Academics
Our Students
Our students come from all walks of life and comprise of lay Catholics as well as those who are preparing for religious profession and candidates in training for the ordained ministry. Although our students come from different backgrounds, they converge at CTIS sharing in the common calling to the apostolate of Christ. They represent the rich diversity of people God has gifted to the local Church in Singapore. CTIS students believe that ongoing education is important for Christian faith. They are convinced that the good practice of religion must be supported and informed by a good understanding of their faith. A firm intellectual appreciation of the Christian faith not only enables the students to link faith with life; it allows the living Catholic Christian tradition to be shared for the life of others towards the transformative vision of the Kingdom of God. Despite busy schedules, CTIS students commit themselves to a disciplined way of learning about God, the Church and their mission as followers of Christ.
Why Study Theology?
Theology (from the Greek theos, "God" and logos, "meaning") holds a central place in the life and mission of the Catholic Christian community. It is through theology that the Church come to understand its own faith and explain that faith to others. Education in theology is indispensable for every believer's mission to bring the Good News of Jesus Christ to the society in which we live.
Catholic theological tradition has explored important issues such as the nature of God, revelation in Jesus Christ, the nature of the person, human identity and existence, our origins and destiny, making life choices, the Christian community, the relationship between Church and the world, and God's abiding prescence in the Holy Spirit.
The discipline of theology can be organised around broad categories of study: Scripture Studies, Doctrinal or Systematic Theology, Moral Theology, Church History, and Pastoral Theology.
Educational Principles
Catholic Christians highly value the intellectual dimension as a natural complement to spiritual development. They are called to bridge their religious experience with knowledge of doctrine and the scriptures. Saint Anselm of Canterbury summed up this striving - thus also describing the discipline of theology - as "faith seeking understanding".
By adopting the spirit of this dictum, CTIS provides the space and curriculum of disciplined study to enable students to seek mature understanding of the Christian faith they profess. In partnership with the St. Francis Xavier Major Seminary, CTIS structures its courses around preparing candidates for the ecclesiastical Baccalaureate in Theology degree (STB) offered by the Pontificial Urban University in Rome. In addition to contact time with lecturers and in-class study, CTIS students will take responsibility for their own learning journey; keeping up with course readings, submitting written assignments, and allocating sufficient time for self-study, research, and project work.
Students are encouraged to work in groups to reap the benefits that community-learning brings. An online student community forum is available on the school website to foster greater intellectual interaction and sharing to assimilate their learning into personal reflection and spiritual direction, to fruitfully unite religious knowledge with the growth of faith and life-action.
