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The principle of compassion lies at the heart of all religious, ethical and spiritual traditions, calling us always to treat all others as we wish to be treated ourselves. Compassion impels us to work tirelessly to alleviate the suffering of our fellow creatures, to dethrone ourselves from the centre of our world and put another there, and to honour the inviolable sanctity of every single human being, treating everybody, without exception, with absolute justice, equity and respect.

It is also necessary in both public and private life to refrain consistently and empathically from inflicting pain. To act or speak violently out of spite, chauvinism, or self-interest, to impoverish, exploit or deny basic rights to anybody, and to incite hatred by denigrating others—even our enemies—is a denial of our common humanity. We acknowledge that we have failed to live compassionately and that some have even increased the sum of human misery in the name of religion.

We therefore call upon all men and women ~ to restore compassion to the centre of morality and religion ~ to return to the ancient principle that any interpretation of scripture that breeds violence, hatred or disdain is illegitimate ~ to ensure that youth are given accurate and respectful information about other traditions, religions and cultures ~ to encourage a positive appreciation of cultural and religious diversity ~ to cultivate an informed empathy with the suffering of all human beings—even those regarded as enemies.

We urgently need to make compassion a clear, luminous and dynamic force in our polarized world. Rooted in a principled determination to transcend selfishness, compassion can break down political, dogmatic, ideological and religious boundaries. Born of our deep interdependence, compassion is essential to human relationships and to a fulfilled humanity. It is the path to enlightenment, and indispensible to the creation of a just economy and a peaceful global community.

Religious Studies Department Mission

Welcome to the Religious Studies department blog. We invite you to use this web site for scholarly religious, spiritual, and philosophical studies. We dedicate this site to all the Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary, faculty, and students who have gone before us. We pledge ourselves to their legacy and their mission trusting in God’s eternal guidance.

Dr. Jerry Roussell, Jr., Chairperson

RELIGIOUS STUDIES DEPARTMENT MISSION STATEMENT:
Through studying sacred scriptures, origins, histories, pastoral and spiritual care skills, and theological frames of Western and Eastern religious traditions, students are encouraged to discover ways of living their religious beliefs and values and serving others with compassion and care. The program seeks to help students to understand and express human experiences of connectedness with the Sacred in their everyday lives through addressing questions of healing, meaning, purpose, ethics, and spirituality. The program offers ways of integrating theology through application and ministerial settings.

The Religious Studies graduate programs’ offer broad curriculum breadth and provide the highest quality of theological training and preparation within an educational, professional, and spiritual context catalyzing growth in knowledge of self, others, and the Divine. The programs offer a life-changing experience educational and transformative academic, professional, personal, and integrative experience. These programs serve a preparation for doctoral degrees.

Bachelor of Arts Mission Statement (2008-2010 catalog, page 129)
The Department of Religious Studies addresses questions of healing, meaning, purpose, and the good. The Sacred Scriptures of religious traditions are examined, and students begin to learn their sacred paths and to find their spiritual home. Students also discover ways of living their religious beliefs and values and serving others with compassion and
care. Because of the challenges of the world today, people are recognizing the value of the foundational texts of religious traditions, human wholeness, meaning, and purpose. For instance, studies in medicine have demonstrated the effects of prayer in healing and corporations have prospered while doing good things in the community.

THE PURPOSE OF THE BACHELOR OF ARTS DEGREE IN RELIGIOUS STUDIES
The purpose of Religious Studies is to understand and express the original human experiences of connectedness with the Sacred and all of reality. People express understanding in words and concepts, and then they engage their understandings
as principles of life and action for a community. Spirituality is the acting out of religion in every aspect of daily life; it includes the experience of communication (prayer) with
the Divine. Morality refers to the right behavior that springs from a sense of belonging to a group and of being connected to the entire cosmos. Theology is the study of God, in which the intellect is called on to reflect on personal and communal religious experience and Sacred texts.

People study philosophy to better understand religious studies. Philosophical issues explore their deepest desires and cares in a disciplined, reflective way. What does it mean
to be, for example, and not to be? What makes life worth living? Or, what values have stood the test of time, and how might I incorporate them into my own struggles to be good? What is the moral worth of the earth, and of the non-human creatures that live here too? These are philosophical and ethical questions, as important today as they have been
in all ages and cultures. By studying the classics of various philosophical traditions, we learn to think and quest

Master of Arts: Applied Theology Mission Statement (2008-2010 catalog, page 188)
The Master of Arts in Applied Theology (MAAT) is a life-changing experience. People
participate in this intensive ministry preparation program to become more effective care
providers. Participants grow in their knowledge of self, others, and the Holy. Through personal and group reflection students strengthen their sense of personal and spiritual integration and gain an awareness of ministerial strengths and weaknesses.

PURPOSE OF the MASTER OF ARTS Degree IN APPLIED THEOLOGY: An Interfaith Pastoral and Spiritual Care Degree
The Master of Arts in Applied Theology is a cohort approach that provides grounding in how to put theology into practice in a diversity of situations and scenarios. It emphasizes
the pastoral and spiritual care implications with a Judeo-Christian, interfaith focus within a Catholic institution. The program develops a broad and fundamental comprehension of the social, cultural, and behavioral factors that impact theological application.
The program helps individuals define their images of the Divine, their practice of spirituality, and their commitment to service. Through pastoral practice and theological reflection on that experience, students learn pastoral presence, communication skills, and assessment methods. The program addresses issues of pastoral counseling, liturgy and symbol, scriptural resources, and prayer. Through readings, discussion, lecture, writing, reflection, supervision, and pastoral application, participants develop their own theologies and methods of exercising pastoral and spiritual care. Marylhurst University
welcomes students of all faiths and cultures.

Master of Divinity Mission Statement (2008-2010 catalog, page 192)
The Master of Divinity is a transformative and life engaging experience. People participate in this comprehensive ministry preparation program to grow in their effectiveness as care providers and in their theological competence.
This program assists people in reaching their dreams. People grow in wholeness through a greater understanding of self, their connection with others, the universe, and the Divine.
The program enhances full human potential through developing unity with others along their spiritual paths. As Blessed Marie-Rose Durocher, the Founder of the Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary, says: “Since we tread along the same way, let us extend a hand to one another to help surmount the difficulties that present themselves.”

The M.Div. develops a strong and balanced theological foundation within an educational,
professional, and spiritual context. Individuals deepen their sense of personal and spiritual integration through an appropriation and awareness of ministerial strengths and
weaknesses.

The Master of Divinity provides a wide ranging curriculum through theological, biblical,
historical, pastoral care, ethical, and spirituality courses.

THE PURPOSE OF the MASTER OF DIVINITY (M.Div.) Degree (2008-2010 catalog, page 192)
The program assists individuals to articulate with greater clarity their theological and scriptural perspectives, their practice of spirituality, and their commitment to service.
Individuals develop greater insights in theology, religious history, scriptural understanding, pastoral care, and spirituality. The program addresses issues of pastoral counseling, liturgy and ritual, theological resources and assessment, and prayer. Through readings, interactive exercises, discussion, lecture, writing, reflection, supervision, and pastoral application, students engage their own theologies and applications in ministerial settings.

Homecoming- In Gratitude for 150 Years of Service of the Sisters of the Holy Names

We Are One Body by Carla Sue carlasue88's Youtube Channel

Caritas in Veritate Charity in Truth published in the Catholic Sentinel

Charity in truth is a commentary written by Archbishop John Vlazny on Pope Benedict XVI's new social Encyclical....

Earlier this summer Pope Benedict XVI promulgated his new social encyclical, Caritas in Veritate Charity in Truth. This occurred at the same time that we were experiencing a change in leadership here in the archdiocese in our Office of Peace and Justice. The Pope’s encyclical should give us much to ponder as we attempt to maintain an appropriate involvement of our faith community in these important matters that so significantly affect the lives of our people. Pope Benedict, as a teacher of faith, understandably stresses the need for spiritual development as an essential component for all development. In all circumstances we must turn to God’s love as the ultimate solution of all our problems.

This papal letter is lengthy, more than 30,000 words. Pope Benedict analyzes our current global economic crisis in light of some traditional moral principles. He acknowledges that progress has been made in world development but notes that other challenges exist as the result of newly emerging problems in today’s world. In his letter, the Pope urges us to heed the relationship between human and environmental ecologies. He asks us to link charity and truth in the pursuit of justice, the common good and authentic human development. He goes on to state that “the current crisis obliges us to re-plan our journey, to set ourselves new rules and to discover new forms of commitment to build on positive experiences and to reject negative ones. The crisis thus becomes an opportunity for discernment, in which to shape a new vision for the future.”

Some people might be surprised when the Pope states that charity is to be at the heart of the church’s social doctrine. He states that “it is the principle not only of micro-relationships (with friends, with family members or within small groups) but also of macro-relationships (social, economic and political ones).” We tend to separate charity from justice, but the Pope brings them together and reminds us that charity must be understood and practiced in the light of truth, hence the title of the encyclical.

Pope Benedict notes that the world’s wealth is growing in absolute terms, but inequalities are on the increase. Even in rich countries, many are becoming impoverished, often in new forms. Even in poor nations there are those whose wasteful and consumerist behaviors result in an unacceptable contrast with the ongoing situations of dehumanizing deprivation.

Pope Benedict also encourages wealthy people to look upon themselves as stewards of the wealth they possess and to be eager to put it in service for the good of others. This, of course, is a strong biblical theme, one that can be so easily forgotten when surrounded by the blessings of life. Affluence is a blessing, but one that can be deceptive when people ponder its impact.

Justice demands right relationships between people. In this respect, the Pope clearly supports labor organizations but, at the same time, he stresses the need for responsibility on the part of both management and labor to care for and be responsible for all persons involved. He also calls for sharing the earth’s resources equitably. This is necessary if we are to safeguard the environment for future generations. He criticizes all those who would horde non-renewable fossil fuels. He advocates greater energy efficiency, using alternate forms of energy and cutting fossil fuel use. This should help free up enough energy resources for poor nations to use toward development.

The Pope does not subscribe to concerns about excessive population. He says there’s enough room for all of us, including future generations, to live with dignity. Furthermore, the Pope states that if society doesn’t respect human life from conception to its natural end, “if human conception, gestation and birth are made artificial, if human embryos are sacrificed for research, the conscience of society ends up losing the concept of human ecology and, along with it, that of environmental ecology.”

Recently some here in the archdiocese have been critical of my efforts to promote respect for life as a justice issue. They do not want our Office of Peace and Justice to be involved in calling for respect for all human life from conception to natural death. They prefer a separate Pro-Life office. They are probably surprised that the Pope in his encyclical points out the inner-connectedness of life issues and justice issues.
Frankly, as a church, we have not done a good job of promoting the gospel of life. In my judgment we fail because we allow the opposition to describe our human life values as simply religious ones, not to be “imposed” upon today’s secular world. This, of course, is a terribly misguided approach. All destruction of human life is wrong, not because of religious values but because of the demands of justice which are clearly relevant, even in a highly secular society, when dealing with matters of life and death.

Before the summer ends, I encourage you to take the time to review the Pope’s latest message “to the bishops, priests and deacons, men and women Religious, the lay faithful, and all people of good will on integral human development in Charity and Truth.” For him, true human development definitely requires the involvement of Christians with their arms raised toward God in prayer. In all such critical matters we wisely turn to God’s love.