers several certificate programs. Students may earn certificates in dogmatic theology, moral theology, catechetics, consecrated life, and scriptural studies. Certificate students take the same challenging and informative courses as degree-seeking students. Even students without a bachelor’s degree can earn a certificate, although graduate credit for the courses can only be granted to those who have submitted proof of a bachelor’s degree. Usually five, 3-credit courses are required for each certificate, and a GPA of at least 3.0 (B average) must be maintained.
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Committed to educating
in accord with the Vicar of Christ, the Christendom Graduate School enjoys the full
support of the Holy See. In light of this special relationship, The Holy
See has authorized Christendom to grant the Apostolic Catechetical Diploma, the
highest ecclesial award in catechetics.
