Catholic Diocese Tucson

14 CATHOLIC OUTLOOK JUNE/JULY 2019 St. Norbert was born in Germany, around the year 1080. Through the influence of his noble family, he was able to obtain a paid position at the church of St. Victor in Xanten. His only task was to take part in the daily prayer of the Liturgy of the Hours, but he paid someone to take his place so he could take a higher paying position as a religious counselor (chaplain) to the emperor. St. Norbert later gave up this way of life and was ordained a priest in 1115. Feeling called to do more, he gave away all his possessions and moved to the valley of Premontré in northern France. Other men joined him and, together, they pronounced religious vows on Christmas Day, 1121, establishing what would become the Order of Canons of Premontré (the Norbertines).  St. Norbert became archbishop of Magdeburg, Germany, in 1126. As bishop, he worked for clerical reform, enforcing celibacy and attacking corruption and absentee bishops. Together with St. Bernard of Clairvaux, he worked to heal the wounds caused by divisions in the Church. St. Norbert died in 1134 and was canonized in 1582. In the collect (the opening prayer) for the commemoration of St. Norbert on June 6, we celebrate the ways this holy bishop reconciled the call he felt to a life of prayer and contemplation with the call to serve as a pastor. Called the “Angel of Peace” because of his work to promote peace, he also promoted a spirit of prayer, which must be the foundation for any good work done in Christ’s name. The Second Vatican Council reminded us that the Holy Spirit gives gifts to each of us to empower us to help renew and build up the Church. The story of St. Norbert shows us how God will often ask that we step out of our comfort zones for the sake of the Gospel, sometimes leading us down new and previously unimagined paths. Although he desired to live a contemplative life, St. Norbert became a true evangelist, dedicated to spreading the Good News, without counting the cost. As we celebrate the great feasts of Pentecost and Trinity Sunday, reflect on what God might be asking of you and on how you can let go of anything that might be holding you back in your mission. To learn more about Jordan Ministry Team, visit JordanMinistry.org. JORDAN MINISTRY Salvatorian Brother Silas Henderson St. Norbert’s ministry focused on fulfilling his mission to the Church By MICHAEL BROWN Managing Editor When seven Yuma Catholic High School students graduated last month, it was two degrees for the price of one. They also earned associate degrees fromArizonaWestern College. The Yuma-based community college began offering dual credit courses with the Catholic high school 13 years ago, when several of the high school’s teachers also served as adjunct professors at AWC, said Terra Stallworth, Yuma Catholic’s director of Counseling. Stallworth was one of those teachers and offered Psychology 101 as one of five courses using the same curriculum and book for her high school students as she used at AWC. The other dual credit courses were in English and History. She noted that to take a dual credit class, the students have to file an application with AWC and successfully pass a placement exam, showing they have a sufficient base knowledge to enroll in the college-level curriculum. Dual credit courses have become so popular that the curriculum has expanded and now includes 23 general education courses in the subjects of English, math, history, philosophy, Spanish and religion. Students “are able to take these courses as soon as they test into them,” Stallworth said, noting that even freshmen and sophomores can take them as long as they enroll in AWC and pass the test. Another financial incentive is that under their agreement, Yuma charges students $25 per credit, while most colleges charge $300-$500 per credit. Shaving a year or two off college tuition costs by taking general education classes in high school makes attending college much more affordable, Stallworth said. She added more than 60 percent of students have earned some college credit while at Yuma Catholic. One critical element is that teachers who want to teach dual credit courses have to file employment applications with AWC as well. They must have earned their masters in the subject they intend to teach, she said. Stallworth added that there was another benefit, perhaps even less obvious than the cost savings and academic credit: The students are more confident and have better time management skills when they move into a college setting than those who have not taken college courses. Yuma Catholic even offers a religion course – Comparative Religions – for college credit, Stallworth noted. It can only be taken after they have met the theology requirements set by the Diocese, however. Yuma used to offer advanced placement (AP) courses but no longer does because of the popularity of dual credits. At St. Augustine Catholic High School in Tucson, students will have the opportunity to take what it calls dual enrollment courses for the first time in August. It is partnering with Pima Community College, said Dave Keller, St. Augustine’s president. One of the benefits working with Pima is that the community college built its course curricula working with the University of Arizona. St. Augustine’s initially will offer seven courses in the areas of math and business, religion and French. St. Augustine’s will continue to offer AP courses, although some of the new dual enrollment classes will replace similar ones on its AP roster. The school currently offers 30 credits of AP curricula, although it’s possible that those will be whittled down if, as anticipated, students move into dual enrollment classes instead. Keller said he sees the advantage of dual enrollment over AP courses, primarily in the guarantee of college credit if a student passes the course. With AP classes, a student can excel during the school year, but must still take a knowledge test in the future to capture the college credit. “That represents one day in their life,” Keller said. If they pass the test, “they can get the credit, but if they have a bad day, they won’t.” With the Pima partnership, there is no per credit cost to the students, although they still have to apply to the community college and pass the placement exam. They also have to pay for books. He also noted that the classes in religion are in Old Testament and New Testament, courses that are currently included in the Pima curricula. Students must first meet the diocesan requirements in theology, however. By offering dual enrollment classes, St. Augustine’s is sending five clear messages, Keller said: - It saves parents and students the cost of college credits. Between dual enrollment and AP classes, the school offers 52 potential college credits. - Dual enrollment classes are more easily accepted by colleges and universities than AP classes. - Dual enrollment classes evaluate student mastery during the course of a semester, not condensed to a three-hour AP test. - Dual enrollment classes show colleges and universities that student applicants are college-ready. - Dual enrollment classes show the school’s commitment to its Students seize chance to earn college credit in high school “ Dual credit courses have become so popular that the curriculum has expanded and now includes 23 general education courses in the subjects of English, math, history, philosophy, Spanish and religion. See CREDIT on page 15