EAM 504 The Virtues of Priestly Fatherhood
This course is redesigned to combine the philosophical and theological expertise in ethics and morality with the Busch School's experience in virtue formation, especially regarding managerial leadership. The Directory for the Life and Ministry of the Priest emphasizes the human virtues as cornerstones for the priest being a well-rounded, resilient, and reliable man, capable of ministering effectively to God's people. The Church needs men with a clear priestly identity who steadfastly exercise the strength of character to help promote the holiness of all men and women, celibate and married, lay and consecrated. This course will offer a theoretical account of these virtues and how they can be acquired through Aristotelian-Thomistic anthropology along with practical proposals offered by great saints for seeking holiness through the virile pursuit of the human virtues. Every priest must develop himself in the human virtues as cornerstones for his life and ministry, such that he may become a well-rounded, resilient, and reliable man, capable of ministering effectively to God's people, while joyfully and obediently participating in the bishop's pastoral ministry, with goodness of heart, patience, kindness, strength of soul, love for justice, even-mindedness, fidelity to his word, constant coherence with the commitments freely assumed, cordiality, courtesy in conduct, affective stability, prudence, objectivity in judgment, fortitude in self-control, sociability, modesty, prudence, tact, and chastity. The course will implement an asynchronous e-learning format that can be completed during a Vocational Synthesis period or other pastoral period and may be supplemented with in person participation directed by a local instructor or through synchronous workshops with CUA Faculty.