Intro to Religious Studies/Theology has definitely helped reach the ability to access, gather, organize, and use information from important primary and credible secondary sources. For my final project, my group and I used Vatican II council documents and books that allowed us to use credible information. Our topic focused on the changes made to the mass order and vernacular during the Council's involvement. Specifically, we also looked at how the Catholic mass was before but also how it changed after the Vatican Council set new rules to uphold to. 

This group project was also important to me, because the teacher placed students in different grades together. My group consisted of a Junior who helped me learn about Jstor and how to find credible information. He also helped me cite my sources in Chicago style. These two things were very helpful to me because I was able to acquire skills that I used in other classes as well. I am also still good friends with him today.

Also, the journal entries and exams were very helpful to me. Not only were they reflective but also consisted of analyzing the information we learned during class. Through these assignments I was able to organize my ideas according to my textbook as well as the additional information gathered in class. Also, I learned to have my answers previously reviewed by my professor in order to receive great feedback. The professor was also very available for extra help.

Overall, this course organized my studying habits, as well as it brought me many great challenging experiences. I would no change anything about this course.




 

First Semester: Week 6

From my religious studies/theology major, I hope to learn more about the Catholic Church. Specifically, its values and traditions as well as the major changes throughout time in the Church that have occurred. One major time consisting of the changes from the Second Vatican Council. I would also like to know more about the bible as well as ways that as a Catholic, myself, I can contribute to the church but also to educate and better society as a whole. These expectations come from my prior experience in my classes taken here at Loras. These consist of: Intro to Theology, Three French Guys, Intro to the bible and finally Catholic social teaching. Also, my parents as well as friends at my parish have told me many things about their faith and the Catholic Church. From these little details, I found an interest in learning more about Catholicism.

Practicum Reflection

Describe the progress on your capstone project (thesis or practicum).  List 2-3 topics you plan to discuss when you present your capstone to the program faculty and fellow seniors. 

This semester, really since the start of January, I Have been doing my practicum at Holy Spirit Parish in Dubuque. While there I have had the chance to get involved in many different areas of the parish. I have really liked the variety of experiences I have had there because it allowed me to see the parish from so many different perspectives.

I think probably the most unique aspect of my practicum has been the computer work I have done. I have helped the parish to update all the information on their website by communicating with members across the parish to gather up to date information and then updating the website code to reflect those changes. Before becoming a parish made up of three churches, it was a pastorate and some references to it in that form still existed so I went through specifically searching for those as well. Drawing from my computer science background, especially my class in Human Computer Interaction,  I also looked at the website from a usability and aesthetic  and made suggestions for other things to be changed. Another computer job I did was to update the spreadsheet of all the computer-related hardware(laptops, desktops, printers, monitors). This required me to go through everyone's office and verify and record all the technical specs of their hardware.

Another main part of my work at Holy Spirit Parish has been my work with highschoolers and the youth ministry program there. I started leading a 10th grade religious education small group in the fall before I even started thinking about my practicum. This is really what led to me doing my practicum at Holy Spirit  Parish as I had already been working with the youth minister there and was able to have her be my mentor for my practicum. As a result of this I have done lots of work with high schoolers this semester, especially confirmation candidates. I have continued teaching my small group all of whom are also in confirmation prep to be confirmed this month, I was on the team to organize and put on the Holy Spirit overnight confirmation retreat, I have helped with a confirmation class session, I have helped plan two youth group events, and I've been to several meetings of the Youth Leadership Team to name just few ways I've been involved with the youth of the parish this semester.

I've learned so much from my practicum at Holy Spirit Parish this semester! I think the most valuable learning tool for learning about parish life and ministry is to get out and be immersed in it and I was certainly able to do that this semester.

3rd Semester, week 6

I first want to mention that the course I am going to talk about, is not on the list which we are to pick from. I have very few courses that I have taken that are on the list because they have not even been offered or they were/are advanced general education classes and I cannot get into the class because I am am underclassman. So, continuing on, I have chosen to talk about the course Religion and Consumer Culture which I took as a night class. This class was very interesting in that the final question and main question for the course was that of "Is Consumerism a religion?" Within the course, we read several authors on what consumerism is, what religion is, and even opinions of authors on whether or not consumerism is a religion. We would even rant about how ridiculous consumerism can get including advertising, our own human nature, and the economy.
For the final, I decided that to write my paper on showing how consumerism can be considered a religion. I noted the similarities in the places of "worship" who the religious people are such as "priests" and then what the rituals and traditions are. I was shocked at what I had learned because before I took this course, I would have stated that it was nonsense to think a mall could be linked with a basilica.
The only thing that I would have changed about the class is to not have it as a night class. I can not focus for three straight hours and it was a lot of information to take. It may have been better to meet for a shirt time and then be able to reflect more on the little information I gained in that little time.
Overall, it was a great course with a great group of people and I enjoyed it!

2nd Semester week 11

After taking History of Sacred Music I could really relate it to choir. We sing a lot of religious songs in choir and I began to search for a copy write date and looked more into the words and the type of music that was being used. I was then able to appreciate the music more because I understood the meaning behind the notes and lyrics even though most people within the Loras Choirs may not even like the music and it's because they don't understand the meaning and history behind the piece of music.

First Semester

When first coming to Loras, I had a different idea of the content a religious studies major studied than what I have been learning currently. I thought I would be studying the life of Jesus and looking at different bible stories and interpretating those stories and fitting them into our busy lives. I also thought I would learn about the many saints and how we can look up to them. The reason for thinking this is because my religious education program back in my hometown wasn't all that great and I learned very little. Everything that I knew coming into Loras, were things that I taught myself and read up on. The classes that I am currently taking and the one I took last semester (Intro to Theology) are/were quite hard. The Intro class did not seem like an intro at all, but that's probably because I don't have the background like everyone else has. The content we learned in class didn't seem relevant to the future career that I hope to have, a youth minister. However, there were some things that I learned in that class that I not only understood, but help deepen my faith. Watching the movie God on Trial, and learning about the different theodicies really opened my eyes to what religion and faith is all about. At some point during my first semester, I thought to myself if I would ever learn about other religions and what makes those religions different from others. J-term came around and I enrolled in World Regions. One of the most interesting and funnest classes i have taken! I learned how similar Judaism and Islam is to each other and also  Christianity. The classes am taking now, Foundations of Ministry and Empowered Catholic Women, couldn't be more different and yet so similar. One class is about learning the place of different people within the church and the other focuses on different women and their spirituality. Many concepts cross over and I am beginning to see the link with everything.
In the future, I really hope to learn more about the history of Jesus and the Catholic faith. I still really want to learn more the bible and the many bible stories and I believe I can in a class called God's Literature, or something like that. I also really want to learn about how to be a youth minister. I'm not sure what specific questions to ask about that, but I want to make sure that I can be the best youth minister and do my job right.
I am very excite for what the next three years hold for me and to broad my knowledge of my Faith, Hope in humanity, and Love for God. God Bless!!

posted March 21, 2012

After Week 6

First Semester After Week 6

I have very high hopes for myself in taking on a Religious Studies/Theology major, as well as a Catholic Studies minor. I'm expecting my firm foundation, both from my family and from the deepening faith I've developed in being involved within the Catholic Church for a good portion of my life. After my reversion back to the faith in high school and my year as a Catholic Missionary with NET Ministries (check out the website! www.netusa.org), I've had a great zeal to pursue the Catholic intellectual tradition. I'm expecting to be challenged in what I know, affirmed in what I believe, and called out to be a more well-rounded Catholic Christian. 

 My expectations come from all over the place! Of course, from where the Lord has led me - despite my kicking and screaming about it occasionally, but also from the foundation that my parents, especially my dad, laid for me. 

My participating in The Once and Future Church really solidified my decision to be a Religious Studies/Theology major.

I'm hoping to learn especially more about the social teachings of the Church in depth, more scripturally-based literature, and anything else that gets thrown at me! I love it all! (I admit to being a bit of a theology nerd - it's okay, I've accepted it).

Semester 2 week 6

I just recently took History of Sacred Music. In this class we focused on the history of music within the Catholic Church as well as other denominations. This course helped me to understand the importance of music within our liturgy. It made really think about church weddings the most. I have sung at a couple of weddings that were held in my home parish and I sang popular wedding songs, not songs sung within a church. Dr. Kotowich really opened my eyes to how wrong it was that these pop songs were being sung in the church! Those songs can be kept for the reception and the songs for the ceremony need to be focused on God and the sacredness of the unity of two people. I even read the most recent document from the Vatican that focuses on music: Sing to the Lord. In this document, I was shocked by what the Vatican was asking and how my own home parish wasn't doing barely any of it! It really opened my eyes to the need of parishes reading these documents!

What could I change…? I am not sure what I would change. I would maybe have wanted to talk more about what was happening with the sacred music today and if it’s ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ as well as comparing it to how the music was when Catholicism was first starting. I feel as if the significance of music within the liturgy today has drastically changed to what it used to be.

Third Semester after Declaring Major: Week 11

There are many different events in my life that have influenced me as a religious studies major. However, most recently, a strong influence was the FOCUS Seek conference. This conference helped renew my desire to learn about and share my Catholic faith with others.
            I am very blessed when it comes to learning about my faith. Often, people have to seek out information on their own. However, I have had the opportunity to have religion classes every year and semester since I began my formal education in kindergarten. However, although the religion classes at Loras are amazing, I still have many questions about the Catholic Church and theology I would like answered. The many different talks at Seek reminded me that I must continue looking for answers.
            Another idea that the Seek conference presented that really resonated with me was finding out what gifts God gave me. Even more than just discovering my talents though, I should search for why God gave me those specific gifts. I was reminded that God gave each individual specific gifts to use in the world in order to help people and further the Kingdom of Heaven.
            Being a religious studies major often causes people to look at me a certain way. In a way, this is good because it gives me an opportunity for people to know where I come from. However, sometimes I shy away from telling people right away, out of fear that people will think I’m weird or an extremist. At the Seek Conference I went to a talk on relativism. This talk really renewed my desire to learn about the Catholicism and theology. In addition, share what I learn with others. It discussed how if a person really believes something, then it must be the truth. If their faith or ideas are really truth, then they will share them with others. This encouraged me to really share the different things I have learn through my religious studies major. I was reminded I should truly speak up for the faith I believe and the Church I follow.