Free Online SHMS Course Offers a Shortcut to Holiness

Sacred Heart Major Seminary (SHMS), Detroit, is offering a new, free, online, self-paced course for Advent.  It kicks off on November 27, the first Sunday in Advent, and concludes on Christmas Eve.

As the announcement by Melissa Pordon, SHMS Distance Education Assistant, states:

“Do you think being holy is impossible? Something reserved only for a select few? Have you ever wished you had a “roadmap” for getting to heaven? Or better yet, a shortcut to holiness?

“In this short online course, Dr. Ralph Martin, Director of Programs in the New Evangelization at Sacred Heart Major Seminary, shows how achieving holiness is not only possible but something each and every one of us is called to. He will present the stages of spiritual growth as lived out by some of the great spiritual masters of the Church.

“Reflecting on their examples, the course will cover practical tips and advice for advancing in our journey to God. The curriculum is based on Dr. Martin’s book “The Fulfillment of All Desire: A Guidebook for the Journey to God Based on the Wisdom of the Saints”.”

How it Works

More information about the course and registration steps can be found at  this link.

While the course is “designed for the lay faithful of the Archdiocese of Detroit” it is actually open to anyone, anywhere in the world.

As the course  information states:

“This FREE non-credit course is being offered online using the seminary’s learning management system, Canvas. Upon signing up for the course, students will receive a username and password for accessing the online class.

“The class will be conducted online giving students the freedom to engage with the material and complete course tasks around their own schedule. The class will consist of four modules which can be completed according to the individual’s own pace.

“Each module will be hosted by Dr. Ralph Martin, Professor of Theology and Director of Graduate Programs in the New Evangelization.

“Each module will include:

• Lecture Video (~20 minutes)
• Lectio Divina Exercise (~10 minutes)
• Personal Assessment Quiz (~5 minutes)
• Supplemental Reading Material”

The course consists of four self-paced modules:

1: Holiness: Not an Option!
2: Establishing a Solid Foundation
3: Growing in Freedom
4: Living in Freedom

About Dr. Martin

Dr. Ralph Martin is Professor of Theology, and Director of Graduate Programs in the New Evangelization at SHMS.  He holds an MA in Theology from Sacred Heart School of Theology in the Archdiocese of Detroit, and a Licentiate in Sacred Theology (STL) from the Pontifical Faculty of the Immaculate Conception at the Dominican House of Studies in Washington, DC.  He also has a Doctorate in Sacred Theology (STD) from the Pontifical University of St. Thomas (the “Angelicum”) in Rome.

Martin is also president of Renewal Ministries and the host of The Choices We Face, a weekly Catholic television and radio program distributed throughout the world.  He also serves as a visiting professor of theology at the Franciscan University of Steubenville. Pope Benedict XVI named him consultor to the Pontifical Council for the New Evangelization.

Dr. Martin is also the author of a number of books. His most recent books are “The Urgency of the New Evangelization: Answering the Call,” and “The Fulfillment of All Desire: A Guidebook for the Journey to God Based on the Wisdom of the Saints,” and “Will Many Be Saved? What Vatican II Actually Teaches and Its Implications for the New Evangelization.” He and his wife Anne have six children and fifteen grandchildren and reside in Ann Arbor, Michigan.