Residential Summer Sessions

The Anglican Province of Christ the King is committed to theological education.  Thirty years ago we established our seminary near the University of California in Berkeley.  The graduates of the seminary have been invaluable to the Province, and the seminary itself has been of immense support to parish life, both intellectually and pastorally.

In addition to our year-round online curriculum and year-round residential program, we now offer residential Summer Sessions for those enrolled in the online distance learning program.  These two-week classes provide an overview of the seminary program and supplement the year-round study. The topics covered in the sessions include:

• Old Testament
• New Testament
• Church History
• Early Christian Thought
• The History of the Ancient Middle East and the Western Cultural Tradition
• The History of the Reformation and the Development of Anglicanism
• Ecclesiology and Ecclesiastical Polity
• Liturgical Theology
• The Book of Common Prayer and the Western Liturgical Tradition
• Dogmatic Theology
• Preaching and Teaching in the Parish Context

The selected courses offered each summer reflect the seminary’s year-round program, aiding the ordinand in effective use of his online studies.  Nothing can replace the steady work of scriptural, historical, and theological study required to prepare for examinations and subsequent vows, and these two academic programs complement one another.

Equally valuable, however, is participation in the daily liturgical offices in Saint Joseph's chapel, a vital part of the residential program.  Morning Prayer, noon Eucharist, and Evensong form patterns that deepen and enrich our understanding of the Christian tradition. 

Holy Days, Ferial Masses, and Sunday celebrations incarnate the classical Christian worship of the Western tradition. Students coordinate the Daily Offices with appropriate Eucharistic celebrations. They learn how liturgy is structured and how the tradition of the Western Church has developed over the centuries.

Residential Summer Session students form a network of colleagues that will be a future source of encouragement and advice, an invaluable support system through their years of ministry.

These three programs, the year-round residential program, the year-round online program, and the residential Summer Session are now open not only to those studying for the diaconate or priesthood, but to parish clergy and staff to further and deepen their knowledge of the Church’s tradition in faith and practice.

Those individuals who feel called to the ordained ministry should contact their bishop to ensure that their program takes place in the context of Diocesan ministry.

Those interested in study for its own sake (parish clergy or staff) may contact:

Dr. Paul S. Russell, Dean
St. Joseph of Arimathea Theological Seminary
russellapck@aol.com

Archbishop Robert S. Morse, Provost
St. Joseph of Arimathea Theological Seminary
sjatc@sbcglobal.net