PONTIFICIA UNIVERSITÀ GREGORIANA. Virtus et scientia

Transcription

1 PONTIFICIA UNIVERSITÀ GREGORIANA Virtus et scientia

2 PONTIFICAL GREGORIAN UNIVERSITY In 1551, St. Ignatius Loyola, the founder of the Society of Jesus, opened a Schola grammaticae et humanitatis pro iuvenibus in Rome. Within a short span of time, it became the Roman College and in 1556 started conferring academic degrees according to pontifical norms. It moved to new premises constructed by Gregory XIII on the Piazza that became synonymous with the College: Piazza del Collegio Romano. In 1873, Pius IX gave the College the title of the Pontifical Gregorian University which since 1930 has been located at Piazza della Pilotta, 4. At the dawn of the third millennium, the Pontifical Gregorian University wants to continue its longstanding tradition, taking its place at the crossroads between Church and Society, faith and culture. Being its specific bent that of serving the universal Church by teaching and researching the Sacred Sciences together with other related disciplines.

3 CHARACTERISTICS Its fundamental characteristic is that of a Pontifical Ecclesiastical University entrusted by the Holy See to the Society of Jesus, a commission which Benedict XVI confirmed again in As a University, it pursues excellence in teaching and research, in as much as it structures its cycles and curricula according to the European Union's Bologna process. By the authority of the Holy See and according to the norms of Canon Law, it confers academic degrees: Bachelor's (I cycle at the completion of undergraduate studies), Licence or Master's (II cycle at the end of graduate studies), and Doctorate (III cycle at the completion of a research project). As an Ecclesiastical University, it promotes, first and foremost, the education of its students with special care to their formation for priestly ministry, the teaching of the Sacred Sciences, and various demanding ecclesiastical ministries that religious and lay persons may have to undertake. As a Pontifical Ecclesiastical University, it is directly governed by the Roman Pontiff through the Cardinal Prefect of the Congregation for Catholic Education who - in virtue of his office - is the Grand Chancellor of the University. Through the Grand Chancellor, the Pope appoints the Rector of the University. As a University entrusted to the Society of Jesus, it draws its inspiration from Ignatian Spirituality. Its pedagogy builds on a personal and professional relationship between teacher and student, as it insists upon an indepth understanding of a wide variety of issues. It also encourages the students to arrive at a personal and responsible integration of the material studied. Faithful to the Church's Magisterium, the University adheres to, and creatively transmits, ecclesial values. It endorses a socially aware faith that brings about truth, peace and justice. It fosters dialogue with culture and science, as well as with other Christian denominations and world religions. It promotes the dignity of the human person and the created order. The international character of the faculty and students provides a unique setting that encourages openness to and formation in a global vision.

4 SERVICES OFFERED TO STUDENTS A University Chapel service offers assistance for the students' spiritual well-being. It offers daily Mass, annual spiritual exercises, penitential liturgies, meditation on Scripture, spiritual direction, and the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Students, who struggle with financial constraints, can ask for scholarships that cover enrolment fees. The library provides approximately 900,000 books, 3,000 journals, and more than 100 data bases giving access to 900 electronic journals. They can also ask for assistance at an information office which offers guidance in legal matters demanded by the Italian State (residence permits, health insurance, etc.). The University also offers a centre for preventive medicine and optometry. There are also computer rooms available for student use. There are courses of Italian and other languages. There is also a Centre for Psychological Counselling. For further information on the various programs and curricula, specific enrolment conditions, and other matters of interest, one can consult the University website: or contact the Registrar's Office (Segreteria Generale), tel ; segreteria@unigre.it Pontificia Università Gregoriana Piazza della Pilotta, Roma tel Edit. PUG - Roma D1

5 FACULTIES, INSTITUTES AND CENTERS THE FACULTY OF THEOLOGY The primary objective of the Faculty of Theology is to assist those who want to prepare themselves for priestly ministry and for the teaching of Sacred Sciences. It heartily welcomes those lay persons who are seeking a solid theological formation. Before enrolling, students must have already completed two years of philosophical studies. The program of studies includes three cycles: the first cycle, or Bachelor's, initiates students into a solid and comprehensive understanding of the Christian Mystery. It introduces them to the diversity of theological disciplines, as it helps them deepen their understanding of Revelation, the Church's Magisterium, and theological reflection. The second cycle offers five different, specialized licences in Biblical Theology, Patristics and History of Theology, Fundamental Theology, Dogmatic (or Systematic) Theology and Moral Theology. The two-year program aims at deepening and broadening theological knowledge within a specific branch of Theology, as it introduces students into the theory and practice of specific research methods. The third cycle, or Doctorate, is entirely dedicated to investigation and research. The Faculty also offers a Diploma in Theological Studies - a Master of Divinity. THE FACULTY OF CANON LAW The Faculty intends to train canonists who are qualified to study and teach Ecclesiastical Law, according to the living tradition of the Church. They should also be able to apply Canon Law whenever they take up specific organizational duties or accept some pastoral appointment, as the life of the Church may require. The first cycle offers, over a period of two years, the necessary philosophical-theological training to those who do not possess a Bachelor's degree in Theology, or some equivalent formation; no degree is granted at the end of the two years. The three-year second cycle - in the light of the theological and juridical sources - applies the exegetic method to the study of the whole the Codex Iuris Canonici, as well as other current norms and ordinances. It includes specific training in administrative and juridical procedures.the third cycle is devoted to research in view of obtaining a Doctorate and completing one's Canonical formation. Those who possess at least a Licence in Canon Law can enrol for a Diploma course that specializes in Canonical Jurisprudence; such a course is meant to form officials who intend to offer their services in Ecclesiastical Tribunals.

6 THE FACULTY OF PHILOSOPHY The Faculty introduces students to personal reflection, scientific research and the teaching of philosophy, cultivating and promoting philosophical disciplines and their respective methods. It builds on the patrimony of thought and on humanity's intellectual traditions as they have been shaped throughout history. It also studies in depth contemporary schools of thought, the advancement of science, and those problems that stem from the development of culture. The first cycle offers a thorough basic training in philosophy. The second cycle aims at offering a synthetic overview of human thought, and at promoting research and in-depth analysis in one of the specialized programs the Faculty offers. There are six areas of specialization in systematic Philosophy: the Philosophy of Knowledge and Communications, Metaphysics and Christian Philosophy, the Philosophy of God and Religion, the Philosophy of Humanity and Culture, Ethics and Political Philosophy, and the Philosophy of Nature and Science; another two programs deal with the History of Philosophy (Ancient and Medieval Philosophy, and Modern and Contemporary Philosophy). The third cycle is completely dedicated to the research for Doctorate and the completion of the student's formation. THE FACULTY OF THE HISTORY AND CULTURAL PATRIMONY OF THE CHURCH The Faculty fosters the study and in-depth analysis of the Church's History, and of the Artistic and Cultural Patrimony that constitutes the tradition of Christianity and the heritage of humanity. The first cycle offers a specific, fundamental training which deals with central issues in Theology, a general outlook on the Church's History, an introduction to the history of Art and Archaeology, Epigraphy, Museology, and other complementary sciences. The second cycle offers two different specializations: one in Church History and the other in the Cultural Patrimony of the Church. The third cycle is dedicated to research. The Faculty also offers a one-year Master's program that deals with the Cultural Patrimony of the Church. THE FACULTY OF MISSIOLOGY This Faculty offers each student a personalize program and a profound and systematic study of the issues that truly count in missiology and the theology of religions. This bilingual Faculty (English and Italian) is characterized by an interactive pedagogy, personal supervision and an interdisciplinary approach. The Faculty comprises two departments: Missiology and Theology of Religions. In the Department of Missiology students are taught to reflect critically upon and

7 examine the challenges on the nature and methods of missionary activity and evangelization in the Church in today's world. The Department of the Theology of Religions provides a deep and systematic study of other religions and cultures, while also enriching students with the wisdom of the Catholic tradition. The Theology of Religions offers three special programs: Religions and Cultures of the Mediterranean, Islamic Studies and Asian Religions and Cultures. THE FACULTY OF SOCIAL SCIENCES The Faculty offers a program of scientific formation that can lead towards research to be carried out within the fields of Sociology and the Social Doctrine of the Church. It also prepares for teaching in the higher Institutes, promotes social action, and prepares for the world of journalism and the mass media. The first cycle proposes a basic training that prepares for the second cycle. The second cycle, offers training in two specializations: the Social Teaching of the Church (including the areas of Sociology and Economy and Development) and Social Communication. The third cycle is dedicated toward research in view of a Doctorate. THE INSTITUTE OF SPIRITUALITY Students who have already concluded their Bachelor's Degree in Theology can enroll in the Institute to do their second cycle with the aim of obtaining a Licence in Theology with a Spirituality specialization. The program thus fosters the study of theological, biblical, historical and psychological dimensions within the field of Spirituality. The third cycle is dedicated to research for Doctorate. The Institute also offers a two-year Diploma addressed to those who, though having a sufficient theological formation, do not possess a Bachelor's Degree in Theology. THE INSTITUTE OF PSYCHOLOGY The Institute prepares professional personnel, versed in psychology, able to integrate the spiritual and the psychological dimensions within those apostolic and educational endeavours in which they will be engaged as spiritual directors in seminaries or houses of formation, as vocation promoters, or as educators. Their training includes individual supervision and direction, as well as guidance through some clinical experience. Due to the curriculum proposed, enrolment must necessarily be limited in number. Interdisciplinary research within anthropology - at one and the same time, philosophical, psychological and theological in character - constitutes the basic training offered at the first cycle level. The second cycle pursues a specialized clinical formation as well as accompanying others in vocational

8 discernment. The third cycle is dedicated to research. Between the II and III cycle, a candidate can pursue a one-year practical training course aiming at strengthening the student's professional qualifications. THE CARDINAL BEA CENTRE FOR JUDAIC STUDIES The Cardinal Bea Centre offers programs concerning the study of Judaism, and Jewish-Christian dialogue. THE INTERDISCIPLINARY CENTRE FOR SOCIAL COMMUNICATIONS The Centre pursues the challenges and the opportunities that the world of Mass Media offers to the proclamation of the Gospel Message and to its dialogue with contemporary society within a theological and philosophical context. Thus, besides providing students with their basic technical knowledge, the Centre offers courses in Pastoral Communications, the Theology of Communication, Homiletics, and formation of directors within diocesan centres of mass-communication. The courses that are offered are also meant to form the ethical awareness of those who work in the world of mass communication. The Centre offers a two-years Master's degree and a one-year Diploma. THE INTERDISCIPLINARY CENTRE FOR THE FORMATORS TOWARD THE PRIESTHOOD Responding to a call from the Congregation for Catholic Education, the Pontifical Gregorian University has instituted a specific Centre for the training of formators who can help persons prepare for priestly ministry both within diocesan seminaries and in religious institutes. The Centre thus collaborates directly with the Institutes of Spirituality and Psychology, as it tries to offer a unified vision of the various dimensions that together constitute priestly formation: that is, its human, spiritual, pastoral and religious dimensions. A one-year program leads to a Diploma. Those who have already obtained the Diploma can enrol for a second year of studies in the Institute of Spirituality that will eventually lead to a Licence in Theology with Spirituality specialization. THE ALBERTO HURTADO CENTER FOR FAITH AND CULTURE The Centre offers a series of public lectures and two permanent seminars open to young Christian adults. The perspective of the Center is to examine the challenges of the Christian in the modern world and to reflect on the relationship between faith and culture in contemporary society. The inspiration for the Center comes from the Jesuit Alberto Hurtado, who was canonized by Pope Benedict XVI on October 23, 2005.