PROVIDENCE — The Diocese of Providence held the presentation ceremony for those completing the first Certificate in Catholic Theology on Saturday, Sept. 14. Offered by the Secretariat for Evangelization and Pastoral Planning, the Certificate in Catholic Theology is aimed at helping the local faithful deepen their knowledge of the Catholic faith. Classes are taught by local clergy and scholars of theology on Catholic theology and spirituality, including the nature of Divine Revelation, the Most Holy Trinity, Christology, Sacramental theology and moral theology.
Archbishop Richard G. Henning celebrated morning prayer and congratulated all who completed the certificate.
“I would like to express my congratulations to those receiving their certificate, and also my gratitude to you for your desire to deepen your knowledge of the faith and for what you will do with that as seeds now scattered among the people of God,” Archbishop Henning said.
Dennis Sousa, director of the Office of Family, Youth and Young Adult Ministry for the Diocese of Providence, told Rhode Island Catholic, “This is a really great moment for the Diocese of Providence to have trained people in theology to go back into the parishes to serve their parishes. It’s beautiful.”
Dr. Edward Trendowski, director of the Office of Faith Formation, also celebrated the graduates.
“They worked hard to complete the certificate program. It shows a lot of their dedication to learning the Catholic faith. I’ve already heard stories of people bringing what they’ve learned into the world. There are definitely Catholics that want to learn more of the Catholic faith, they’re hungry to learn more of the Catholic faith, and we saw that this is a great opportunity for them to do that, but also to grow in their relationship with Jesus.”
Many graduates shared this desire to deepen their knowledge of the faith and continue to strengthen their relationship with God.
“As a history teacher, I feel that teachers should also always be students,” said P.J. O’Neill, a teacher at Our Lady of Mercy School in East Greenwich. “I previously had some theology in college, and I can remember trying to go through some Vatican II documents and different encyclicals and they were intimidating, and this course really helped me to understand where we get our Church teaching. It is accessible.”
Taylor Britto, a former Protestant minister who converted to Catholicism this past summer, wanted to continue his studies, and was looking for direction.
Britto, a parishioner of Pope St. Pius V Parish in Providence, added that his Catholic faith journey has been amazing.
“I’m still learning so much. I’m really enjoying it. I know this is where I need to be, this is where the Lord has me,” Britto continued, noting that the biggest benefit of the program was its ability to help him answer some of the tough questions concerning Catholic theology.
Mary Capobianco, a parishioner of St. Bernard Church in North Kingstown said that everything she learned was overwhelmingly applicable to the faith.
“There were things I knew, but there were things that went much deeper that I didn’t even know. It was very exciting. The theology of our faith is solid and strong and supports the faith that grows out of it in such a beautiful way.”
To apply for the program or for more information, visit https://www.evangelizeri.org/certificate.
