
Applicants seeking options to fulfill the prerequisite requirement are encouraged to register for 1.0 credit online courses offered by STEP in the McGrath Institute for Church Life. Can I still apply to Echo if I do not have the prerequisite 6 credit hours in theology or religious studies?Ĭoursework in philosophy, history of Christianity, ethics, or other related fields may fulfill part of the minimum 6 credit requirement. Non-degree students are later admitted to degree status subject to successful completion of at least one semester of coursework at a 3.0 GPA or above. The Graduate School prefers a GPA of 3.0 or higher but may allow for applicants with lower GPAs to be admitted conditionally as non-degree students. Strong candidates for Echo hold a 3.5 GPA or above. The Notre Dame Graduate School and the Echo program require applicants to have earned a bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution of higher education by June 1, with a minimum of 6 credit hours in theology or religious studies. What are the academic prerequisites and GPA to be accepted into the program? How long is the Echo Program?Įcho is a two year graduate service program beginning in mid-June and concluding with a capstone course and graduation occurring 24 months later at the end of June.

in Theology, service to the Church in a parish or school, and integrative human, communal, and spiritual formation. There are three primary dimensions of the Echo Program: the M.A. In 2014, the program began training and placing middle school and high school theology teachers in addition to parish apprentice catechetical leaders. Since then, Echo has nearly doubled its typical class size to approximately 24. As they serve the Church, Echo theology teachers and apprentice catechetical leaders seek “to put people not only in touch but in communion, in intimacy, with Jesus Christ” (National Directory for Catechesis 19, quoting Catechesi Tradendae 5).Įcho began in the summer of 2004 with 13 parish apprentice catechetical leaders. The Echo program is committed to helping apprentices and theology teachers find and echo the faith within each of them and to preparing them to help others do the same. Jesus’ interactions and teaching sought to create an echo in those he met, where they could feel God’s faithfulness within and be moved to live and share that faith with others.Ĭatechesis, or passing on the faith, then, involves helping another discover and echo the faith that already resides deep within. Jesus, and Moses before him, believed that at some place within us a touchstone of faithfulness could be found, and that the right relationships, the right questions, and the right quiet put us in touch with that faith.

What is the origin of the name Echo and when did the program begin?Įcho comes from the Greek word for “catechesis” meaning “to echo into,” derived from “kata” (meaning “into”) and “ekhein” (meaning “to echo”).
