Faith Beyond the Classroom - Theology at Central Catholic
In their theology classes at Central Catholic, students spend time doing more than memorizing prayers and learning Scripture. They're challenged to ask what their faith means, how it shapes their choices, and how Catholic teaching connects to the world around them.
Theology 4 students read the C.S. Lewis Mere Christianity books, which include philosophical and theological arguments for the existence of God. During one class when seniors were discussing the books, an agnostic student raised his hand and asked the teacher, “So is this how people who do not have faith can come to believe in God?”
Earlier in the year, this student had told his teacher, Whitney McHaffie, that he didn't have faith, he wasn't raised Christian, and he didn't understand how people could believe just because their parents or the Bible said so. “Since we are made in the image of God, there is evidence of His existence written on our hearts,” she explained to the class. “We can know that God exists based on reason alone, but faith makes a relationship with Him possible, like how we might have good reason to be in relationship with other people, but it takes faith to enter into relationships with them."
Getting students to ask questions about faith and apply what they are learning is one of the goals of Central Catholic’s theology curriculum. “Our curriculum doesn't simply reword information,” explained Paul Devine ’04, theology department chair. “We push the students to think seriously about questions of faith, truth, revelation, and their relationship with God. We know that ‘knowledge’ and ‘formation’ are two necessary pillars of a class that is about God. We spend time in both the classroom, learning information and discussing topics, and in the chapel, praying and allowing God into our hearts.”
The Curriculum
Theology is the mother of all disciplines and is therefore an integral component to the intellectual formation of all Central Catholic students. The theology curriculum at Central Catholic is an implementation of the Diocese of Toledo Course of Study for High School Theology based on the Doctrinal Elements of a Curriculum Framework developed by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Students must take four full years of theology, and our curriculum is made up of both required and elective courses.
Freshmen take the college prep Theology 1 class, or for those new to Catholic theology, the Theology 1: First Year Catholic Experience course. Sophomores take Theology 2, and they have the option of a college prep or an honors course. Juniors take Theology 3, again with either the college prep or honors option. Seniors can choose either one yearlong honors course, Philosophy & Ethics, or they can take two semester college prep classes - Meaning & Ethics and Culture & Justice.
Classes in the theology curriculum are designed to build on each other, following the birth, life, death, and resurrection of Jesus and its impact on the world. Students study the Old Testament and New Testament in their freshman and sophomore years. This lays a strong foundation for discussing how Scripture, and particularly Jesus' words, can still affect us today. Junior and senior years focus on moral issues, starting with personal choices and vocations for juniors, and moving into social and global issues for senior year, such as poverty, war, medicine, and judgment.
A Deeper Dive
The theology curriculum also offers elective semester classes that fulfill diploma requirements and allow sophomores, juniors, and seniors to explore areas of personal interest and experience an engaging education that connects classroom learning with real-world application. “We've wanted to create a space for seniors to choose something that interests them,” said Devine. “We have always found that we never have enough time to teach everything. So we asked ourselves, what do the students want to know, and what will help them later in life? Then we tailored classes to fit that. It is freeing to be able to dive into specific topics instead of feeling overwhelmed with the amount that ‘could’ be taught.”
These are some of the recent elective classes Central Catholic has offered:
· Bioethics: This class focuses on topics of medicine and health. Many of our students will go into the medical field and we want to prepare them for some topics and choices they face.
· Culture and Meaning: Many of our students are not Catholic or have struggled with beliefs in God. This class focuses on the role that faith can play in our society, culture, and communities.
· Discipleship: This is open to multiple grades and is for students who are seriously considering a vocation or a leadership role in the church.
· Fight for Jerusalem: We are in our third year of this class. Three years ago, Israel and Palestine began a new war. Students come in with either questions or inaccurate facts about what's happening. We decided to create a class that helps students know not just about the current history of the area, but going back to ancient history and the changes that have occurred in the city over time.
· Global Justice: A lot of our students are very aware of the violence and damage that occur in our world every day and are asking the right questions: Why is it happening, and what do we do about it? This class is designed to help us understand both and give them tools to help them create change in the world around them.
· Philosophy: This is a strong class that tries to teach our students HOW to think about the world and how to create logical arguments for God and creation.
· Signs of the Sacred: Perhaps the most common type of question we get from students is something about the supernatural. In this class, we get to talk about miracles, saints, and the unexplainable that we are always fascinated with.
Central Catholic’s Priest Leader, Fr. Kevin Moebius ’99, makes it a point to spend time in the classrooms with students. Every Thursday, he visits students in their theology class or in the chapel for Spiritual Formation Thursday. He meets with the freshmen the first quarter, sophomores the second quarter, juniors during third quarter, and seniors for the fourth quarter. Discussions range from basic faith for freshmen, to more personal conversations about college life and beyond with seniors.
Teachers often ask Fr. Moebius to discuss specific topics that they are covering in their theology curriculum, or he answers questions that students may have. He also gets invited to classes in other subject areas to explain the connections between theology and other disciplines, providing a worldview to help students understand their own responsibilities as human beings. “Being in the classroom helps me build relationships with students outside of Mass, which then helps strengthen the relationships within the Mass,” explained Fr. Moebius.
Central Catholic offers field trips as part of the theology curriculum, two that are specifically for the Fight for Jerusalem class. Students can visit three different worship places in one day - an Orthodox cathedral, a Reformed synagogue, and an Islamic mosque - to get a tangible experience of these different worship spaces. Later in the semester, they head to the Holocaust Center in Detroit to understand the changes that happened in the Jewish community after World War II.
A variety of public speakers are also invited into our senior classes to talk about their own faiths, different vocations, and various social justice programs, such as Heartbeat or The Culture Project.
Teachers Bring Diverse Experiences
The teachers who make up Central Catholic’s theology department come from various backgrounds and experiences, which strengthens the department. “We have current sisters, converts to the faith, and cradle Catholics,” said Devine. “We have people coming from previous ministry experience, history majors, military backgrounds, and science disciplines. Even with all those differences, we are united and have a passion for passing truth on and encouraging our students to ask the hard questions.”
The following teachers make up the department:
· Paul Devine, Department Chair - Theology 2, 3, and The Fight for Jerusalem
· Richard Kinney - Theology 1: First Year Catholic Experience and Theology 2
· Whitney McHaffie - Theology 4, also teaches a Ju Jitsu class
· Sister Mary Agatha Geis - Theology 3 and Theology 4: Meaning and Ethics
· DJ White - Theology 1 and 2
Sister Mary Agatha is the third Sister of Mercy of Alma who has taught at Central Catholic. Last year, Sister Maura Clare Mayock joined the staff at CCHS to teach theology. She is now a teacher in the science department. Central Catholic entered into a partnership with the Religious Sisters of Mercy of Alma beginning in the 2024-25 school year, when Sister Mary Ignatius Heil came to teach theology. The Religious Sisters of Mercy of Alma is a religious institute of pontifical right dedicated to the spiritual and corporal works of mercy. Established in 1973 in response to the renewal called for in the Second Vatican Council, it recognizes the Venerable Catherine McAuley as its original foundress.
Making a Meaningful Difference
As a Catholic school, Central Catholic educates the whole person - mind, body, and spirit - while helping students grow in faith and service. The theology department is where this teaching begins, and its curriculum is designed to partner with students on each step of their journey to becoming responsible citizens who use their education and faith to contribute positively to society.
“I love seeing students move from just trying to prepare for a test to trying to understand because they are curious,” expressed Devine. “Every year I can point to moments in specific students' lives where that change occurs, and it’s very cool to see.”
The opportunities offered in the theology curriculum and the engaging lessons in the classrooms have been leading students who are not Catholic to a desire to become fully initiated into the Catholic Church. Forty-five students were in the Order of Christian Initiation for Adults (OCIA) program last year, and many more are interested this year.
“It’s incredible to have so many students in our OCIA program,” said Fr. Moebius. “This is really the fruit of what our teachers are doing in the classrooms. Our students encounter Jesus in their classes and on Worship Wednesday when they go to all-school Mass and Adoration. This gives them a desire to experience more, and Central Catholic provides them with the opportunity and freedom to pursue it.”
