Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas

The Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas (PUST), also known as the Angelicum or Collegio Angelico (in honor of its patron, the Doctor Angelicus Thomas Aquinas), is a pontifical university located in the historic center of Rome, Italy. The Angelicum is administered by the Dominican Order and is the order's central locus of Thomistic theology and philosophy.

The Angelicum is coeducational and offers both undergraduate and graduate degrees in theology, philosophy, canon law, and social sciences, as well as certificates and diplomas in related areas. Courses are offered in Italian and some in English. The Angelicum is staffed by clergy and laity and serves both religious and lay students from around the world.

History

The Angelicum has its roots in the Dominican mission to study and to teach truth. This mission is reflected in the order's motto, "Veritas". The distinctively pedagogical character of the Dominican apostolate as intended by Saint Dominic de Guzman in 1214 at the birth of the order, "the first order instituted by the Church with an academic mission", is succinctly expressed by another of the Order's mottos, contemplare et contemplata aliis tradere, (to contemplate and to bear the fruits of contemplation to others). Pope Honorius III approved the Order of Preachers in December 1216 and January 1217. On 21 January 1217 the papal bull Gratiarum omnium confirmed the Order's pedagogical mission by granting its members the right to preach universally, a power formerly dependent on local episcopal authorization.

Medieval origin (1222): the Santa Sabina studium conventuale

Saint Dominic established priories focused on study and preaching that became the Order's first studia generalia, at the Parisian convent of St. Jacques in 1217, at Bologna in 1218, at Palencia and Montpellier in 1220, and at Oxford before his death in 1221. By 1219 Pope Honorius III had invited Dominic and companions to take up residence at the ancient Roman basilica of Santa Sabina, which they did by early 1220. In May 1220 at Bologna the Order's first General Chapter mandated that each convent of the Order maintain a studium. The official foundation of the Dominican studium conventuale at Rome, which would grow into the Angelicum, occurred with the legal transfer of the Santa Sabina complex from Pope Honorius III to the Order of Preachers on 5 June 1222.

St. Hyacinth of Poland and companions Bl. Ceslaus, Herman of Germany, and Henry of Moravia were among the first to study at the studium of Santa Sabina where "sacred studies flourished".

From its beginning the Santa Sabina studium played the special role of frequently providing papal theologians from among its members. Since its institution in 1218 the office of Master of the Sacred Palace has always been entrusted to a Friar of the Order of Preachers. In 1218 Saint Dominic was appointed as the first Master of the Sacred Palace by Pope Honorius III. In 1246 Pope Innocent IV appointed Annibaldo degli Annibaldi (c. 1220 – 1272) third Master of the Sacred Palace after Saint Dominic and Bartolomeo di Breganze. Annibaldi had completed his initial studies at the Santa Sabina studium conventuale and was later sent to the studium generale at Paris. Aquinas dedicated to Annibaldi the Catena aurea, which he wrote during his regency at the Santa Sabina studium beginning in 1265.

Academics

Quality and ranking

The Angelicum is one of the world's Pontifical universities. Specifically, a pontifical university addresses "Christian revelation and disciplines correlative to the evangelical mission of the Church as set out in the apostolic constitution, Sapientia christiana".

In distinction to secular or other Catholic universities, which address a broad range of disciplines, Ecclesiastical or Pontifical universities are "usually composed of three principal ecclesiastical faculties, theology, philosophy, and canon law, and at least one other faculty". Current international quality ranking services do not have rankings for pontifical universities that are specific to their curricula.

Since 19 September 2003 the Holy See has taken part in the Bologna Process, a series of meetings and agreements between European states designed to foster comparable quality standards in higher education, and in the "Bologna Follow-up Group".

The Holy See's Agency for the Evaluation and Promotion of Quality in Ecclesiastical Universities and Faculties (AVEPRO) was established on 19 September 2007 by the Pope Benedict XVI "to promote and develop a culture of quality within the academic institutions that depend directly on the Holy See and ensure they possess internationally valid quality criteria."

Academic authorities

Grand Chancellor, the Master General of the Order of Preachers. On 13 July 2019, Fr. Gerard Francisco Timoner III was elected the 88th Master General of the Order of Preachers at the 291st General Chapter, held in Biên Hòa.

Rector Magnificus. Thomas Joseph White was appointed rector on 10 June 2021. He is the first American to serve in this office.

• Vice-Rector
• Deans of the Faculties
• Heads of the Institutes
• Administrator
• Secretary General
• Public Relations Officer
• Prefect of the Library
• University Chaplain

Faculties and degrees

In addition to the programs listed, which are in the Italian language, the Angelicum offers English programs in Philosophy and Theology for the first cycle, and part of the second and third cycles.

Theology

First Cycle: Baccalaureate in Sacred Theology, Sacrae Theologiae Baccalaureatus (S.T.B.)

Second Cycle: Licentiate in Sacred Theology, Sacrae Theologiae Licentiatus (S.T.L.)

Third Cycle: Doctorate in Sacred Theology, Sacrae Theologiae Doctoratus (S.T.D.)

Sections:

• Biblical
• Dogmatic
• Moral
• Thomistic
• Spirituality

Ecumenism: The Angelicum is the only Pontifical university in Rome granted the right to offer advanced theology degrees in ecumenism. The Angelicum offers the licentiate degree in theology with a specialization in ecumenical studies.

Angelicum campus

The Angelicum campus is located in the historic center of Rome, Italy, on the Quirinal Hill in the section or rione of the eternal city known as Monti. It is situated near the beginning of via Nazionale just above the ruins of Trajan's Market, the via dei Fori Imperiali, and Piazza Venezia.

Site

The site of the Angelicum is recorded in history sometime before the year 1000 bearing the name Magnanapoli with a church dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary. The nature of the site before the ninth century is uncertain. One theory holds that its name Magnanapoli derives from the expression Bannum Nea Polis or "fort of the new city" from the adjacent Byzantine military citadel which included the Torre delle Milizie Rome's oldest extant tower.

Architectonic features

In 1569 Dominican Pope Pius V ordered the construction of the Church of Saints Dominic and Sixtus. This was followed in 1575 by a convent for Dominican nuns. Among the architects who worked on the complex are Vignola; Giacomo della Porta; Nicola and Orazio Torriani; and Vincenzo della Greca. The church's double staircase was added in 1654 by sculptor architect Orazio Torriani.

In 1870 the religious community was expropriated by the Italian government. The Order was able to reacquire the complex in 1927 from the Italian government. After extensive renovation and additions the Angelicum and a convent of Dominican Friars was installed there. Today the university occupies approximately the entire ground level of the complex. The remaining portion, approximately the second and third levels around the cloister together with subterranean spaces, constitutes a convent for the community of Dominican Friars that serves the university.

The main entrance of the Angelicum immediately to the right of the Church of Saints Dominic and Sixtus was built into the existing structure in the early 1930s as part of the renovations undertaken to accommodate the Angelicum at its new site. A wide flight of stairs leads to a Palladian motif portico above which are mounted a Dominican shield bearing one of the Order's mottos "laudare, benedicere, praedicare" (to praise, bless, and preach) on the right, and the escutcheons of Pope Pius XI who was reigning when the Pontificium Institutum Internationale Angelicum opened its doors in 1932, on the left. The main entrance of the Angelicum was used in 2010 as a location in the film "Manuale d'amore 3". part of a 4 movie romantic comedy, directed by Giovanni Veronesi and starring Robert De Niro, and Monica Bellucci who were on campus shooting the film.

General information

Angelicum traditions and annual events

Inauguration of the Academic Year takes place in October with a solemn "Mass of the Holy Spirit" and the conferral of academic degrees (see "Angelicum regalia" below).

Inaugural Lecture. In early November a "prolusione" or formal address is given by an invited speaker to mark the inauguration of the academic year:

2009 Wojciech Giertych, Theologian of the Pontifical Household, "Why There Are So Few Thomist Saints?"

2008 Francesco Coccopalmerio, President of the Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts, "La natura dell'attività' del Legislatore nella Chiesa"

1953 Alcide De Gasperi, Founder Christian Democratic Party, Italian Prime Minister 1945–1953, European Union founding member. "The International Workers Movement and a United Europe".

1948 Giulio Andreotti, member of provisional parliament tasked with writing the new Italian constitution, and future Prime Minister of Italy (1972–73; 1976–79; 1989–92), "The Intellectual Mission of Italy and of a United Europe".

1928 Réginald Marie Garrigou-Lagrange, theologian.

Encomium of St. Thomas Aquinas, Angelicum patron: Traditionally on 7 March, the pre Vatican II feast day and death anniversary of St. Thomas Aquinas a high Solemn Mass is offered, followed by an encomium honoring the "angelic doctor." This is one of the Angelicum's oldest traditions dating back to 6 February 1344 when Pope Clement VI granted to those visiting a church of the Dominican Order on 7 March the feast of St. Thomas Aquinas the remission of one year and forty days of purgatory. After the offertory of the Mass the motet O Doctor optime by Vincenzo De Grandis (1577–1646) was sung in four voices. After Mass a Dominican student or invited speaker recites an encomium in honor of St. Thomas.

2013, Angelo Vincenzo Zani presider, Congregation for Catholic Education Secretary, Titular Archbishop of Volturnum, Angelicum Theology Faculty alumnus.

2012, Giuseppe Sciacca presider, Secretary-General of the Governatorate of Vatican City, alumnus of the Angelicum Canon Law Faculty.

1932, Martin Stanislas Gillet, Master of the Order of Preachers (1929–1946)

1914, Hyacinthe-Marie Cormier Master of the Order of Preachers.

1903, Domenico Toncelli. Il genio della Scienza. Panegirico di S. Tommaso d'Aquino.

1893, Cardinal Sebastiano Galeati Archbishop of Ravenna gave the encomium.

1882, Francesco Satolli

1880, Girolamo Pio Saccheri.

1874, Jesuit priest and scholar Giovanni Maria Cornoldi gave the encomium.

• 1661, Angelo Paciucchelli
• 1650, Antonio Francesco Fracassi
• 1635 c., Raimondo Capizucchi

Publications and media

Angelicum is the official peer-reviewed academic journal of the university. The journal covers the major disciplines of the university, including theology, philosophy, canon law, and social science, as well as other sacred disciplines. It was established in 1924 as Unio Thomistica and obtained its current title in 1925. Articles are published in English, Italian, Spanish, French, and German.

Oikonomia is the journal founded in 1999 at the Faculty of Social Sciences (FASS) of the Angelicum. It is a collaborative project of the lecturers and students of the faculty, and of scholars who work with the FASS. The issues that are covered are those of the social sciences, as we understand them in our tradition, covering five areas: philosophy, law, history, psico-sociological, economics. The subjects treated as the journal's editorial profile has developed have ranged from theoretical issues to reports on conferences, to reviews of important new books. Particular attention is given in every number to selecting a text from the recent or distant past, but which always has particular significance for the main theme of the number; this text, the "classic page", is always directly connected with the editorial. The editorial committee ensures only that a correct methodology has been employed by the author of contributions. It does not vet the content of the articles, for which the sole responsibility lies with the authors.

Studi is a series of monographs produced by the Istituto San Tommaso treating Thomistic themes including historical and contemporary hermeneutics of St. Thomas. A recent contribution to his series is the volume Sanctitatis causae – Motivi di santità e cause di canonizzazione di alcuni maestri medievali, eds Margherita Maria Rossi e Teodora Rossi.

Angelicum University Press (AUP) was founded in 2002 to oversee the publication projects of the Angelicum.

The Angelicum sponsors the "Angelicum University Channel," an online video channel that features news coverage of major Angelicum events and initiatives.

The Angelicum Office of Public Relations sponsors the "Angelicum Newsletter Blog" and the "Angelicum Alumni Website".

Notable alumni

The following are some Angelicum notables from the relatively recent past.

Some recent alumni

Martin Grabmann, 1901 Doctorate in Philosophy, 1902 Doctorate of Sacred Theology. Historian of medieval theology and philosophy.

Mariano Cordovani, 1909 Doctorate in Sacred Theology. Philosopher, social and political theorist and Theologian of the Pontifical Household.

Marius J. Zerafa O.P., 1929–2022, Lectorate ad Licentiate in Sacred Theology and a Doctorate in Social Sciences. Art historian, lecturer and instrumental in the successful recovery of Caravaggio's St. Jerome following its theft in 1984 from St. John's Co-Cathedral, Malta.

Marie-Dominique Chenu, 1920 Doctorate in Sacred Theology. Theologian.

Fulton Sheen, Venerable, 1924. Philosopher, theologian, media personality, Roman Catholic Archbishop.

Joseph Clifford Fenton, 1931 Doctorate in Sacred Theology. Theologian.

Tit Liviu Chinezu, 1930 Doctorate in Sacred Theology, Romanian Greek-Catholic priest and bishop, imprisoned by the Romanian Communist regime, died in 1955 due to hypothermia and other untreated illnesses. Beatified by Pope Francis in 2019.

Ioan Suciu, 1931 Doctorate in Sacred Theology, Romanian Greek-Catholic bishop, imprisoned by the Romanian Communist regime, died in 1952 due to untreated illnesses, beatified by Pope Francis in 2019. On the occasion of obtaining his doctorate in theology, the renowned Dominican monk Reginald Garrigou-Lagrange congratulated Ioan Suciu and placed the university ring on his finger, a gesture that was very rare and signified exceptional appreciation. He had a deep friendship with Blessed Tit Liviu Chinezu, lasting until his death.

Józef Maria Bocheński, 1934 Doctorate in Sacred Theology. Historian of logic, neo-scholastic Thomist philosopher and member of the "Cracow Circle".

Dominique Pire, 1936 Doctorate in Sacred Theology. Theologian and Nobel Laureate.

Cornelio Fabro, 1937 Doctorate in Sacred Theology. Philosopher and theologian.

Karol Wojtyła (Pope John Paul II), 1948 Doctorate of Sacred Theology. Philosopher and theologian.

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