The Moral Life

A Church of and for the Poor

Fee: $30 | Three Weeks
“The poor you will always have with you” (Matt 26:11) 
Jesus’s words are as true as ever with today’s volatile economies and extreme financial inequality.  

ENROLL NOW

In pursuit of a 21st Century Christian discipleship, join a guided conversation focused on the many faces of poverty.  Explore the biblical and theological roots of the Church’s continuing commitment to the poor, evaluate several proposals about ways to respond to poverty, and converse with others about what it means to be a Church of and for the poor.  This course uses the issue of C21 Resources The Poor: What Did Jesus Preach?  What Does the Church Teach? edited by Rev. Kenneth R. Himes, O.F.M.

Topics

• Week 1: Course Introduction
• Week 2: The Many Faces of Poverty
• Week 3: How We Respond in the Face of Poverty

Additional Materials Needed

All materials are included in the course.  View this issue of C21 Resources, "For the Poor: What Did Jesus Preach?  What Does the Church Teach?"  If you prefer to have a hardcopy of C21 Resources, request one from The Church in the 21st Century Center at church21@bc.edu. 

Content Scholar:  This issue of C21 Resources was edited by Rev. Kenneth Himes, O.F.M., professor of theology at the Boston College Theology Department.

Image: Lazarus and the Rich Man by Nigel Lawrence, used with permission.

Catholic Social Teaching: Living Faith in Our Social Context

Fee: $60 | Five Weeks

AVAILABLE COURSES

Have you ever heard a breaking news story and wondered, “What has faith got to do with it?” Perhaps you have thought “That’s not right,” but then the moral aspect of the event fades into the background.  This course draws attention to key themes of Catholic Social Teaching, e.g., human dignity, human rights, common good. 

It provides an opportunity to discuss issues such as a just wage and a just war.

Guided by 101 Questions and Answers on Catholic Social Teaching by Fr. Ken Himes, O.F.M., see how our call to live lives of faith in a social context is deeply rooted in the Catholic Tradition.

This course has a required text:  Kenneth R. Himes, O.F.M. 101 Questions & Answers on Catholic Social Teaching.  Second Edition. New York: Paulist Press, 2013.

Topics

• Introductory Week: Where does Catholic Social Teaching come from?
• Week 1: Foundations
• Week 2: Political and Economic Life
• Week 3: International Life
• Week 4: Special Concerns

Special Features

This course includes:

• Weekly introductions to each new topic;
• Short videos for each week featuring Fr. Ken Himes and Rev. Debbie Little;
• Transcripts of videos;
• Weekly questions for reflection and discussion; and
• A page of further resources about topics discussed in this course.

All Crossroads courses include these features:

• Participants have access 24 hours/7 days a week to the course's password-protected web site. 
• Each participant belongs to a small Community for Conversation and faith sharing guided by a facilitator.
• Course site is usually available to participants at least three months after the course ends.
• An orientation on how to navigate the web site is always available.
• Technical assistance is easy to contact and prompt in returning a message.
• A Certificate of Active Participation is awarded to those who post at least three messages of substance for each week of content.

Additional Materials Needed:

Course text:  Kenneth R. Himes, O.F.M. 101 Questions & Answers on Catholic Social Teaching.  Second Edition. New York: Paulist Press, 2013.

Time Commitment:

A participant can expect to spend approximately 4 hours each week.  This commitment includes both preparation and interaction online.

Certificate Requirement Categories:

The Moral Life

Content Scholar:  

Fr. Kenneth Himes, O.F.M. (text and video), professor of theology, Boston College Theology Department, and Rev. Dr. Debbie Little (video), founder and missioner of Ecclesia Ministries and Common Cathedral Boston.

Christian Faith and Moral Character

Fee: $60 | Five Weeks

Rather than a list of commandments, this course examines a fundamental element of moral experience: the formation of a person's character.

AVAILABLE COURSES

What sort of person are you trying to be? How does your Christian faith influence your goals? After clarifying the meaning and significance of character as reflected upon in the Christian theological tradition, the course addresses the topics of moral freedom, human sinfulness, and the nature of conversion. Feature film clips are used to provide occasions to discuss various themes emphasized in the readings.

Topics

• Introductory Week
• Week 1: Moral Character - what is it and why is it important?
• Week 2: Moral Freedom - the nature of freedom and the process of shaping character
• Week 3: Human Failing and Sin - examining the language and meaning of the mystery of sin
• Week 4: The Grace of Conversion - understanding the meaning of authentic conversion and its place in the moral life

Special Features
This course includes:

• Four articles by Father Kenneth Himes, O.F.M.;
• Streaming video of film clips used each week to discuss key points;
• Written transcrips of videos to view and download;
• Weekly questions for reflection and discussion;
• Weekly introduction and study guide;
• Resource page to use for further study;

All Crossroads courses include these features:

• Participants have access 24 hours/ 7 days a week to the course's password-protected web site. 
• Each participant belongs to a small Community for Conversation and faith sharing guided by a facilitator.
• Site is usually available to participants at least three months after the course.
• An orientation in how to navigate the web site is always available.
• Technical assistance is easy to contact and prompt in returning a message.
• A Certificate of Active Participation is awarded to those who post at least three messages of substance for each week of content.

Additional Materials Needed
Everything you need for this course is provided on the course web site.

Time Commitment
A participant can expect to spend an average of approximately 4 hours each week. This commitment includes both the assigned reading and interaction online.

Content Scholar: Father Kenneth Himes, O.F.M. is professor emeritus of theological ethics at Boston College Department of Theology

Finding a Moral Compass

Fee: $30 | Four Weeks
This course lays out the social nature of the human person, explaining that Catholic Social Teaching is the Church's conviction about the human dignity of every person, as well as stating the demands that this places on each of us if we are to honor and protect our human dignity.  

AVAILABLE COURSES

These issues will be addressed in light of the practice of discernment which seeks to understand what God is like, what you are like as your most authentic self, and how to find confidence that your desires are in sync with God's deepest desires for you. 

"The source of the moral call is the foundational experience we have of the worth and value of persons. This is the basic data upon which ethical reflection begins."  -Fr. Himes O.F.M.

Topics  

Getting Started Week: Introduction to the course
Week 1: What Prompts Moral Concern?
Week 2: The Human Person as Sacred
Week 3: The Human Person as Social

Content Scholars: 

Fr. Kenneth Himes, O.F.M., (video) is professor of theological ethics at Boston College Department of Theology; Sr. Barbara Quinn, R.S.C.J., (video) is associate director of spiritual formation at the Boston College School of Theology and Ministry.

Call To Conscience

Fee: $30
Apr 12, 2023 - May 2, 2023
This course urges that we guide decisions by the voice of conscience in our hearts and the wisdom of our faith community and traditions, by wrestling with the tensions in between.

AVAILABLE COURSES

View this issue of C21 Resources, "Conscience at Work."

The Online Book Club: I'm Still Here

Fee: $30
Four Weeks

Check the course schedule for future offerings of this course.

Austin Channing Brown was named Austin by her parents so future hiring committees would think that she was a white man. This is the first of many personal stories that Channing Brown shares in her book about her own encounters with race as a child, adolescent, young adult, and woman in a society made for whiteness. Join us in discussing Channing Brown’s experiences as she grows to love and celebrate Blackness while navigating the many barriers in pursuit of racial justice.

This course has a required text:  Austin Channing Brown. I’m Still Here: Black Dignity in a World Made for Whiteness. Convergent Books, 2018.

Topics

Getting Started Week: Introduction to the course

Week 1: The Experiences that Shape Me

Week 2: Our Stories and Our Feelings

Week 3: Shadow of Hope

Special Features

This course includes:

• Initial comments to introduce the book;
• Weekly questions to begin the discussion;
• A regularly updated Resources page for further study on the topics discussed in this course

All Crossroads courses include these features:Participants have access 24 hours/7 days a week to the course's password-protected website. 

• Each participant belongs to a small Community for Conversation and faith sharing guided by a facilitator.
• The course site is usually available to participants at least three months after the course.
• An orientation on how to navigate the web site is always available.
• Technical assistance is easy to contact and prompt in returning a message.
• A Certificate of Active Participation is awarded to those who post at least three messages of substance for each week of content.

Additional Materials:

Austin Channing Brown. I’m Still Here: Black Dignity in a World Made for Whiteness. Convergent Books, 2018.

Time Commitment

A participant can expect to spend an average of approximately 4 hours each week. This commitment includes both the assigned reading and interaction online.

Certificate Requirement Categories

• The Moral Life

Content Scholar:

Austin Channing Brown (text) is a writer, a speaker, and a media producer working on racial justice in America. She is the New York Times and USA Today Bestselling author of I’m Still Here: Black Dignity in a World Made for Whiteness and the Executive Producer of The Next Question: A Web Series Imagining How Expansive Racial Justice Can Be.

The Grace of Friendship

Fee:  $25
Three Weeks

In the Spring 2018 issue of C21 Resources, “The Gift of Friendship,” guest editor Timothy Hanchin selects a collection of essays that assists us in deepening our understanding of friendship and connecting our friendships with each other to friendship with God.

Check the course schedule for future offerings of this course.

Topics

• Getting Started Week:
  
  
• Week 1: Accepting God’s Friendship
  
  
• Week 2: Dimensions of Human Friendship

Special Features
This course includes:

• Initial comments to introduce the book
• Weekly questions to begin the discussion
• A regularly updated Resources page for further study on the topics discussed in this course
• A special forum to share reflections and meditations on the Scripture selections

Additional Materials Needed:

This course uses the Spring 2018 Issue of C21 Resources: The Gift of Friends (opens new window)

Time Commitment:

A participant can expect to spend approximately 3-4 hours each week.  This commitment includes both preparation and interaction online.

Fee: $25

Content Scholar: Timothy Hanchin, the guest editor of this issue of C21 Resources, is an assistant professor in the theology and religious studies department at Villanova University.

The Online Book Club: Barking to the Choir

Fee: $25
Four Weeks

Check the course schedule for future offerings of this course.

Author of Tattoos on the Heart, Gregory Boyle S.J. writes a second compelling account of his ministry in Homeboy Industries, a collective of enterprises he founded that is centered on a community in which men and women discover that they are more than gang members. Join us in discussing the touching, often humorous, accounts that illustrate God’s presence in the midst of their community. Subtitled “The Power of Radical Kinship,” Boyle shows us how love, joy, and letting go of judgment are formative in shaping a community of resilience and providing space for each individual, including himself, to have a journey of transformation.

Gregory Boyle, S.J. Barking to the Choir: The Power of Radical Kinship. Simon and Schuster, 2017. 

Topics

Getting Started Week: Introduction

Week 1: Knowing the Joy and Awe of God’s Love

Week 2: Being Humble, Becoming Transformed

Week 3: The Creation of Kinship

Special Features

All Crossroads courses include these features:

• Participants have access 24 hours/ 7 days a week to the course's password-protected web site. 
  
• Each participant belongs to a small Community for Conversation and faith sharing guided by a facilitator.
  
• Site is usually available to participants at least three months after the course.
  
• An orientation in how to navigate the web site is always available.
  
• Technical assistance is easy to contact and prompt in returning a message.
  
• A Certificate of Active Participation is awarded to those who post at least three messages of substance for each week of content.

Additional Materials:

Gregory Boyle, S.J. Barking to the Choir: The Power of Radical Kinship. Simon and Schuster, 2017. 

Time Commitment

A participant can expect to spend an average of 3-4 hours each week. This commitment includes both preparation and interaction online.

A Catholic View of Today's Families

Fee: $25
Three Weeks

Check the course schedule for future offerings of this course.

Families with their joys, challenges, pressures, and pains, are at the center of attention in the Church today.  Families face new challenges and opportunities in the rapidly changing world of the 21^st Century.   In this course, we share in the stories and experiences of a range of families, each with unique abilities and needs.  We also discuss how church communities can strengthen and support families as they grow and pass on the faith.  This course is supported by the Spring 2015 issue of C21 Resources "Catholic Families: Carrying Faith Forward"

Topics:

Introductory Week
Week 1: Some Realities of 21st Century Families
Week 2: Family Stories

Special Features

This course includes:

• Weekly introductions to each new topic;
• Weekly questions for reflection and discussion; and
• A page of further resources about topics discussed in this course.

All Crossroads courses include these features:

• Participants have access 24 hours/ 7 days a week to the course's password protected web site. 
• Each participant belongs to a small Community for Conversation and faith sharing guided by a facilitator.
• Site is usually available to participants at least three months after the course.
• An orientation in how to navigate the web site is always available.
• Technical assistance is easy to contact and prompt in returning a message
• A Certificate of Active Participation is awarded to those who post at least three messages of substance for each week of content.

Additional Materials Needed:

Everything you need for this course is provided on the course site.  View this issue of , C21 Resources "Catholic Families: Carrying Faith Forward."  Contact church21@bc.edu, The Church in the 21st Century Center, if you prefer a hard copy of this issue.

Time Commitment:
A participant can expect to spend an average of 3-4 hours each week. This commitment includes both preparation and interaction online.

Content Scholar:  Dr. Stephen J. Pope, professor of theology at the Boston College Theology Department, is guest editor for this issue.

The Best Of James Martin, S.J.. In "America"

Fee: $25
Four Weeks

Check the course schedule for future offerings of this course.

The “Signs of the Times” series includes courses that address difficult social, political, and cultural themes, in order to provide steps to bridge the deep divisions in the U.S. today.

Do you know James Martin S.J. as the author of Jesus: A Pilgrimage? As a commentator on current events in media interviews? As the Editor at Large of America Magazine? This course is an opportunity to discuss articles by Martin which have appeared in America. Join us to discuss how his insightful reflections and commentary might shape your idea of Christian living in today’s world.

Topics

Getting Started Week:  Introduction to the course

Week 1: Church

Week 2: Society

Week 3: Inclusion

Special Features

This course includes:

• Weekly introductions to each new topic;
• Links to articles by James Martin, S.J., for assigned readings;
• Weekly questions for reflection and discussion; and
• A regularly updated Resources page for further study on the topics discussed in this course; and
• A special forum to share reflections on each weekly Faith Examen.

All STM Online: Crossroads courses include these features:

• Participants have access 24 hours/7 days a week to the course's password-protected web site. 
• Each participant belongs to a small Community for Conversation and faith sharing guided by a facilitator.
• The course site is usually available to participants at least three months after the course has ended.
• An orientation in how to navigate the web site is always available.
• Technical assistance is easy to contact and prompt in returning a message.
• A Certificate of Active Participation is awarded to those who post at least three messages of substance for each week of content.

Additional Materials Needed:
Links to all materials are included on the course site.

Time Commitment
A participant can expect to spend an average of 3-4 hours each week.  This commitment includes both preparation and interaction online.

The Online Book Club: Building a Bridge

Fee: $25
Five Weeks

Check the course schedule for future offerings of this course.

The “Signs of the Times” series includes courses that address difficult social, political and cultural themes in order to provide steps to bridge the deep divisions in the U.S. today.

As the subtitle in Building a Bridge explains, James Martin discusses how the Catholic Church and the LGBTQ+ community can enter into a relationship of respect, compassion, and sensitivity. Originally, the book was based on a presentation Martin made when accepting an award from New Ways Ministry. The expanded version provides resources for prayer and reflection. Join us in discussing the expanded paperback version.

James Martin, S.J. Building a Bridge: How the Catholic Church and the LGBT Community Can Enter into a Relationship of Respect, Compassion, and Sensitivity. Revised and Expanded Edition. HarperCollins, 2018. ISBN 978-0-06-283753-0

Topics

Getting Started Week: Introduction to the course

Week 1: Respect

Week 2: Compassion

Week 3: Sensitivity

Week 4: Building a Bridge

Special Features

This course includes:

• Initial comments to introduce the book;
• Weekly questions to begin the discussion;
• A regularly updated Resources page for further study on the topics discussed in this course; and
• A special forum to share reflections and meditations on the Scripture selections.

All Crossroads courses include these features:

• Participants have access 24 hours/ 7 days a week to the course's password-protected web site. 
  
• Each participant belongs to a small Community for Conversation and faith sharing guided by a facilitator.
  
• Site is usually available to participants at least three months after the course.
  
• An orientation in how to navigate the web site is always available.
  
• Technical assistance is easy to contact and prompt in returning a message.
  
• A Certificate of Active Participation is awarded to those who post at least three messages of substance for each week of content.

Additional Materials:

James Martin, S.J. Building a Bridge: How the Catholic Church and the LGBT Community Can Enter into a Relationship of Respect, Compassion, and Sensitivity. Revised and Expanded Edition. HarperCollins, 2018. ISBN 978-0-06-283753-0

Time Commitment

A participant can expect to spend an average of 3-4 hours each week. This commitment includes both preparation and interaction online.

Content Scholar: James Martin, S.J., is a well-known author and an editor-at-large of America magazine.

The Online Book Club: "Hillbilly Elegy"

Fee: $50
Five Weeks

The “Signs of the Times” series includes courses that address difficult social, political and cultural themes in order to provide steps to bridge the deep divisions in the U.S. today.

Could listening be an initial step in bridging the deep social, political and cultural divides in the U.S. today? In the midst of the digital din, how does one sort out the voices?  A compelling memoir might be a good start.  In Hillbilly Elegy, J.D. Vance is both narrator of his own story and a frank and honest social commentator about the circumstances he, his family, and his community faced.  A complex portrait of the white working class who feel excluded emerges. Join us in reading Vance’s memoir, discussing his analysis and observations, and discovering the impact of his story on your own.

This course has a required text: J.D. Vance. Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis. HarperCollins, 2016.

Check the course schedule for future offerings of this course.

Topics

Introductory Week

Week 1: Getting to Know the Family (Chs. 1-4)

Week 2: Grade School Years (Chs. 5-8)

Week 3: High School, Marines, College (Chs. 9-11)

Week 4: Law School and Marriage (Chs. 12 – 15, Conclusion)

Special Features

This course includes:

• Weekly introductions to each new topic;
  
• Links to a different published commentary or review of the book each week;
  
• Weekly questions for reflection and discussion; and
• A regularly updated Resources page for further study of topics discussed in this course.

All Crossroads courses include these features:

• Participants have access 24 hours/ 7 days a week to the course's password-protected web site. 
  
• Each participant belongs to a small Community for Conversation and faith sharing guided by a facilitator.
  
• Site is usually available to participants at least three months after the course.
  
• An orientation in how to navigate the web site is always available.
  
• Technical assistance is easy to contact and prompt in returning a message.
  
• A Certificate of Active Participation is awarded to those who post at least three messages of substance for each week of content.

Additional Materials:

J.D. Vance. Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis. HarperCollins, 2016.

Time Commitment

A participant can expect to spend approximately 4 hours each week.  This commitment includes both preparation and interaction online.

Content Scholar: The book is a memoir by J.D. Vance, who grew up in Appalachia and the Rust Belt. He is currently a principal in an investment firm.  He is often a TV commentator on current events.

The Online Book Club: "Laudato Si'", by Pope Francis

Fee:  $30
Four Weeks

About the Book
(required text for this course; see download/print option below)

Pope Francis's encyclical on the environment, Laudato Si', was launched amid much public interest and plenty of commentary by various pundits.  Take this opportunity to read the letter subtitled 'On Care for Our Common Home' and discuss its wide-ranging implications.  Decide for yourself the impact it may have on the way you and your local community address the needs of this planet and the care of our natural resources. 

Check the course schedule for future offerings of this course.

Topics

Getting Started Week: Introduction to the Encyclical

Week 1: A Theology of Creation to Address What Is Happening to Our Common Home (chapters 1 and 2)

Week 2:  An Integral Ecology to Address the Human Roots of the Crisis (chapters 3 and 4)

Week 3:  A Call to Dialogue, Education, and Ecological Conversion (chapters 5 and 6)

About the Online Book Club

• Are you a person who regularly reads books and articles on spirituality and theology?
• Is the religion and spirituality section of your bookstore a favorite place?
• Do you often wish there was a way that you could share your insights about an author and hear what others think?

If you have answered yes to any of these questions, whether you are reading for professional development, a committed spiritual practice, or an ongoing hunger to know more about the spiritual life, the Online Book Club is for you!

The Online Book Club offers a setting to encounter an author's ideas and participate in conversation with others about a selected text.  In addition to providing an experienced facilitator to guide the conversation, we get you started by offering some direction to engage the author and the text.  Then the conversation unfolds in light of the interests of those in the conversation circle. 

Click here for other Online Book Club courses

Special Features

This course includes:

• Initial comments to introduce the book;
• Weekly questions to begin the discussion; and
• A regularly updated Resources page for further study on the topics discussed in this course.

All Crossroads courses include these features:

• Participants have access 24 hours/7 days a week to a password protected web site.
• Each participant belongs to a small Community for Conversation and faith sharing guided by a facilitator.
• The course site is generally open to participants for six months after the course is complete.
• Technical assistance is easy to contact and prompt in returning a message.
• A Certificate of Active Participation is awarded to those who post at least three messages of substance for each week of content.

Additional Materials:

Any copy of the encyclical Laudato Si' (the Vatican's online format prints approximately 75 pages)  

Time Commitment

A participant can expect to spend approximately 4 hours each week.  This commitment includes both preparation and interaction online.

Content Scholar:  Pope Francis

The Online Book Club: The Church of Mercy, by Pope Francis

Fee: $50
Five Weeks

About the Book (required text for this course)

The Church of Mercy: A Vision for the Church, by Pope Francis (Loyola Press, 2014) is a selection of the pope’s remarks, many of which are homilies or general audiences. 

About the Online Book Club

Are you a person who regularly reads books and articles on spirituality and theology?

Is the religion and spirituality section of your bookstore a favorite place?

Do you often wish there was a way that you could share your insights about an author and hear what others think?

If you have answered “yes” to any of these questions, whether you are reading for professional development, a committed spiritual practice, or an ongoing hunger to know more about the spiritual life, the Online Book Club is for you!

The Online Book Club offers a setting to encounter an author’s ideas and participate in conversation with others about a selected text.  In addition to providing an experienced facilitator to guide the conversation, we get you started by offering some direction to engage the author and the text.  Then the conversation unfolds in light of the interests of those in the conversation circle.  

Click here for other Online Book Club courses

Check the course schedule for the dates for the Online Book Club.

Topics

• Week 1: 
  
  • Part 1: The Good News of Christ
  • Part 2: A Poor Church for the Poor
  • Part 3: Listening to the Spirit
• Week 2:
  • Part 4: Proclamation and Testimony
  • Part 5: Full-Time Christians
  • Part 6: Shepherds with the “Odor of the Sheep”
• Week 3
  • Part 7: The Choice of the Last
  • Part 8: Demolishing the Idols
• Week 4:
  
  • Part 9: The Culture of Good
  • Part 10: Mary, Mother of Evangelization

Special Features

This course includes:

• Initial comments to introduce the book;
• Weekly questions to begin the discussion; and
• A regularly updated Resources page for further study about the topic discussed in this course.

All Crossroads courses include these features:

• Participants have access 24 hours/7 days a week to the course's password-protected web site. 
• Each participant belongs to a small Community for Conversation and faith sharing guided by a facilitator.
• The course site is usually available to participants at least three months after the course.
• An orientation in how to navigate the web site is always available.
• Technical assistance is easy to contact and prompt in returning a message.
• A Certificate of Active Participation is awarded to those who post at least three messages of substance for each week of content.

Additional Materials Needed

Pope Francis, The Church of Mercy: A Vision for the Church (Loyola Press, 2014) 

Time Commitment

A participant can expect to spend approximately 4 hours each week.  This commitment includes both preparation and interaction online.

Content Scholar:  Pope Francis