The Bible is full of journeys, and now the Chicago Catholic Scripture School is making one of its own. The program, which is now operated by the archdiocese’s Office of Lifelong Formation, will have its new home in Loyola University’s Institute for Pastoral Studies starting next fall, said Mark Bersano, coordinator of Parish Leadership and Management Programs for IPS. The move will be recognized at a free welcome event Feb. 11 with a presentation by Dorothy Jonaitis, one of the authors of Paulist Press’ Catholic Biblical School program, which the Scripture school uses. The event, which includes breakfast and lunch, is open to all but especially aimed at Scripture school alumni, students, prospective students and priests or parish staff who might recommend the program to parishioners. The event aims to ease the transition for people who have been part of the Scripture school and encourage their commitment to Bible study. For students, very little will change, Bersano said. The school will continue to use Paulist Press’ Catholic Biblical School program; it will still offer a two-year basic program and a four-year advanced program; and classes will still be held at parish sites around the archdiocese, he said. The audience also remains the same, with classes aimed at deacons, parish catechetical leaders, catechists, RCIA leaders, pastoral associates, youth ministers, parish Bible study leaders, lectors, and others who work with Scripture in various parish ministries. The two-year program covers the Old Testament the first year and the New Testament the second year. The third and fourth years of the program dig more deeply into the material. Certification is offered for both the basic and advanced programs. Students who do not want certification — or to do the homework — can register to audit the classes at a reduced rate. The move will bring the English-language Scripture school back together with a similar Spanish-language program the institute has offered for the past two years, Bersano said. The Spanish-language program uses the same curriculum, published in Spanish by Paulist Press. In some ways, the move simply made sense. “We’re a school,” Bersano said. “Teaching people is what we do. IPS teaches practical theology that will be used on the ground, in parishes and in the real world.” The Scripture school started in 1999 and was run by the Office for Catechesis, which in 2015 became part of the Office of Lifelong Formation. To learn more about the Scripture school’s move or to register for the welcome event, visit www.luc.edu/ips/ccss.
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