Seminary Lesson Plan

Welcome, Brothers and Sisters, to our Distance-Learning Seminary Lesson Plan.
We hope that the coming days will be fruitful for you, as well as challenging.
Unlike your Novice assignments, you may study and turn in your assignments at your own pace, which you can turn in to Fr.  Suffragan, Francis Julian at [email protected].
Peace and many blessings from the office of the Archabbot.

Section 1:
The Abrahamic Faiths

This section will familiarize you with the roots of the the 3 major Abrahamic faiths; Judaism, Christianity and Islam.

 The Hebrew Bible
  1. Watch all videos provided by Yale Open Courses
  2. Essay: What is the Law of Moses? How does it define the Jewish people as a whole?
  3. Essay: Have you learned something surprising? Why or why not?

The New Testament
  1. Watch all videos provided by Yale Open Courses
  2. Essay: Describe the differences between the Gospels and the Apostolic Letters
  3. Extra Credit: Interview someone who is Muslim and write an essay on your findings.

Section 2: Buddhism

Tibetan Buddhism
  1. Research Tibetan Buddhism
  2. Essay: What are your views on this form of Buddhist teaching and why?
 Zen Buddhism
  1. Research Zen Buddhism
  2. Essay: How does Zen differ from other schools of Buddhist teaching?

Section 3: Polytheism

Hinduism
  1. Research Hinduism
  2. Essay: Describe at least one (or more) form of monasticism in the Hindu faith.

Paganism and Wicca
  1. Choose two forms of Paganism (such as Norse or Roman) and describe their differences and similarities.
  2. Describe how Wicca differs from Paganism

Section 4: Pastoral Responsibility

For the remaining months of this year, you are to research and reflect on priestly servanthood, pastoral care (especially that of the sick and homeless), spiritual direction, end-of-life care and what it means to incorporate these things into your life on top of your monastic vows.

By the end of the year, write about your findings in each area and how you plan to incorporate them into your daily life and practice.
A word about liturgical studies: they are available upon request, but are not required as part of seminary training because of the wide range of faiths of the members of OES. If you desire to learn about certain liturgies, please contact Fr. Bjorn.