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School of Celtic Christian Studies
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This program is affiliated with Saint Stephen Harding Theological College and Seminary and is a specialized program of study only available to the Celtic Episcopal Church at this time. Interested persons who would like to know more about this fine Theological College and Seminary, you can visit their web site using this link: Saint Stephen Harding Theological College and Seminary
Thanks be to God, we now have our own program for the preparation of prospective clergy and for the Celtic formation of those already in our jurisdiction who have a background other than the Celtic Ethos.
The newly approved catalogue is provided here so those of you who are interested in doing some study can look it over and contact Archbishop Mark for assistance in getting enrolled.
The Celtic Episcopal Church has been working to develop an educational program that would satisfy two specific goals for the prospective member of its clergy: Provide a program that is not as arduous as a traditional seminary degree and one that can provide the basic needs of education such that the clergy person can provide the pastoral and teaching needs of the People of God that they have been called to pastor. In addition, those who are seeking a ministry pathway to the Chaplaincy must also successfully complete a recognized Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) program generally offered in most metropolitan locations.
The development of a study program like this has not been an easy undertaking because on the one hand most seminary programs are devised to make professional clergy and do little in the way of preparing prospective clergy for parochial ministry, and secondly, traditional seminary programs are prohibitively expensive and normally require that the student attend full time in residence at their institution although there are notable exceptions in recent years.
The second goal was to provide our applicants an educational opportunity that is at the same time suitable for their preordination formation and also one that is much less of a financial burden. We recognize that our people are regular, hard working men and women who want to respond to a call from our Lord and God, Jesus Christ by serving His Church in our jurisdiction as an ordained person, but who are not yet prepared to answer this call without preparation.
Then, we sought to ensure that what we were asking would provide them with academic recognition should they want to seek continued education at the Bachelors level and beyond. We thus became associated with the Saint Stephen Harding Theological College and Seminary and collaborated with them to develop The School of Celtic Christian Studies which is a Licentiate level program enabling the student to earn 30 semester hours that could be transferable. This, I am happy to say, has been accomplished.
The last part of this process was the working out of the cost of such a program. As you must certainly have concluded already, the commitment of time by those who participated in the development this program has been in the hundreds of hours and has incurred some personal cost that will not be recoverable as it was done as unto the Lord. The work is complete. And, we are eager to move forward.
There are those who will apply for orders within The Celtic Episcopal Church; and there will be those are who are already ordained in TCEC who have advanced theological degrees. Such persons will be asked to provide to the Dean, School of Celtic Christian Studies their transcripts and an evaluation will be undertaken by comparing their ministry experience along with their academic accomplishments to determination whether or not such a person will need to engage some or all of the curriculum contained herein. If the review shows a substantial need to complete some or all of the curriculum, a decision will be made in collaboration with each person what courses would be helpful, and in this category, the Admission Application with Fee and the graduation fee will be waived if the individual does not desire to be awarded the Licentiate. All tuition fees will be paid for the course or courses undertaken.
The purpose for this requirement is to make it possible for each person in this category to more easily make the spiritual and mental transformation into the Celtic Ethos and embrace the Vision given to TCEC by Almighty God. Therefore, all those who receive the sacrament of Holy Orders will have to complete the specific studies that enable them to understand what it means to be a Celtic Christian and part of the household of faith in TCEC.
To give the student some idea of how blessed they are with the extraordinarily low cost of this program, the following comparison table is provided followed by the payment schedule.
| Nashotah House Seminary of the Episcopal Church | Trinity School of the Bible and Seminary (Online Program) | Saint Steven Harding Theological School and Seminary (Home Study) | School of Celtic Christian Studies | |
| Name of Program | Anglican Studies Certificate | Biblical Studies Diploma | Sacred Theology Licentiate | Licentiate in Celtic Christian Studies |
| Semester Hours Required | 30 | 33 | 30 | 30 |
| Tuition Per Semester Hour | $200 | $130 | $20 | $10 |
| Application Fee | $50 | $50 | $50 | $50 ** |
| Graduation Fee | Unknown | Unknown | $100 | $100 ** |
** To enroll in the Licentiate in Celtic Christian Studies, each student must complete the (special) Saint Stephen Harding Admission Application and submit it to the Dean, School of Celtic Christian Studies, along with the $50.00 fee. At the completion of the program, the student will submit to the Dean, School of Celtic Christian Studies, the Saint Stephen Harding graduation fee of $100.00 which when received will be sent along with the Admission Application, Application Fee, Tuition, and transcript of competed course work to the Registrar's office at the Saint Stephen Harding Theological College and Seminary who will upon receipt award the student their Licentiate.
Each person who is accepted as a Postulant for Holy Orders in The Celtic Episcopal Church will be required to enroll in the Celtic Christian Studies Licentiate program by completing the above mentioned Admission Application and submitting it along with the appropriate fee and tuition for the first two courses. In the case of financial hardship, special arrangements can be made to assist the student on a case by case basis.
Upon completion of each course, the Bible Reading one excepted which will take a longer period to complete, the student will submit their writing projects along with the tuition for the next course as prescribed by the curriculum. This submission and registration cycle will continue until the entire program is completed. Should the writing projects need further development, the requirements and/or grades will be provided and a delay if necessary will be imposed until the projects have been successfully completed. Then the new course may begin.
Upon completion of all course requirements for the CCS.L., the final writing assignment will be submitted along with the graduation fee. When the Dean, School of Celtic Christian Studies is satisfied that all requirements have been successfully completed, the Admission Application, Application Fee, Transcript of All Courses completed with grades, tuition, and the Graduation Fee will be sent to the Saint Stephen Harding Theological College and Seminary whereupon they will issue the S.T.L. Celtic Christian Studies which will be awarded by the Metropolitan of The Celtic Episcopal Church.
Should those students who have successfully completed and been awarded the S.T.L. Celtic Christian Studies desire to enroll in the Saint Stephen Harding Theological College and Seminary to complete their Bachelor's degree and more, they should consult the most current catalogue to ascertain the requirements and procedures related to advanced academic standing. The Saint Stephen Harding Theological College and Seminary will take into consideration all previous life accomplishments to include years of work, educational achievements at all levels, and so on. The Licentiate in Celtic Christian studies may provide you 30 semester hours of undergraduate credit upon satisfying their financial requirements for an advanced standing evaluation. You can see their catalog by visiting their web site using this link: Saint Stephen Harding Theological College and Seminary
This Sacred Theology Licentiate in Celtic Christian Studies is a vehicle to prepare a candidate for the Sacrament of Holy Orders. The Dean will direct each candidate as to what courses are necessary for preparation. The following Curriculum has been developed which comprises those courses that will need to be successfully completed in order to be awarded the S.T.L. Following the number of semester hours assigned for each course indicated by a ( ) is the amount of the tuition. Be advised that the reading list for each of the courses is constantly under review so that the program reflects the most current reading assignment for each area of study. Thus, it is not advisable for students to acquire these texts until it is time to actually perform the requirements of the course to avoid unnecessarily purchasing books that will not be used in this course of study.
CCS-101 The Holy Scriptures - A Reading Overview (9) $90
1. The New King James Bible (Orthodox Study
Bible when available).
2. The Revised Standard Bible Catholic Edition
(Common Bible) for the Apocrypha.
(This will be replaced with the Orthodox Study
Bible when available.)
3. Bible Reading Plan taken from Your Bible by
Louis Cassels. (Provided by the School of
Celtic Christian Studies).
CCS-102 Hermeneutics - Principles of Biblical Interpretation (3) $30
1. Understanding and Applying the Bible
by Robertson McQuilkin.
2. How To Read The Bible For All Its Worth
by Gordon D. Fee and Douglas Stuart.
CCS-103 Celtic Christian Spirituality (2) $20
1. The Soul of Celtic Spirituality: In The
Lives Of Its Saints by Michael Mitton.
2. Celtic Christian Communities: Live the
Tradition by Ian Bradley.
CCS-104 Early Christian Doctrines (3) $30
1. Early Christian Doctrines (Fifth
Edition) by J.N.D. Kelly.
2. Reprints: Free Will, Original Sin,
Predestination, and Baptism (Infant). Various
sources provided by the School of Celtic
Christian Studies.
a. Seven Ecumenical Councils an overview, 4 pages.
b. Augustine - Original Sin - Orthodox View, 1 page.
c. History - Doctrine of Original Sin, 12 pages.
d. Monograph - Pelagius - Opening Statement, 1 page.
e. Arminius on Predestination, 38 pages.
f. Orthodox View on Infant Baptism, 4 pages.
g. Arminius on The Free Will of Man, 1 page.
h. Finney on Free Will, 15 pages.
CCS-105 Liturgics (2) $20
1. The Orthodox Liturgy: The development of
the Eucharistic Liturgy in the Byzantine
Rite by High Wybrew. (The following provided
by the School of Celtic Christian Studies)
2. The Celtic Divine Liturgy and the Celtic
Liturgy of the Pre-Sanctified Gifts as
authorized for use in The Celtic Episcopal
Church.
3. The Liturgies of The Celtic Episcopal Church.
4. The Daily Office Prayer Book.
5. Lectionary for Sundays and Daily Office.
6. Liturgical Calendar for The Celtic Episcopal Church.
7. Excerpts from The Study of Liturgy
by Edward Yarnold.
8. Glossary of Liturgical Terms.
Note: Items 2. through 8. can be mailed to the student in printed form from the Office of the Dean at a cost of $20.00 which will also pay for shipping costs. For those who already have the Daily Office Prayer Book and want to download the other items from our web site, there will be no requirement for this extra charge.
CCS-106 The Pre-Historic Celts and Early Celtic Christians (2) $20
1. Celtic Christianity: A Sacred Tradition, a
Vision of Hope by Timothy J. Joyce.
2. Celt, Druid, and Culdee
by Isabel Hill Elder.
CCS-107 Early Christian History (4) $40
1. The Story of Christianity, Volume 1:
The Early Church to the Dawn of the
Reformation by Justo L. Gonzalez.
2. Ecclesiastical History of the English
People by Bede et al.
CCS-108 Celtic Christian Formation and Orthodoxy (3) $30
1. Streams of Living Water
by Richard J. Foster.
2. The Faith: Understanding Orthodox
Christianity by Clark Carlton.
CCS-109 Electives (2) $20
Choose two of the following:
1. Conspiracy of Kindness: A Refreshing New
Approach to Sharing the Love of Jesus by
Steve Sjogren.
2. Freedom of Simplicity
by Richard J. Foster.
3. Money, Sex, and Power: The Challenge of the
Disciplined Life by Richard J. Foster.
4. Prayer: Finding The Heart's True Home
by Richard J. Foster.
1. Upon receipt of an Application for Holy Orders in The CEC, the Vocations Director will notify in writing the Dean, School of Celtic Christian Studies of the Application and request that the appropriate forms and information for academic preparation be forwarded to the applicant.
2. The Dean, School of Celtic Christian Studies will provide to the Applicant for Holy Orders this catalogue and the Application for Admission to the Saint Stephen Harding Theological College and Seminary.
3. Upon notification by the Holy Synod of Bishops by way of the Vocations Director that the applicant has been accepted as a Postulant, the Dean of the School of Celtic Christian Studies will notify the new Postulant to proceed with the following.
A. The student will complete the above application and send it along with the appropriate fee and tuition as contained in this catalogue to the Office of the Dean who will, by return mail or by E-mail, provide the Syllabus for the first two courses.
B. The student may pay the total tuition upon enrollment in which case, the student will enjoy an additional savings of ten dollars making the full tuition payment be $290.00 plus the admission fee of $50.00 and graduation fee $100.00 for a grand total of $440.00 for the entire S.T.L. Celtic Christian Studies program.
C. The student will acquire the needed texts, proceed with the reading, and accomplish the writing projects as prescribed by each syllabus.
D. Upon completion of the writing projects, they will be sent to the Dean for grading along with the tuition (if not already paid) for the next course in the curriculum.
E. Upon receipt of their grade for each writing project, the student will either be instructed to proceed with the next course or receive the writing project back for further development. When the writing projects are completed successfully, a grade of "Pass" will be awarded with instruction to proceed to the next course, and the student will be provided with the syllabus for the next course.
F. This cycle will continue until all courses have been successfully completed. When the student is ready to submit the writing project for the final course, the student will send it to the Dean with the prescribed graduation fee.
G. The Dean will grade the writing project for the final course and notify the student of the grade or need for additional development. When the project is completed satisfactorily, the Dean will notify the student that their transcript of completed course work, Application for Admission, and all paid fees have been sent to the Saint Stephen Harding Theological College and Seminary so that their Licentiate can be issued.
4. When the Saint Stephen Harding Theological College and Seminary is satisfied that all requirements have been met, they will make an entry into the institution's official and permanent records of the student's accomplishment. Whereupon the Licentiate will be issued and sent to the Dean, School of Celtic Christian Studies for signature and seal. The Dean will then send it to the Metropolitan for signature, seal, and he will award it to the student.
A great deal of thanks goes out to Abbot General Oscar Joseph, Dean and President of the Saint Stephen Harding Theological College and Seminary; Mr. Timothy Delbridge who graciously submitted himself as our first applicant and guinea pig enduring considerable stress as we have been working out the kinks and bugs in the development of this program; Mr. Peter Devlin who as an applicant for Holy Orders and who is in the process toward being a Chaplain provided many interesting and significant thoughts that helped in shaping the program; and last but not least our Metropolitan who has had to review, read, re-read, and approve all of the documents that have been developed all along the way. To all of you, may our Lord, Almighty God give you His continued blessing.