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New courses to be offered this fall at Biblical, Catechetical schools
By John Gleason
Big changes are coming to Denver’s Catholic Biblical School and the Catechetical School. Both institutions are expanding, offering new locations and new classes to the faithful of northern Colorado.
Starting this fall, the Catholic Biblical School will be holding classes at seven locations across the archdiocese, while the Catechetical School will be offering their program, “Pillars: A Journey through the Catechism of the Catholic Church,” at four new sites.
Ben Akers is the director of both schools. He said the expanded offerings aim to imitate the call of Jesus to go out and preach the Gospel.
“We tried to pick locations on all points of the compass, across the archdiocese,” he said. “We’ll have morning and evening classes so we can meet the needs of people and work within their schedules. People will be able to attend their entire program at these locations.”
The Catholic Biblical School offers adults a study of sacred Scripture in accord with the teachings of the Church and with reference to its application to contemporary life. It’s a four-year program that covers the entire Bible with the goal of making God’s word alive and active in the Archdiocese of Denver. The school boasts more than 2,400 graduates and, while Akers is proud of the past, he hopes the future will be as fruitful.
“Last year we had 680 students enrolled in the program,” he said. “This expansion will give more people the chance to take part.”
Nicki Scheurwater is Safe Environment Coordinator for the Archdiocese of Denver. A 2010 convert to Catholicism, Scheurwater is entering her third year at the Biblical School. She said her reason for attending is to augment the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults formation she went through as well as keep her connected to her faith.
“There’s much to learn and the training helps to understand Catholic theology from the biblical perspective,” she said. “And it’s definitely a cure for biblical complacency.”
New venues for the program aren’t the only news. The Biblical School will also be offering a new “graduate” course for those who have already attended the four year program called, “Practical Catholicism—Biblical Apologetics for Key Catholic Teachings and Practices.” The class is designed to take the student to a deeper level of Scripture, according to Akers.
“For some, the four-year program just whets their appetite for engaging with the word of God,” he said, “This class will cover topics such as redemptive suffering, spiritual warfare, Lent and fasting, purgatory and the papacy.”
The new academic year for the Biblical School begins Sept. 12. A list of information sessions about the new sites is available on the school’s website: www.sjvdenver.edu/biblical-school. Call 303-715-3195 or email biblical.school@archden.org for more information.
Meantime, the Catechetical School’s “Pillars: A Journey through the Catechism of the Catholic Church” course will be offered at four new locations—two in Lakewood, two in Loveland. The course, Akers said, is for anyone who wants to know more about the Catechism, regardless of their present knowledge.
“The catechism shows how the teachings of the Church are rooted in Scripture,” he said. “This course is a study of the creed, the sacraments, Christian morality and prayer. It’s for anyone who simply wants to learn more about their faith.”
In addition, the Catechetical School also announced it will be offering a one-year class called “The Life of Jesus Christ, the Heart of Biblical Catechesis,” which chronologically follows the life of Christ found in the Gospels.
“There are no prerequisites to this,” Akers said about the course. “It’s designed for anyone who just has an interest in learning more about who Christ is.”
Classes for the Catechetical School begin Sept. 19. Registration information is available online at www.sjvdenver.edu/catechetical-school. Call the office at 303-715-3195 or email catechet@archden.org for more information.
Akers knows that demands on a person’s time often makes one hesitate to commit to something that could take several years.
“People might be daunted to sign up for a four-year program,” he said. “So we ask people to commit to one year. We think that by learning the word of God they’ll want to come back for the next three.”
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