Theology & Campus Ministry
Through spiritual and outreach activities students discover their call to holiness and nurture their respect for the life and dignity of each person. Liturgical events mark the high points of our year as the entire community joins together in prayer. Each grade level has a spiritual retreat every year to build a sense of community and deepen one’s personal faith journey.
Campus Ministry also supports outreach and opportunities to serve the greater community. In the middle school, each grade adopts a focal concern – health, poverty, or literacy – and creates service and learning opportunities around that need. In the upper school, students volunteer individually and in small groups through the Mercy in Action program, which guides students to emulate Christ, to live Mercy, and to practice student leadership.
Fr. Casey Cole, OFM, is a key member of our campus ministry team responsible for the sacramental aspects of campus life. Fr. Casey graduated from Furman University in 2011 with a degree in Religious Studies and a minor in Poverty Studies. He entered the Order of Friars Minor (Franciscans) in August of 2011, made solemn profession in August of 2017, and was ordained to the priesthood in June of 2019.
Theology Curriculum
The Theology courses at Mount de Sales are designed to equip students with knowledge and experience in preparation for a mature life of faith. Crafted under the guidance of the USCCB’s Doctrinal Elements of a Curriculum Framework, the courses explore core Christian beliefs and teachings found in the Old & New Testaments.
Middle School
Sixth grade students explore their faith identity, their value systems, and their beliefs about God to develop the skills they need for Christian living. The seventh grade course uses the Sacraments, Church, and God to present fundamental teachings in ways designed to engage and challenge students as they learn about themselves and their faith. Eighth grade students further grow in their faith through lessons on Jesus, morality, and church history. Catholic students are prepared for the sacrament of Confirmation.
Upper School
Freshman Theology Courses
Freshmen in Theology I trace God’s revelatory activity in history as recorded in the Sacred Scriptures, and then explore the fullness of Salvation History as they study the Incarnation in detail.
Sophomore Theology Courses
Sophomores learn in Theology II about the history and foundations of the Catholic Church, attending carefully to activity of the Holy Spirit within that history. Sophomores also study the challenge of Christian Morality, taking on the deep moral decisions that face faithful individuals and societies.
Junior Theology Courses
In the Social Justice class, Juniors attend carefully to Christ’s mandate to care for the vulnerable and marginalized in our societies. Juniors also tackle the philosophical roots of our faith in God, seeking within the Faith and Reason course to restore reason to its proper place in the life of faith.
Senior Theology Courses
Seniors are able to select from a range of electives, courses that explore various facets of religious faith in greater detail. These include Philosophy, Holocaust Studies, World Religions, and Faith in the Modern World.
