DiscoverCatholic University of AmericaSchool of Canon Law
School of Canon Law
Catholic University of America
Mission Statement The School of Canon Law is an ecclesiastical faculty preparing students for licentiate and doctorate degrees authorized by the Apostolic See. The School is a community of students, faculty, and staff working together for the purpose of the study of canon law in service to the Catholic Church, with particular attention to the needs and opportunities of the Church in the United States. As of December 13, 2001, the Board of Trustees approved the re-establishment of the School of Canon Law as a separate ecclesiastical school of the University. The purpose of instruction in this school is to familiarize students with the body of law of the Catholic Church, its development, interpretation, and application. The courses are planned to prepare for the professional practice of canon law in diocesan and religious administration, in ecclesiastical tribunals, and in the teaching of canon law, and for scientific canonical research. In accord with this purpose, the canonical degrees, Licentiate in Canon Law (J.C.L.) and Doctor of Canon Law (J.C.D.), are awarded. The primary focus of courses offered in the school is the Code of Canon Law for the Latin Church, promulgated by Pope John Paul II in 1983. Attention is also given, as appropriate, to the Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches, promulgated by Pope John Paul II in 1990. A proper understanding and implementation of the provisions of the current law of the Church require not only acquired skill in the technicalities of legal interpretation but also a broad grasp of the historical, theological, and sociological factors which have contributed to its development and a sensitivity to the law's pastoral application. Proper service to the Church as a canonist also requires skill in evaluating the strengths and weaknesses of the law in order to contribute to its ongoing development. In keeping with the Declaration on Christian Education (n. 11) of the Second Vatican Council, the curriculum affords clergy, religious, and lay persons a thorough, contemporary, scholarly, and pastoral preparation for service to the Church in positions of canonical responsibility. The personal guidance of the faculty is directed at every level of instruction and inquiry to the practical needs of canonists at the present time, as well as to thesis and dissertation work which will acquaint and equip students with the applied methods of canonical research and writing needed by both practitioners and scholars. WELCOME FROM THE DEAN Welcome to the School of Canon Law at The Catholic University of America – the only Ecclesiastical Faculty of Canon Law in the United States. The School forms a community of men and women with the vocation of serving the Church – both practitioners of the law in teaching and advising and men and women acquiring both theoretical knowledge and practical experience of the law. The student body includes a variety of students – diocesan priests, men and women members of institutes and societies of consecrated life, lay men and women – from a variety of dioceses and countries. Students may earn the ecclesiastical degrees of Licentiate in Canon Law [J.C.L.] and the Doctor of Canon Law [J.C.D.], following the guidelines established by the Congregation for Catholic Education. Graduates serve the Church in a variety of ways: as judges, advocates, procurators, defenders, directors and auditors in diocesan tribunals, fulfill various offices in the diocesan curia and provide legal advice in a wide variety of contexts to individuals and groups. Certain of these positions are available only to those with the J.C.L. or J.C.L. and J.C.D. degrees The Faculty reflects the diversity of the student body, composed of men and women in consecrated life, diocesan clergy and laity, from the United States and abroad. They have earned advanced degrees from The Catholic University of America, Pontifical Gregorian University, Katholiek Universiteit te Leuven, and Saint Paul University. The Faculty provides advice to bishops, other Church leaders, associations and institutes and individuals throughout the world, as well as serving the Church in a variety of capacities and positions. I invite you to peruse our website to learn more about the School. Rev. Robert Kaslyn, J.C.D. Dean