Center for Theological and Spiritual Formation (CTSF)

CTSF is an umbrella organization through which CCAS creates and delivers programs and resources which provide opportunities for theological inquiry and spiritual growth that:

  • Encourage a large percentage of Stanford University’s population to achieve an adult appropriation of the faith
  • Offer a broad spectrum of Catholic thought that is nuanced and robust so that they can navigate with integrity the complex society we live in
  • Help our constituents dialogue effectively with the academy about the Catholic faith and spiritual tradition
  • Are part of an intentional multi-layered approach that provides many ways students can choose to be engaged, both online and on the ground
  • Enhance the understanding that CCAS is a significant presence in and contributor to the life of the Stanford University community.

Programs for 2012-2013

Vatican II Symposium and Course

The Second Vatican Ecumenical Council (1962-1965) has been described as the single most important event of the twentieth century. It signaled a more positive relationship with the modern world for Catholicism, as well as resetting the relationship between Catholicism and Judaism, Islam and other world religions. Yet it has become an object of controversy and its meaning has been contested by forces from the right and the left. Was it meant to bring about real and lasting change, or was it meant merely to tweak older models of the Catholic religion? The answer to this question has implications for the survival of Christianity in the West.

Symposium

A one-day symposium,"The Legacy of Vatican II: Personal Reflections", and a spring quarter course entitled, ”Vatican II: Catholicism Meets Modernity,” are the main ways Stanford University is observing the fiftieth anniversary of the council. This special course and the symposium which precedes it are made possible by a generous grant from the Rosemary Hewlett Fund of the Department of Religious Studies at Stanford, and by further assistance from Stanford Continuing Studies, as well as the Center for Theological and Spiritual Formation (CTSF) of the Catholic Community at Stanford. The course was initiated and planned by a CTSF committee from the Catholic Community at Stanford.

The symposium, held on March 9, 2013 on the third floor of the Old Union on the Stanford campus, from 9:00AM-4:00PM, featured three keynote speakers. Deacon Bill Ditewig discussed the historical context of the council; Archbishop Emeritus John R. Quinn discussed Church structure and governance; and Tom Fox, the publisher of National Catholic Reporter, discussed the role of the laity post-council. Other respondents included Bishop Emeritus John Cummins, Rev. Paul Crowley SJ, Prof. Sally Vance-Trembath, and Prof. Rosemary Elmer, all of Santa Clara University, as well as Sally Mahoney, Registrar Emeritus at Stanford University.

Course

The Religious Studies Department at Stanford University is offering the course during the Spring Quarter, April 1 to June 3, 2013, Mondays from 7:00-9:00PM at Pigott Hall. The Spring quarter course will be offered for undergraduate credit (RELS 64) and Stanford Continuing credit (REL 82). This course aims for a critical understanding and appraisal of Vatican II, situating it within its historical context and analyzing it's significance, unfinished agenda, and points of controversy. Major scholars from around the country and the Bay Area include Stephen Schloesser, SJ of Loyola, Chicago, interreligious expert Catherine Cornille of Boston College, Paul Lakeland of Fairfield University, Bryan Massingale of Marquette University and local scholars, including Santa Clara’s University’s Catherine Murphy, Kristin Heyer, Jerome Baggett, Gary Macy and David DeCosse, many of whom will interact with Stanford faculty including David Kennedy, Steven Weitzman, Al Gelpi and others.

The public is welcome to all lectures with permission of the instructor, Prof. Paul Crowley, SJ. Most lectures from the course and symposium will be videotaped and available on this website. For further information visit the course web site.

Newman Nights

On Tuesdays from 7:30PM until 9:00PM, CCAS invites all interested students, staff, faculty and non-students in the community to participate in presentations and theological inquiry that reflect the breadth and depth of the Catholic intellectual tradition. These lectures, offer examination of various theological and spiritual issues, arranged around three basic themes: Scripture and Jesus, the Church and the Sacraments, and Self, God, Church and the World. Of the twenty-seven topics covered, seventeen are being offered by professors of theology, or by experts in their particular fields.

On-Line Component

The Vatican II Symposium, Vatican II Classes, and a many of the Newman Night Lectures will be videotaped. The complete archive is available on our CCASweb channel.

Resources for spiritual development will be posted as they become available.

Retreats

Documents

What Is...
A brief discussion of Church history and governance. Arranged alphabetically, current topics include: Church Council, Curia, Ecumenical Councils, Papal Election, Papal Infallibility, Popes since Vatican I . Other topics will be added as you request them and as time permits.