Certificate in Pastoral Ministry to African-American Catholics (MAAC)

The goals of the certificate program are:

• To foster a greater knowledge and a deeper appreciation of the Catholic Church, its theological traditions and its pastoral mission.
• To enrich the faith life and theological understanding of those who offer pastoral service to parish communities
• To develop a familiarity with and an appreciation for the rich history and cultural contributions of African-American Catholics in the United States.
• To provide practical and supervised training in various pastoral skills needed for ministry to communities of largely African-American membership, particularly in an urban setting.
• To foster the development of pastoral leadership among African-American Catholics for the enrichment of the Church.

The Certificate in Pastoral Ministry to African-American Catholics program consists of twenty-four undergraduate credits:

One course in Sacred Scripture
RS 241 Theology of the Church
RS 245 The History of Black Catholics in the United States
RS 295 Catechism of the Catholic Church, Pillars I and III
RS 296 Catechism of the Catholic Church, Pillars II and IV
RS 420 Pastoral Issues in African-American Communities*
RS 421 Service Project in Ministry to African-American Catholics*
Elective (preferably associated with that area chosen for RS 421)

The curriculum concludes with a practicum course (3 credits) entitled RS 421: Service Project in Ministry to African-American Catholics. Each candidate will select a specific area of focus from among the following: 1) evangelization, 2) religious education, 3) family life ministry, 4) youth ministry, and 5) liturgy and spirituality. In order to qualify for enrollment in the practicum course, a candidate must have completed all other course requirements for the certificate.

A maximum of six undergraduate credits in equivalent courses from other accredited programs in Religious Studies or Black Catholic Studies may be accepted towards the certificate. Courses taken more than six years before the request is made or in which a grade of at least “C” has not been attained will not be accepted in transfer. Requests to transfer credits should be directed to the Academic Dean.

The program should be completed within a four-year period, pending the availability of the required courses and supervised service project. Credits accumulated from courses taken more than eight years past are not accepted toward the awarding of the certificate.
Those who have completed the Certificate in Pastoral Ministry to African-American Catholics may also qualify to continue their theological studies toward another certificate.

Applicants for the Certificate in Pastoral Ministry to African-American Catholics must have a high school diploma or its equivalent. Those seeking admission to the certificate program should follow undergraduate admissions procedures.

The primary intent of the MAAC Program is to provide an academic setting to form and develop students for leadership for the African-American parishes of the Archdiocese. This education program may be funded through tuition reimbursement by the Martin de Porres Foundation. There is an expectation of those funded that successful completion of the certificate program will lead to active participation and involvement in an individual's parish. However, this pastoral service is not a requirement of the certificate program but rather an expectation of the Foundation and/or sponsoring pastors.

The MAAC program is available through Distance Learning - which means no matter where you are, you can take these great classes and build up leadership within your community!