Marriage and Orders (DL2141C)

Content

In the life of the Church, the Sacraments of Marriage and Holy Orders are called “sacraments of service.” The unit will study the scriptural foundations of these two sacraments and their subsequent theologies as they emerged in the history of the Catholic Church. Attention will be given to the Scholastic period and the Reformation and the Catholic response formulated in the Council of Trent. A contemporary theology of the Sacraments of Marriage and Holy Orders will be developed through a study of the teaching of the Second Vatican Council and the magisterium of recent popes. A particular focus of the unit will be the nature of the relationship between these sacraments and the life and vocation of the Catholic Church as a whole.

Learning outcomes

Unit sequence

The unit is compulsory for ordinand students and recommended for other students completing a Bachelor of Theology degree. It provides a grounding in two of the seven Sacraments of the Church, complementing CT2121C/3121C and CT2131C/3131C.

Prerequisites: CT1100C and CT1110C.

The foundational unit on Sacraments and Liturgy is highly recommended.

Pedagogy

The teaching approach is designed to support student inquiry and engagement with lectures and course reading materials. Opportunities are provided for interactive modelling and the development of self-reflexive practice.

Indicative Bibliography

• Elliott, Peter J. What God Has Joined: The Sacramentality of Marriage. New York: Alba House, 1990.
• Francis. Amoris Laetitiae. Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation on Love in the Family. London: Catholic Truth Society, 2006.
• John Paul II. Pastores Dabo Vobis: I Will Give You Shepherds. Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation, 1992.
• Kasper, Walter. Theology of Christian Marriage. Translated by David Smith. London: Burns & Oates, 1980.
• Nichols, Aidan. Holy Order: Apostolic Priesthood from the New Testament to the Second Vatican Council. Oscott Series 5. Dublin: Veritas, 1990.
• O’Collins, Gerald, and Michael K. Jones. Jesus Our Priest: A Christian Approach to the Priesthood of Christ. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2010.
• Olsen, Glenn W., ed. Christian Marriage: A Historical Study. New York: Crossroad Publishing, 2001.
• Osborne, Kenan B. Priesthood: A History of the Ordained Ministry in the Roman Catholic Church. New York: Paulist Press, 1988.
• Schillebeeckx, Edward. Marriage: Human Reality and Saving Mystery. 2 vols. Translated by N. D. Smith. London: Sheed & Ward, 1965.
• Turner, Paul. Inseparable Love: A Commentary on the Order of Celebrating Marriage in the Catholic Church. Collegeville: Liturgical Press, 2017.

Assessment