School of Celtic Christian Studies
This program is affiliated with Saint Stephen Harding Theological College and Seminary and is a specialized program of study only available to The Celtic Episcopal Church at this time. Interested persons who would like to know more about this fine Theological College and Seminary, you can visit their web site using this link: Saint Stephen Harding Theological College and Seminary
Thanks be to God, we now have our own program for the preparation of prospective clergy and for the Celtic formation of those already in our jurisdiction who have a background other than the Celtic Ethos.
The newly approved catalogue is provided here so those of you who are interested in doing some study can look it over and contact Archbishop Mark for assistance in getting enrolled.
The Celtic Episcopal Church has been working to develop an educational program that would satisfy two specific goals for the prospective member of its clergy: Provide a program that is not as arduous as a traditional seminary degree and one that can provide the basic needs of education such that the clergy person can provide the pastoral and teaching needs of the People of God that they have been called to pastor. In addition, those who are seeking a ministry pathway to the Chaplaincy must also successfully complete a recognized Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) program generally offered in most metropolitan locations.
The development of a study program like this has not been an easy undertaking because on the one hand most seminary programs are devised to make professional clergy and do little in the way of preparing prospective clergy for parochial ministry, and secondly, traditional seminary programs are prohibitively expensive and normally require that the student attend full time in residence at their institution although there are notable exceptions in recent years.
The second goal was to provide our applicants an educational opportunity that is at the same time suitable for their preordination formation and also one that is much less of a financial burden. We recognize that our people are regular, hard working men and women who want to respond to a call from our Lord and God, Jesus Christ by serving His Church in our jurisdiction as an ordained person, but who are not yet prepared to answer this call without preparation.
Then, we sought to ensure that what we were asking would provide them with academic recognition should they want to seek continued education at the Bachelors level and beyond. We thus became associated with the Saint Stephen Harding Theological College and Seminary and collaborated with them to develop The School of Celtic Christian Studies which is a Licentiate level program enabling the student to earn 30 semester hours that could be transferable. This, I am happy to say, has been accomplished.
The last part of this process was the working out of the cost of such a program. As you must certainly have concluded already, the commitment of time by those who participated in the development this program has been in the hundreds of hours and has incurred some personal cost that will not be recoverable as it was done as unto the Lord. The work is complete. And, we are eager to move forward.
There are those who will apply for orders within The Celtic Episcopal Church; and there will be those are who are already ordained in TCEC who have advanced theological degrees. Such persons will be asked to provide to the Dean, School of Celtic Christian Studies their transcripts and an evaluation will be undertaken by comparing their ministry experience along with their academic accomplishments to determine whether or not such a person will need to engage in some or all of the curriculum contained herein. If the review shows a substantial need to complete some or all of the curriculum, a decision will be made in collaboration with each person what courses would be helpful, and in this category, the Admission Application with Fee and the graduation fee will be waived if the individual does not desire to be awarded the Licentiate. All tuition fees will be paid for the course or courses undertaken.
The purpose for this requirement is to make it possible for each person in this category to more easily make the spiritual and mental transformation into the Celtic Ethos and embrace the Vision given to TCEC by Almighty God. Therefore, all those who receive the sacrament of Holy Orders will have to complete the specific studies that enable them to understand what it means to be a Celtic Christian and part of the household of faith in TCEC.
Each person who is accepted as a Postulant for Holy Orders in The Celtic Episcopal Church will be required to enroll in the Celtic Christian Studies Licentiate program by completing the above mentioned Admission Application and submitting it along with the appropriate fee and tuition for the first two courses. In the case of financial hardship, special arrangements can be made to assist the student on a case by case basis.
Upon completion of each course, the Bible Reading one excepted which will take a longer period to complete, the student will submit their writing projects along with the tuition for the next course as prescribed by the curriculum. This submission and registration cycle will continue until the entire program is completed. Should the writing projects need further development, the requirements and/or grades will be provided and a delay if necessary will be imposed until the projects have been successfully completed. Then the new course may begin.
Upon completion of all course requirements for the S.T.L. in CCS, the final writing assignment will be submitted along with the graduation fee. When the Dean, School of Celtic Christian Studies is satisfied that all requirements have been successfully completed, the Admission Application, Application Fee, Transcript of All Courses completed with grades, tuition, and the Graduation Fee will be sent to the Saint Stephen Harding Theological College and Seminary whereupon they will issue the S.T.L. in Celtic Christian Studies which will be awarded by the Metropolitan of The Celtic Episcopal Church. All students must be advised that they must complete all requirements for the STL study program within 18 calendar months from the time they began their coursework. Requests for extensions will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis; however, 18 months should be sufficient time to accomplish all requirements for this study program.
Should those students who have successfully completed and been awarded the S.T.L. Celtic Christian Studies desire to enroll in the Saint Stephen Harding Theological College and Seminary to complete their Bachelor's degree and more, they should consult the most current catalogue to ascertain the requirements and procedures related to advanced academic standing. The Saint Stephen Harding Theological College and Seminary will take into consideration all previous life accomplishments to include years of work, educational achievements at all levels, and so on. The Licentiate in Celtic Christian studies may provide you 30 semester hours of undergraduate credit upon satisfying their financial requirements for an advanced standing evaluation. You can see their catalog by visiting their web site using this link: Saint Stephen Harding Theological College and Seminary
This Sacred Theology Licentiate in Celtic Christian Studies is a vehicle to prepare a candidate for the Sacrament of Holy Orders. The Dean will direct each candidate as to what courses are necessary for preparation. The following Curriculum has been developed which comprises those courses that will need to be successfully completed in order to be awarded the S.T.L. Following the course name, the number of semester hours assigned for each course indicated by a ( ). Be advised that the reading list for each of the courses is constantly under review so that the program reflects the most current reading assignment for each area of study. Thus, it is not advisable for students to acquire these texts until it is time to actually perform the requirements of the course to avoid unnecessarily purchasing books that will not be used in this course of study.
CCS-101 The Holy Scriptures - A Reading Overview (9)
1. The Holy Bible, New King James version for Old Testament and New Testament,
number of pages vary with publication, but one volume published by the Thomas Nelson
Publishers is 1,793 pages in length.
2. Deuterocanonical Books using KJV. Introduction from © Saint Takla Church -
Alexandria, Egypt.
3. The NETS translation of LXX. A new English translation of the Septuagint that includes
considerable translation notes not necessary to read as they are very technical. Take notice
that the use a upper case I for the letter J. New English Translation of the Septuagint (NETS)
edited by Albert Pietersma and Benjamin G. Wright.
3. A Bible Reading Plan taken from the book Your Bible by Louis Cassels, Doubleday &
Company, Inc., Garden City, New York.
CCS-102 The Orthodox and the Bible (3)
1. Eastern Orthodoxy: Tradition, Bible, and Authority Chapters 4-8. Excerpt from Common Ground: An Introduction to Eastern Christianity for American
Christians by Bishop Jordan Bajis with permission.
2. Holy Scripture In The Orthodox Church "The Bible" Compiled by Father Demetrios
Serfes.
CCS-103 Celtic Christian Spirituality (2)
1. Listening for the Heartbeat of God: a Celtic Spirituality by J. Philip Newell,
Paulist Press, ISBN 0-8091-3759-3 Paperback: 118 pages.
2. The Soul of Celtic Spirituality: In The Lives Of Its Saints by Michael Mitton,
Twenty-Third Publications: North American Edition, 1996; ISBN: 0-89622-662-X
Paperback: 148 pages.
CCS-104 Early Christian Doctrines (3)
1. The First Seven Ecumenical Councils (325-787): Their History and Theology by Leo Donald Davis, S.J.
2. The First Seven Ecumenical Councils (325-787): Short Outline excerpted from the
volume above.
3. Christology. Christology through the ages providing people’s names, but they stood for,
how they affected various ecumenical councils in a abbreviated form.
4. The Church of the East by Mark Dickens.
Mark Dickens is currently a graduate student at the University of Cambridge who has written this article bringing to light
events leading to the spread of Christianity eastward from Jerusalem and some of the people involved in that migration. He
also ties in their involvement, participation, and awareness of the results subsequent to many of the Ecumenical Councils.
CCS-105 Liturgy and Sacrament (2)
1. For the life of the world by Alexander Schmemann.
2. The Celtic Episcopal Church Book of Services
(a) The Celtic Divine Liturgy and the Celtic Divine Liturgy of the
Pre-Sanctified Gifts.
(b) The Divine Office—Morning Prayer, Midday Prayer, Evening Prayer, and Night Prayer.
(c) Lectionary for Sundays and The Daily Office.
(d) The Liturgical Calendar and establishment of Pascha.
(This information can be found on the website.)
(e) Glossary of Liturgical Terms.
3. One Foot in Eden: Celtic View of the Stages of Life by J Philip Newell
4. Four Day Liturgical Workshop with Metropolitan-Archbishop John in Valdosta, GA.
CCS-106 The Pre-Historic Celts and Early Celtic Christians (2)
1. Celt Druid and Culdee by Isabel Hill Elder.
2. The Traditions of Glastonbury by E. Raymond Capt.
3. Drama of the Lost Disciples by George F Jowett.
CCS-107 Early Christian History (4)
1. Ecclesiastical History of the English People by Bede et al.
2. History of the Church 1: The Early Church by Henry Chadwick.
CCS-108 Celtic Christian Formation and Orthodoxy (3)
1. The Longer Catechism of The Celtic Episcopal Church.
(This information can be found on the website.)
2. Common Ground: An Introduction to Eastern Christianity for the American
Christian (less chapters 4-8 which were read for CCS 102) by Jordan Bajis.
CCS-109A Electives Ordination/Incardination (2) Choose two of the following:
1. Conspiracy of Kindness: A Refreshing New Approach to
Sharing the Love of Jesus by Steve Sjogren.
2. Freedom of Simplicity by Richard J. Foster.
3. Money, Sex, and Power: The Challenge of the Disciplined Life
by Richard J. Foster.
4. Prayer: Finding The Heart’s True Home by Richard J. Foster.
5. Streams of Living Water by Richard J. Foster.
CCS-109B Electives Monastic Life (2) Choose two of the following:
1. Celtic-Monasticism By Hieromonk Ambrose (Father Aleksey Young).
2. New Seeds of Contemplation by Thomas Merton.
3. Orthodox Prayer Life: The Interior Way by Matthew the Poor.
4. The Book of Creation: An Introduction to Celtic Spirituality by
J. Phillip Newell.
5. The Cloud of Unknowing by Anonymous.
PROCESS
1. Upon receipt of an Application for Holy Orders in The CEC, the Vocations Director will notify in writing the Dean, School of Celtic Christian Studies of the Application and request that the appropriate forms and information for academic preparation be forwarded to the applicant.
2. The Dean, School of Celtic Christian Studies will provide to the Applicant for Holy Orders this catalogue and the Application for Admission to the Saint Stephen Harding Theological College and Seminary.
3. Upon notification by the Holy Synod of Bishops by way of the Vocations Director that the applicant has been accepted as a Postulant, the Dean of the School of Celtic Christian Studies will notify the new Postulant to proceed with the following.
A. The student will complete the above application and send it along with the appropriate fee and tuition as contained in this catalogue to the Office of the Dean who will, by return mail or by E-mail, provide the Syllabus for the first two courses.
B. The student may pay the total tuition upon enrollment in which case, the student will enjoy an additional savings plus the admission fee of $50.00 and graduation fee $100.00. This is without consideration for advanced standing in which case the cost will be less.
C. The student will acquire the needed texts, proceed with the reading, and accomplish the writing projects as prescribed by each syllabus.
D. Upon completion of the writing projects, they will be sent to the Dean for grading along with the tuition (if not already paid) for the next course in the curriculum.
E. Upon receipt of their grade for each writing project, the student will either be instructed to proceed with the next course or receive the writing project back for further development. When the writing projects are completed successfully, a grade of "Pass" will be awarded with instruction to proceed to the next course, and the student will be provided with the syllabus for the next course.
F. This cycle will continue until all courses have been successfully completed. When the student is ready to submit the writing project for the final course, the student will send it to the Dean with the prescribed graduation fee.
G. The Dean will grade the writing project for the final course and notify the student of the grade or need for additional development. When the project is completed satisfactorily, the Dean will notify the student that their transcript of completed course work, Application for Admission, and all paid fees have been sent to the Saint Stephen Harding Theological College and Seminary so that their Licentiate can be issued.
4. When the Saint Stephen Harding Theological College and Seminary is satisfied that all requirements have been met, they will make an entry into the institution's official and permanent records of the student's accomplishment. After which, St. Stephen Harding will send to the student the official certificate for the STL and Celtic Christian studies.