Bringing Theological Formation to the Laity

A CONVERSATION WITH FR. KEVIN BELGRAVE, DIRECTOR, INSTITUTE OF THEOLOGY & ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR OF MORAL THEOLOGY

St. Augustine’s Seminary’s Institute of Theology offers a range of theological degrees, certificates, and diplomas for lay Catholics and coordinates the annual program of lay spiritual formation events at the Seminary. Register for our events here.

Q: What can St. Augustine’s offer to lay Catholics trying to deepen their faith?

St. Augustine’s, through its Institute of Theology, offers a wide range of programs for all Catholics – from day-long workshops, to certificates, diplomas, and full master’s degrees in theology. Whether you are involved in parish ministry, Catholic education, any of the wide range of Catholic charities and social services, or just drawn to dive more deeply into your faith from the mind and heart of the Church, St. Augustine’s Seminary has something for you. We offer flexible course formats for our busy lay students, with classes offered weekdays, evenings, Saturdays, online, and in the summer at both our downtown and Scarborough campuses.

Q: Why are St. Augustine’s programs for the laity important?

Alongside our clergy, we need lay Catholics well-formed in mind, heart, and pastoral skill; lay Catholics who can see and respond wisely and with hope to the cultural, intellectual, and pastoral challenges of our time. Moreover, the laity are the ones truly immersed in the world in the world of families, communities, work, and public life. Their Christian vocation is incredibly important.

I look around and see so many ways that diving into a deeper study of theology could help. I see a world with so many hurting people, families, and communities, with all the pastoral charity and skill needed to respond to that. I see a world that seems to live on soundbites, on the surface of so many human challenges calling out for Christians formed in deeper thinking and wisdom.

But studying theology is not just learning a set of issues, answers, and skills. Rather, studying the most important questions of life from the mind and heart of the Church shapes us and allows us to see reality more deeply. Who is God and how do we come to know Him? Who is the human person, made in His image? How do we live well, suffer well, make good choices? What is prayer and how do we grow in it? The questions of theology form us and draw us closer to God in wonder and love. That is a beautiful gift.

Q: What makes studying theology at St. Augustine’s unique?

From its very beginnings in 1913, St. Augustine’s mission has focused on front-line pastoral workers: priests well formed in the Church’s mind, teachings, history, as well as her heart; ministers whose whole life could be a bridge for others in finding God. As the Seminary’s mission expanded over time to include theological education for the laity, this heart of St. Augustine’s has not changed. The Seminary continues to take seriously its unique mission of serious and faithful theological education at the service of those most immediately engaged in pastoral work.

Moreover, many of our students value the opportunity to learn alongside both our future priests and other lay Catholics who often work in similar ministries. The friendships that emerge here benefit the seminarians and lay students alike and promote the kind of authentic collaboration that our ministry needs today.

Q: You’ve just finished an in-depth assessment of the Seminary’s lay programs. What was the thinking behind that?

When I took on responsibility for the Institute of Theology in the summer of 2020, it struck me as important to take time to hear from our students, rely on throughout the Archdiocese and beyond. I had taught quite a few courses for our lay students and knew we had smart and thoughtful students and collaborators. While we had lots of standard and helpful course and program survey responses, evaluation forms, and other such data, something more personal more one-on-one seemed to be needed.

This idea was derailed for a time during the turbulence of the pandemic and the many adaptations it demanded of the Seminary, but finally took form in the summer of 2021, given new life by a grant we received from the Lilly Endowment’s Pathways for Tomorrow initiative, which allowed me the time and administrative support to carry out the planning and many conversations that formed the heart of the assessment.

We need lay Catholics well formed in mind, heart, and pastoral skill; lay Catholics who can see and respond clearly to the cultural, intellectual, and pastoral challenges of our time.

Q: What are your hopes for the future of St. Augustine’s Institute of Theology?

We’ve got some thinking and planning ahead of us as we reflect on the results of the assessment of the Institute, but I can share even now some of my most foundational hopes… I certainly hope you will see the Seminary double down on its mission of serious and faithful theological education at the service of those most immediately engaged in pastoral work. For all the reasons I noted above, this is the longtime heart of the Seminary’s mission, and we are uniquely placed to offer such a formation to the laity.

I am also hoping we’ll develop more opportunities for our lay students to feel part of the wider St. Augustine’s community, recognizing how much essential fruit and value the connections between our seminarians, lay students, and faculty bring to our programs.

We’ll also be looking with some fresh eyes at the popular lay spiritual formation events that we offer throughout the year, and how best to continue to serve a wide range of Catholics with faithful workshops and retreats.