RT 303: Mystics, Saints and Radicals
Course Outline, Spring 2011
Fr. Barton T. Geger, SJ
General Introduction: Weeks I-III
Introduction to Basic Concepts.
Why is a Communion of Saints Important?
Examples of Mystics, Saints and Radicals in the Old and New Testaments.
The Saints in Art.
Fr. Bart: The Blessed Virgin Mary
Certainly for Catholics, and to a lesser extent for Orthodox and Anglicans, Mary is the most revered of all
saints. We know little about the historical woman, and yet for two thousand years she has been the subject of
extraordinary theological reflection and debate. What are Catholic doctrines about the BVM? What are some
of the controversies surrounding the various interpretations of Mary’s life and relevance?
***
Student Presentation #1: The Virgin Martyrs & St. Maria Goretti
The deaths of the Virgin Martyrs and Maria Goretti traditionally have been explained in terms of these women
having desired to preserve their sexual “purity”. Is this historically accurate? Today, is the language of “preserving one’s purity” problematic for any reason(s)? If we disallow this manner of explaining the deaths of
these women, do their stories still have relevance for Christians today?
Follow-up by Fr. Bart: Martyrs, confessors, and the Donatist controversy in the ancient church.
Student Presentation #2: St. Anthony of the Desert and the Desert Fathers and Mothers
What was happening in the Christian Church of the Roman Empire in the early fourth century that prompted
tens of thousands of Christians to flee the comforts of their developed civilization for the harsh, lonely desert
of North Africa? What were the principal Christian virtues that they sought to obtain? What spiritual themes
appear most often in their recorded sayings? When solitary monks slowly began to gather into permanent
communities, how did this affect their values and spirituality? Note: Do not confuse St. Anthony of the Desert
(c.251-356) with St. Anthony of Padua (1195-1231).
Follow-up by Fr. Bart: The Horror Loci and acedia as examples of spiritual wisdom passed down through the
centuries to the present day.
Student Presentation #3: St. Paul, St. Thomas Becket and Archbishop Oscar Romero
What did St. Paul teach about the relationship between the early Christian Church and the Roman society in
which it existed? How did the martyrdom of St. Thomas Becket—the most famous martyr of the Middle
Ages—exemplify the classic tensions between Church and State? How did the life and death of Archbishop
Oscar Romero of El Salvador do the same? What parallels do you find in the lives of these bishops who lived
800 years apart?
Follow-up by Fr. Bart: The saints and late-life personal conversions.
Interlude by Fr. Bart: St. Francis of Assisi and St. Dominic Guzman
In the Middle Ages, two new religious orders were founded, the Friars Minor (the Franciscans) and the Order
of Preachers (the Dominicans), by Sts. Francis and Dominic, respectively. Their spirituality and lifestyle was
notably different from that of the monastic orders of centuries past. The reason for this shift can be tied
largely to historical shifts in European culture at that time. Reflection Question: How does 21st century U.S.
culture affect the way that U.S. Christians understand their own faith?
Student Presentation #4: St. Perpetua, St. Thomas More, and Bl. Franz Jäggerstätter
What happens when a person’s duty to protect and provide for his or her family come into conflict with his or
her duties to God and to the wider Christian community? Is it a false dichotomy or a real tension? If real,
which duty should take priority? Why? How do the stories of Perpetua, More and Jäggerstätter exemplify
this tension? Give examples of the ways in which these questions are experienced today in Christian life.
Follow-up by Fr. Bart: Do we make idols of eros and marriage in U.S. culture?
Interlude by Fr. Bart: St. Ignatius Loyola
1. On the dialectic between reason and revelation. The discernment of spirits.
2. The Illuminati and Ignatius’ fidelity to the “institutional church”.
3. The spiritual direction of St. Ignatius and St. Jeanne de Chantal.
Student Presentation #5: St. Margaret Mary Alacoque and St. Claude la Colombiere, SJ
Margaret Mary Alacoque was a French nun in seventeenth-century France who told her community that Jesus
was appearing to her in visions. The nuns thought she was crazy until a young priest named Claude la
Colombiere—a Jesuit well-respected for his learning in spiritual theology—informed them that he believed
her visions were authentic. What are some of the possible reasons why the nuns reacted negatively to MMA?
Why did Claude believe her? What was revealed to MMA concerning the “Sacred Heart of Jesus,” and what did
it have to do with the “Jansenist movement” in the Catholic Church at that time?
Follow-up by Fr. Bart: The significance of private devotions in their historical context.
Student Presentation #6: St. John of the Cross, St. Therese of Lisieux and Mother Theresa
What did St. John of the Cross mean by “The Dark Night of the Soul”? How did Therese and Mother Teresa
exemplify this idea? How is the Dark Night an extraordinary example of the Catholic doctrine of co-redemption? How do external, mystical phenomena like the stigmata pertain to the idea of co-redemption? Can a
preoccupation with “embracing suffering” lead to questionable behaviors and attitudes?
Follow-up by Fr. Bart: On desolations and consolations according to St. Ignatius Loyola.
Alternative Presentations
Presentation: “Servant of God” Dorothy Day
If a “radical” is defined as one who returns to the roots of the faith in order to recapture a fundamental truth,
then Dorothy Day was truly a Catholic radical. Both the OT and NT are clear that love of the poor and outcast
should be a priority, a love that includes seeking to create a more just world. . . yet this biblical truth is often
ignored or watered-down by Christians. Why? How did DD incur the suspicion or resentment of both the
Catholic hierarchy and lay Catholics? How can the witness of DD challenge us today?
Presentation: St. Joan of Arc, St. Maria Goretti and St. Edith Stein.
Canonizations are often controversial. Why did the canonizations of these three women stir debate in the
early, middle, and late twentieth century, respectively? How do their stories raise questions about the proper
definitions of “saint” and “martyr”? What were other debated canonizations in the twentieth century? (See
for example St. Juan Diego, St. Josemaría Escrivá, and the “Holy Chinese Martyrs” of the Boxer Rebellion).
Presentation Schedule
Spring 2011
January
March
18 t
15 t
20 th
17 th
25 t
22 t
27 th
24 th
February
Panel #4 Presentation
29 t
1t
31 th
3 th
8t
Fr. Bart on the BVM
10 th
15 t
April
Panel #5: Presentation
7 th
Panel #1 Presentation
17 th
22 t
5t
12 t
Panel #6: Presentation
14 th
Panel #2 Presentation
24 th
19 t
21 th
March
26 t
1t
28 th
3 th
Panel #3 Presentation
Spring Break
Review for Final Exam
Student Panels
An asterisk denotes the panel coordinator.
Student Panel #1 on the Virgin Martyrs and St. Maria Goretti
*Taylor Clemens (senior)
Kathleen Ellis (junior)
Julia Cho (sophomore)
Lara Pocs (sophomore)
Molly Perez (freshman)
Student Panel #2 on St. Anthony of the Desert and the Desert Fathers and Mothers
*Ashley Daniel (senior)
Lauren Franco (junior)
Sara Hogan (sophomore)
Holley Reitz (sophomore)
Mariela Huerta-Gutierrez (freshman)
Student Panel #3 on St. Paul, St. Thomas Becket and Archbishop Oscar Romero
*Amanda Gustafson (senior)
Allison Hart (junior)
Breanna Kendrick (sophomore)
Stephanie Sova (sophomore)
Elise LaBellarte (freshman)
Patrick Wheatlake (freshman)
Student Panel #4 on St. Perpetua, St. Thomas More, and Bl. Franz Jägerstätter
* Janelle Koenen (senior)
Sarah Taylor (junior)
Melissa Mahoney (sophomore)
Dianna Almanza (freshman)
Tessa LaBellarte (freshman)
Student Panel #5 on St. Margaret Mary Alacoque and St. Claude la Colombiere, SJ
*Erin Tiernan (senior)
Emily Allen (sophomore)
Rosemarie Mata (sophomore)
Linnea Borup (freshman)
Michael Minges (freshman)
Student Panel #6 on St. John of the Cross, St. Therese of Lisieux and Mother Theresa
*Jennifer Babcock (junior)
Hunter Aronson (sophomore)
Emily Mullen (sophomore)
Sarah Ellis (freshman)
Caroline O’Neill (freshman)
Preparation and Grading of Panel Presentation
1. Each panel should meet at least three times to prepare. Attendance is recorded by the coordinator.
2. Each student must contribute research to the panel meetings. The panel will decide as a group how best to
edit and arrange all the material for the presentation.
3. The whole panel must visit me in my office before its first meeting for suggestions and direction. It would
be wise to hold the group’s first meeting immediately after visiting me, in order to discuss ideas and divvy the
research load. There is a conference room outside my office which is ideal for this.
4. On the day of presentation, two members of the panel will present the material orally. The presentation
must last 30 minutes—but no longer—to leave time for questions and discussion. I will stop a presentation
that continues too long.
5. I will select the two presenters for the group on the day of the presentation. Consequently, all panelmembers must have a thorough knowledge of the material and be prepared.
6. Afterward, the group will give me a typed bibliography of sources used for its presentation, with the
signature of each student at the bottom. It must include four books and two journal essays as a minimum.
Internet sites may be consulted, and should be included in the bibliography, but they cannot be the primary
sources of information for the presentation. (Images and music used to enhance the presentation can be
taken from the internet, and do not need to be cited in the bibliography.)
7. After the presentation, each member of the group will complete an evaluation form for each of the other
members of the group. Did each of the other members do his/her fair share of research? Did s/he contribute
to the preparations? Did s/he attend the group meetings? (I will give you evaluation-forms for this purpose.)
These evaluations will factor into the final grade of each student.
8. After the presentation, the entire panel will field questions from the class and from me.
9. All members of the panel receive the same grade for their presentation. Thus you owe it to your companions to prepare well.
10. On the class following each presentation, each student will submit a one-page, double-spaced reflection in
which (s)he indicates what was most interesting, informative or relevant about the saints in question. (These
reflections are NOT an evaluation of the students who gave the presentation.)
11. Students who are late or not in attendance on the day of their own panel’s presentation will have 100
points deducted from their cumulative score at the end of the semester. No exemptions are allowed for
sporting events: if you have a game scheduled for the day of your presentation, switch groups with someone
else. Those absent for illness, funerals, etc., must write a 15-page research-paper on a topic of the instructor’s
choice to redeem the lost 100 points.
Rules and Advice for the Presentations
1. Do not waste your 30 minutes telling the life-stories of your saints. You do not have enough
time for that, and students will already know the stories as a result of their own reading. Your goal
is to assess the relevance of their stories for us today. . . therefore, speak only of those events or
considerations in their lives that are necessary for you to make your points.
2. Pictures are recommended to make the presentation engaging: photos of the saints, paintings,
icons, sculptures, etc., which you can project on the view-screen. You can also play music to set a
mood; e.g., if you’re doing St. Thomas More, you can play some Tudor music of his time period as
background for the presentation.
Warning: Audio/visual can enhance your presentation but they should not be the focus of
attention. Your oral presentation is the heart of your presentation. Many of the saints whom
we will study have had films made about them. Do not show clips of these films during your
presentation, because it will take too much time, and I will be showing clips in class anyway.
3. What are specific considerations, situations or events today which highlight the relevance
of your saints? For example, if you’re speaking on St. Anthony and the Desert Fathers, you might
address whether we need to recapture a deeper appreciation for silence, or asceticism, or solitude,
etc., in our U.S. culture. Warning: Do not settle for simply giving opinions without processing the
ideas. In other words, do not simply say “We need to recapture a value for silence in our culture”
without giving concrete examples of this lack, how they are harmful, and how your saints provide
models or wisdom to address the problem.
4. DO NOT READ your presentation to the class. You should be familiar enough with the
material to present it conversationally, as does an instructor. Of course, you can still have notes in
front of you to remind you of what you want to say.
5. If there was disagreement in your group meetings about certain points of interest, feel free to
mention that during the presentation. It will help spark conversations and debate in class after the
presentation is finished.
Grading
Content: 50%
Clarity and Style (including audio/visual): 20%
Substance and Clarity of Bibliography: 10%
Quality of Responses to Questions and Comments: 10%
Christian Iconography
(Symbols of the Saints in Art)
For explanations of the symbols commonly associated with specific
saints in ancient, medieval, and contemporary art, see the following
websites:
http://www.aug.edu/augusta/iconography/index.html
The above is the best site. It often provides several examples of art
for each saint.
http://www.fisheasters.com/saintsinart.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_symbology
Keep in mind, of course, that more recent saints and martyrs (like
Dorothy Day or Archbishop Oscar Romero, who both died in 1980)
might not have particular symbols associated with them yet.