芝加哥洛约拉大学

Drawing on the wisdom of the Ignition tradition, the Master of Arts in Christian Spirituality equips students for meaningful and holistic living and ministry meeting the personal and social challenges of our time by deepening their knowledge of God and self. Joining contemplation to action, the Ignition approach to spirituality and spiritual formation is grounded in a personal relationship with God/Christ, lived in the world and addresses the needs and issues of our time, ecumenical in its appeal to all Christians, and adapted to each person’s uniqueness.

By completing the MA in Christian Spirituality students will be able to demonstrate:

Spiritual perspective formed in self-awareness and engagement with modern culture and the classic and contemporary resources of the Christian tradition;

Spirituality literacy grounded in biblical, theological and psychological competencies;

Spirituality praxis through personal engagement with the spiritual dimension of Christian faith, discipleship and ministry;

Professional skills in and for spiritual direction.

The Master of Arts in Christian Spirituality is a 36-hour degree program which can be completed entirely online, entirely face-to-face at Loyola’s Water Tower Campus, or by taking a combination of online and on-campus courses. Students also have the opportunity to take IPS summer courses offered in Rome, many of which fulfill requirements for the MA in Christian Spirituality. Full-time students can complete the program in two years.

Students completing the MA in Christian Spirituality may choose to pursue a concentration in Spiritual Direction. The Spiritual Direction concentration is designed to prepare spiritual directors to facilitate the regular, on-going practice of accompanying people as they attempt to deepen their relationship with the divine. Unique to the Institute of Pastoral Studies, students have the opportunity to receive training on how to direct and make use of the Spiritual Exercises of Ignatius of Loyola (30-day or 30-week format) in spiritual direction.

Curriculum

The curriculum consists of a 12-course, 36-credit hour program comprising 9 core required courses:

IPS 545 Foundations of Christian Spirituality

IPS 416 Christian Origins

IPS 417 Literature of Ancient Israel

IPS 531 Christian Doctrine

IPS 555 Human Person and Psychological Development

IPS 428 Introduction to Spirituality Praxis

IPS 403 Spiritual Paths in World Religions

IPS 512 Ethics, Pastoral Counseling, and Spirituality

IPS 572 Ignition Spirituality

Electives (2 three-credit courses, or 6 credit hours) are chosen in consultation with the academic advisor. Electives may be taken in IPS or in many of the other schools, colleges, academic centers and institutes at Loyola University Chicago. See your academic advisor for more details.

Contextual Education

MA in Christian Spirituality students acquire and enhance their spiritual leadership and skills in a structured contextual education program that combines onsite mentoring and supervision, skill-based workshops, as well as peer and faculty weekly reflection sessions. Students typically minister 8-10 hours per week for a period of 20-22 weeks, for a total of at least 200 hours of onsite experience and formation. The field learning settings can be directly related to the student's present work situation or can be selected from placements IPS has cultivated in the resource rich area of Chicago or other settings around the nation or the world.

Students fulfill the Contextual Education requirement of the MA in Christian Spirituality by successfully completing the following 3 courses:

IPS 578 Contextual Education Preparation (0 credit)

IPS 579 Contextual Education Introduction (0 credit)

IPS 580 Contextual Education (3 credits)