Quote Originally Posted by pipesndrumsnun View Post
Congrats, Matt! When do you finish?
Should finish up with the summer semester of this year (i.e. one class after the one I'm currently taking).

When I enrolled in the program it required 30 hours plus a thesis. Since then they have changed the requirements to 36 hours with thesis optional (for those going on to higher degrees). I finished my 30 hours over a year ago and had been persuing a thesis, but that process was just taking a whole heckuvalot longer than I anticipated. I was given the option to graduate under either the old or new system, and since all I needed to fill my requirements for the new system were two more 3 hour classes, that's what I went with.

I was enjoying researching my thesis, but I just really felt the need to have an "end date" to move on to other things. I'm currently enrolled in a diocesan Lay Ministry class that meets monthly (I'm in year 2 of that), and after that have hopes of enrolling in the permanant diaconate formation program, which will be a four year journey. So I really wanted my Masters completed before getting too involved in that.

In case anyone is wondering what I'm doing with all this theological training, I teach adult religious ed at my parish, and also do some apologetical and catechetical writing and presentation. I've had a few articles run in This Rock (a magazine published by Catholic Answers), and Envoy. I'd really like to branch out and get into some other publications once I can find the time to do more writing. I've recently become a regular monthly guest on "Searching the Word," a radio program on Relevant Radio, broadcast out of Green Bay, WI (I call in, obviously).

In fact, I'm heading off in just a few minutes to give a talk to a group of high school Catholics on retreat up here from Atlanta, on different types of prayer.

Now you know what I keep busy doing when I'm not sewing kilts!