WELCOME to Fall 2025 Online Registration for The Theological Institute of Saint John’s Seminary
Prior to registration, students taking a course for credit must confer with Dr. Anthony Coleman, Director of The Theological Institute, to review course selection and sequence.
Dr. Coleman can be reached at anthony.coleman@sjs.edu.
Academic courses are three credits each and cost $2100.
It is also possible to audit a course for $435.
MAM Formation and MTS Colloquium: $850.
Field Education costs $1000 per semester.
Credit card payment is available for non-scholarship students or we can bill you directly.
If you have questions, please call 617-779-4104, ext. 2 or email ellen.oesterle@sjs.edu.
Evening hybrid classes alternate online meetings with in-person sessions which are held at Our Lady Help of Christians Parish Center, 573 Washington Street, Newton, MA.
Saturday in-person classes meet at Saint John’s Hall, 127 Lake Street, Brighton, MA
Fall courses being offered:
MT500 MORAL THEOLOGY (MAM/MTS Core)
Dr. Anthony Coleman
With St. Thomas Aquinas as our guide, and both the Catechism of the Catholic Church and Pope St. John Paul II’s encyclical on moral theology, Veritatis Splendor, as foundational documents, this course invites its students to meditate upon who we are and what it means to be a human person created in love in the image of God. We will ponder, too, who God is and His revelation to us with respect to creation and who we are. Our moral life, our actions, fit, or are situated, within the Truth of who God is and who He creates us to be. From the basic understanding of fundamental moral theology we will be prepared to engage with the moral life. Grace, virtue, freedom, Revelation, conscience, and authority will then be the themes, language and tools, we discuss to shape our understanding and interiorization of the good, and holy, and virtuous, and happy life. All classes will meet in person at Saint John’s Hall.
Every other Saturday: 8:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
MM500 CANON LAW (MAM Core)
Prof. Julianne Shanklin
Canon law is the system of rules that govern Church order and discipline. This course will present an overview of the nature, history, and function of Church law, and will introduce students to the norms of the 1983 Code of Canon Law — primarily Book I (general norms), Book II (The People of God: Christian faithful, Church hierarchy, consecrated life), Book III (the teaching office), Book IV (sacraments), and Book V (temporal goods). The objective of the course is to introduce basic structures and functions of the Church as addressed by the Code, and to familiarize students with those canonical norms helpful to their effective ministry in the Church. This course is a hybrid course of alternating in-person classes and online meetings using the Canvas learning platform.
Tuesday: 5:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.
TH500 FUNDAMENTAL THEOLOGY (MAM/MTS Core)
Instructor: TBD
Fundamental Theology introduces the student to Catholic theology, its characteristics, resources, and purposes. The goal is to assist the student in giving a reasonable articulation of the mystery of divine revelation as transmitted as Scripture and Tradition and received in the faith of the Church. In addition, this course will investigate a number of specific issues, including the role of the Magisterium, the levels of official Church teaching, and the topic of theological method. The course will employ a number of different learning strategies, especially lecture and small group discussions. This course is a hybrid course of alternating in-person classes and online meetings using the Canvas learning platform.
Tuesday: 7:15 p.m. - 9:15 p.m.
YEAR B MAM FORMATION (MAM Requirement)
Mary Ann McLaughlin & Fr. Michael MacInnis
In Year B of MAM Formation, the theme of the monthly formation sessions is ministerial identity. These monthly meetings for first- and second-year students typically begin with Mass, followed by a human formation conference and a spiritual formation conference. Rev. Michael MacInnis leads the human formation sessions while Mary Ann McLaughlin leads the spiritual formation sessions. The Saturday morning four-hour sessions end with Daytime Prayer. Twice a year in January (2026) and May (2026) the sessions are scheduled for Monday evenings at St. John's Seminary in Brighton and consist of prayer and Theological Reflection on pastoral experience. Fr. Frank Silva hosts these two evenings. Field Education Supervisors are invited to attend. Registration is required for both semesters, Fall 2025 and Spring 2026, to complete one of two years of Formation required. Classes are held in person at Our Lady Help of Christians Parish Center in Newton, MA.
One Saturday per month-8:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
Fall 2025: Sept. 13, Oct. 11, Nov. 15, Dec. 13
Spring 2026: Mon. Jan. 19, Feb. 14, Mar. 21, Mon. May 4
FC100 MTS COLLOQUIUM (MTS Core)
Dr. Anthony Coleman
For MTS students, a two-year formation cycle supplements their academic courses and provides formation in all four pillars (human, spiritual, academic, and pastoral). The Colloquium year alternates with the joint MAM/MTS formation year. Students are required to take the formation cycle in their first two years of the program and may begin with either the Colloquium or the joint formation year. The Colloquium meets monthly and engages texts and topics pertinent to evangelization, including those in disciplines beyond theology. The structure privileges seminar-style interaction. Students will receive one credit for the completion of each of the two semesters of the Colloquium. The Spring semester will culminate with the presentation of Evangelizing the Culture projects. This capstone presentation is based on a student’s participation in an internship at a Catholic institution to develop the practical skills of evangelization and apostolic formation. The course is graded on a Pass/Fail grading scheme and earns 1 credit. All classes meet in person.
One Saturday per month 8:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
Fall 2025: Sept. 13, Oct. 11, Nov. 15, Dec. 13
Spring 2026: Mon. Jan. 19, Feb. 14, Mar. 21, Mon. May 4
Field Education
Four semesters of pastoral placement are required to complete the MAM degree, to provide students experiential engagement in Church life and lay ministries.
FE198, FE298, FE398, FE498
New Non-Degree and Auditor students
Cost
Three credit courses: $2,100.
Audit cost: $435.
Credit card payment is available for non-scholarship students or we can bill you directly. Payment may be made through our Student Information System.
If you have questions, please call 617-779-4104, ext. 2, or email the Assistant to the Director of The Theological Institute.
