Phillipians 4:6-7
Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Daily Reflection Questions
We often talk about Advent as a time of peace and joy. "All is calm, all is bright."
But for many, it's a time riddled with anxiety and stress.
We often talk about Advent as a time of peace and joy. "All is calm, all is bright."
But for many, it's a time riddled with anxiety and stress.
- What tasks, relationships, or experiences are you stressed about this week? What are you most looking forward to between now and Christmas? What are you least looking forward to?
- Which relationships, if any, are hard for you at Christmas time? How do you practice self-care when interacting with the colleagues, neighbors, or family members who might bring on anxiety or stress?
- When do you feel most at peace at Christmastime? Practice doing something or being somewhere that brings you peace this week.
Seminary Spotlight: Seminary of the Southwest
Seminary of the Southwest offers a number of leading degree programs for students interested in careers in Mental Health Counseling or professional Chaplaincy.
For more information about these programs, as well as information about some of SSW's innovative courses & field education opportunities, check out the descriptions below.
For more information about these programs, as well as information about some of SSW's innovative courses & field education opportunities, check out the descriptions below.
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Degree Programs
Seminary of the Southwest’s commitment to serving the Episcopal Church as a whole, while understanding deeply the needs of the communities we serve, has led to several concentrations or degree programs to address these identified challenges.
Master of Divinity
The Master of Divinity degree is designed as a three-year program of preparation for ministry. It is the normative degree to prepare persons for ordained ministry, and it can also be used by those working towards general pastoral and religious leadership responsibilities in congregations and other settings. Postulancy—or for non-Episcopalians, the analogous formal ecclesiastical endorsement—is not a prerequisite for admission to the Master of Divinity program.
Master of Divinity with Latino/Hispanic Studies Concentration
The Hispanic Church Studies concentration for Southwest’s Master of Divinity degree is a curricular specialization offered by Southwest to prepare and equip students who have discerned a particular calling to or are exploring ministry with Hispanic/Latino
communities. Created to address the abundant need in the Episcopal Church to create honest and organic relationships with Hispanic and Latino communities, this degree prepares students to not just deliver liturgy in a different language, but to understand the nuances of culture and the specific challenges these communities face and which may
benefit from the outreach of a local parish.
Through the study of Hispanic/Latino theology, culture and Christianity students develop skills to:
• To evaluate a diversity of models of ministry in Hispanic/Latino settings, including ministry with Spanish-dominant, immigrant communities and ministry with English-dominant, acculturated communities;
• To apply skills for pastoral ministry in Hispanic/Latino and multicultural contexts;
• To interpret theological and social issues from the perspectives of various Hispanic/Latino and Latin American theologians.
Students in the concentration gain cultural competency while acquiring skills and sensibilities for the practice of ministry in Hispanic communities. The seminary’s offerings in Spanish language acquisition will assist students who desire to minister in Spanish-speaking settings but are not yet proficient in the language.
communities. Created to address the abundant need in the Episcopal Church to create honest and organic relationships with Hispanic and Latino communities, this degree prepares students to not just deliver liturgy in a different language, but to understand the nuances of culture and the specific challenges these communities face and which may
benefit from the outreach of a local parish.
Through the study of Hispanic/Latino theology, culture and Christianity students develop skills to:
• To evaluate a diversity of models of ministry in Hispanic/Latino settings, including ministry with Spanish-dominant, immigrant communities and ministry with English-dominant, acculturated communities;
• To apply skills for pastoral ministry in Hispanic/Latino and multicultural contexts;
• To interpret theological and social issues from the perspectives of various Hispanic/Latino and Latin American theologians.
Students in the concentration gain cultural competency while acquiring skills and sensibilities for the practice of ministry in Hispanic communities. The seminary’s offerings in Spanish language acquisition will assist students who desire to minister in Spanish-speaking settings but are not yet proficient in the language.
Master of Arts in Religion
The Master of Arts in Religion program is an academic degree designed to combine a foundational theological education with sufficient flexibility to allow students to pursue particular interests. It may be the highest degree a student plans to pursue, and so be used for personal enrichment or appropriate vocational training; one may also pursue the MAR as a transitional degree in preparation for further advanced studies.
Students who enroll in the MAR are seeking formation in the life of Christian theological scholarship. The program regularly attracts students from a wide variety of religious backgrounds, and these students work together throughout their time here as they develop research plans. Each student works with a common program advisor in the initial stages of her or his studies, and then is assigned to a field-specific faculty member in their second semester. All MAR students are invited, though not required, to participate in chapel worship and other community events on campus.
The curriculum at Seminary of the Southwest follows a path focused on three areas of formation: being, knowing, and doing. The seminary’s foundational attention to academic excellence (knowing) is complemented by attention to character (being) and skill (doing). Each program seeks to produce well-rounded, thoughtful graduates who have become not only competent in a field of study but wise and charitable in its practice.
Graduates of the Master of Arts in Religion program at Seminary of the Southwest will display integral formation in these three areas:
Students who enroll in the MAR are seeking formation in the life of Christian theological scholarship. The program regularly attracts students from a wide variety of religious backgrounds, and these students work together throughout their time here as they develop research plans. Each student works with a common program advisor in the initial stages of her or his studies, and then is assigned to a field-specific faculty member in their second semester. All MAR students are invited, though not required, to participate in chapel worship and other community events on campus.
The curriculum at Seminary of the Southwest follows a path focused on three areas of formation: being, knowing, and doing. The seminary’s foundational attention to academic excellence (knowing) is complemented by attention to character (being) and skill (doing). Each program seeks to produce well-rounded, thoughtful graduates who have become not only competent in a field of study but wise and charitable in its practice.
Graduates of the Master of Arts in Religion program at Seminary of the Southwest will display integral formation in these three areas:
- Being: Exhibit the scholarly disciplines that accompany and support a curious and charitable intellect;
- Knowing: Acquire foundational knowledge of the content and methods of biblical studies, church history, theology, and Christian ethics;
- Doing: Demonstrate skills for sharing theological knowledge and engaging in theological argument in both written and oral form.
Master of Arts in Clinical Mental Health Counseling
The Master of Arts in Clinical Mental Health Counseling (MHC) degree is designed for students seeking graduate-level instruction in professional counseling that prepares the student to pass the Texas State LPC qualifying exam and provides an opportunity to integrate professional counseling competencies with spiritual, religious and ethical values. All MHC courses address the knowledge, skills, and dispositions required for competent professional counseling practice in a diversity of settings. The four courses in spiritual integration provide additional Biblical, theological, historical, and ethical foundation for integrating spiritual, ethical, religious and multicultural competency with counseling theories and techniques.
Southwest’s MHC grew from the seminary’s long-standing commitment to lay formation, but grew acutely in the last decade as a mental health crisis began to consume the country, and because of certain healthcare realities, Texas was especially affected. Among the most vulnerable populations are well-represented in Texas, and include Veterans (for which Central Texas is a pooling area) and those in rural areas where access to mental health care can sometimes be non-existent.
This crisis of not having enough fully-licensed and clinically trained counselors, combined with the seminary’s rapidly growing program, led to the Episcopal Health Foundation partnering with the seminary in 2015 to create the Harrison Fellows
program, which places recent seminary master's in counseling graduates with a rural mental health agency serving 12 East Texas counties. They work with disadvantaged, rural families at no cost to the local clinics.
Southwest’s MHC grew from the seminary’s long-standing commitment to lay formation, but grew acutely in the last decade as a mental health crisis began to consume the country, and because of certain healthcare realities, Texas was especially affected. Among the most vulnerable populations are well-represented in Texas, and include Veterans (for which Central Texas is a pooling area) and those in rural areas where access to mental health care can sometimes be non-existent.
This crisis of not having enough fully-licensed and clinically trained counselors, combined with the seminary’s rapidly growing program, led to the Episcopal Health Foundation partnering with the seminary in 2015 to create the Harrison Fellows
program, which places recent seminary master's in counseling graduates with a rural mental health agency serving 12 East Texas counties. They work with disadvantaged, rural families at no cost to the local clinics.
Master of Arts in Chaplaincy and Pastoral Care
The Master of Arts in Chaplaincy and Pastoral Care at the seminary’s Loise Henderson Wessendorff Center for Christian Ministry and Vocation is a 72-hour degree designed for people interested in pastoral care in a variety of contexts. The core curriculum (4 courses) provides a biblical, theological, historical, and ethical foundation for pastoral ministry. Other required coursework equips the student for general chaplaincy ministry in a variety of settings. Elective courses enable students to broaden and deepen their understanding of particular ministries in specified settings (e.g., hospice, VA hospitals, prisons, workplaces, disaster relief). The curriculum provides the requisite 72 credits specified by the Association of Professional Chaplains (APC) for recognition as a Board Certified Chaplain (BCC). Students or prospective students seeking board certification by the APC should review carefully the information at the Association of Professional Chaplains to learn about additional requirements for certification.
Master of Arts in Spiritual Formation
The Master of Arts in Spiritual Formation (MSF) at the seminary’s Loise Henderson Wessendorff Center for Christian Ministry and Vocation is a 48-hour degree that engages the theology and practice of Christian spirituality and spiritual direction. The MSF is designed for students who wish to explore the spiritual tradition of the Christian path as well as for lay and ordained ministers seeking to develop skills in spiritual direction.
The core curriculum (4 courses) provides a biblical, theological, historical, and ethical foundation for pastoral ministry. Other required course work allows students to specialize in spiritual direction or spiritual formation. Students who desire to serve as spiritual formation leaders in parish, retreat and Christian education programs follow the spiritual formation track, allowing them to tailor a program that culminates in a project that will help them define their future ministry. Students who desire to serve as spiritual directors follow the spiritual direction track, allowing them to make use of their academic degree in a spiritual direction practice.
The core curriculum (4 courses) provides a biblical, theological, historical, and ethical foundation for pastoral ministry. Other required course work allows students to specialize in spiritual direction or spiritual formation. Students who desire to serve as spiritual formation leaders in parish, retreat and Christian education programs follow the spiritual formation track, allowing them to tailor a program that culminates in a project that will help them define their future ministry. Students who desire to serve as spiritual directors follow the spiritual direction track, allowing them to make use of their academic degree in a spiritual direction practice.
Courses Integrating Faith and Service
Encuentro: Mission in Latino Contexts All first-year Master of Divinity as well as a select group of Masters of Mental Health Counseling students spend three weeks in the January term observing, participating and considering the church in mission along the Texas/Mexico border and in various Spanish-speaking contexts throughout Texas. Experiential learning occurs with trips to the Texas/Mexico border and in Latino/a congregations throughout Texas. Students learn about the history, culture, and contemporary realities of Latinos/as to gain skills in intercultural dialogue and ministry that they can transpose to other cultural settings.
Theologies of Liberation Religion is a powerful force for social transformation. The underlying theme of the course is explored as we examine the origins of Latin American Liberation Theology in the 1960s and gradually widen our scope to include various forms of theologies of liberation, such as Black Liberation Theology, U.S. Latino/a Theology, Feminist Theology, Womanist Theology, Eco-Liberation Theology and theology from the LGBT perspective. This course strives to provide various examples in which religion and theology respond to human conflict, struggle, injustice, and provide a particular response for reconciliation and hope in situations of oppression and despair. The issues and persons studied in the course require an openness to dialogue and a willingness to explore non-traditional theological positions that advocate for social change.
Undoing Anti-Judaism The purpose of this class is to develop strategies by which the anti-Judaism endemic to Christian traditions can be recognized and undone. This course will begin with an examination of the development and workings of Christian anti-Judaism. Attention will then turn to how such anti-Judaism has entered into Christian life and practice, especially within the context of teaching, preaching, and worship. The course will conclude with practical exercises in constructing positive understandings of the relationship between Judaism and Christianity in teaching, preaching, and worship.
Political Preaching A course on the history, theology, and practical issues surrounding preaching on political issues. What has been the relationship between Christianity and the political system in the past and present? What are the commitments I have as a preacher to my own beliefs, community, my bishop, my denomination, the secular government? What do IRS regulations say I can or can’t say, and about what? Students will engage a combination of written material, lecture, discussion, and their own original
political sermons.
Theologies of Liberation Religion is a powerful force for social transformation. The underlying theme of the course is explored as we examine the origins of Latin American Liberation Theology in the 1960s and gradually widen our scope to include various forms of theologies of liberation, such as Black Liberation Theology, U.S. Latino/a Theology, Feminist Theology, Womanist Theology, Eco-Liberation Theology and theology from the LGBT perspective. This course strives to provide various examples in which religion and theology respond to human conflict, struggle, injustice, and provide a particular response for reconciliation and hope in situations of oppression and despair. The issues and persons studied in the course require an openness to dialogue and a willingness to explore non-traditional theological positions that advocate for social change.
Undoing Anti-Judaism The purpose of this class is to develop strategies by which the anti-Judaism endemic to Christian traditions can be recognized and undone. This course will begin with an examination of the development and workings of Christian anti-Judaism. Attention will then turn to how such anti-Judaism has entered into Christian life and practice, especially within the context of teaching, preaching, and worship. The course will conclude with practical exercises in constructing positive understandings of the relationship between Judaism and Christianity in teaching, preaching, and worship.
Political Preaching A course on the history, theology, and practical issues surrounding preaching on political issues. What has been the relationship between Christianity and the political system in the past and present? What are the commitments I have as a preacher to my own beliefs, community, my bishop, my denomination, the secular government? What do IRS regulations say I can or can’t say, and about what? Students will engage a combination of written material, lecture, discussion, and their own original
political sermons.
Field Education Connecting Faith and Justice:
Our students are placed in parishes across the diversity of Austin and the surrounding communities. They serve in predominately black and hispanic congregations as well as in diverse, multiethnic congregations. Students also serve in rural, underserved communities where they minister to ranching families. Students exploring a special call to military or federal chaplaincy are placed in congregations near our several local military installations where they serve among veterans, active duty military personnel and their families helping to make meaning in this time of near endless war. Counseling students are placed in free and reduced cost clinics both in our urban setting as well as in vastly underserved rural communities to both gain needed hours of supervised training while providing vital mental health services to patients who would not otherwise have access.