Letter from the President
Dear Friends,
This November 15, we will be celebrating
our 75th anniversary as a Pontifical
Faculty of Theology! On that day in 1941,
the Holy See granted the faculty of our
House of Studies the authority to confer
ecclesiastical degrees in its name. The
right to confer pontifical degrees is a
great privilege, and only the best Catholic
universities and theology faculties in the
world receive this recognition from the
Holy See. We are honored to be among
this select group!
When we received our pontifical charter
in 1941, our degree program was solely for
the Dominican student brothers who were
being formed for the priesthood here. It
wasn’t until several decades later that we
expanded our mission to a wider audience.
Since the late 1970s, our Pontifical Faculty,
while still primarily providing academic
formation
for
Dominican
student
brothers, has opened its doors to other
religious seminarians, religious sisters,
and qualified lay students. Putting into
practice the vision of Vatican II, we are
using our pontifical charter to form our
friars, other religious, and laity for the
New Evangelization that is so desperately
needed in our time.
But as we celebrate our 75th anniversary,
we are expanding our mission yet again
in a variety of ways! In this issue of Faith
& Reason, you will read about an exciting
new initiative of theological education that
the PFIC is providing at Our Lady of Mercy
Parish in Potomac, Maryland. This is adult
formation taken to a new level—one that
we are uniquely equipped to provide as a
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pontifical faculty. You will also read about
the important media work being done by
the Vice President and Academic Dean, Fr.
Thomas Petri, O.P. He and several other
members of the faculty now are regularly
providing
theological
commentary
on radio, television, and even social
media! Finally, our Thomistic Institute is
sponsoring regular lecture series on the
campuses of several of the top secular
universities in the country. In all these
ways, the PFIC is offering the wisdom of St.
Thomas Aquinas to audiences well beyond
the classroom, and is working to infuse
the culture with a Gospel vision faithful to
the Church’s magisterium.
Seventy-five years ago, the Holy See gave
our faculty its stamp of approval, and has
continued to renew our charter based on
the sustained strength of our program of
studies. You, our donors, show your own
confidence in us through your generous
financial support. Without your help,
we would not be able to carry out the
mission entrusted to us by the Holy See.
You are an important reason why we are
able to celebrate this anniversary—and I
have confidence that with your ongoing
support, we will be able to continue our
mission for decades to come! May God
bless you!
Fr. John Langlois, O.P.
President
Pontifical Faculty of the Immaculate Conception
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10/6/16 11:06 AM