Catholic university students studying bible sitting together on bench outside

Understanding the Human Person in Terms of Love

The Institute is devoted to the study of the truth about the human person in all of its dimensions: theological, philosophical, anthropological, and cosmological-scientific. In light of John Paul II’s realization that without love man is incomprehensible to himself (Redemptor Hominis, 10), the Institute centers its study of the person in the original community of human society: marriage and family. Nuptiality opens the person to the truth of love, and from this, unlocks the truth of all reality.

Academics

Why Study at the Pontifical John Paul II Institute?

We are called to be witnesses and educators of authentic Christian life with the ability to engage the questions of the world in view of its divine destiny.

The Institute aims to “restore the conviction that human beings can grasp the truth of things, and in grasping that truth can know their duties to God, to themselves, and their neighbors” (John Paul II, May 30, 1998).
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1. We continue the intellectual legacy of John Paul II.
1. We continue the intellectual legacy of John Paul II.

Pope John Paul II founded the Institute upon the idea that there is a reciprocal in-dwelling between anthropological reflection and reflection on marriage.
“The truth about man is the way to know the truth about marriage; the truth about marriage is the way to know the truth about man. Reflection on marriage is the crossroads where all these issues meet: the truth of love and sexuality, the truth of freedom, the truth of the genealogy of the person, and of human society” (Cardinal Carlo Caffarra, Graduation Address to the Washington Session, May 10, 2016).

2. We study in fidelity to the Church’s tradition.
2. We study in fidelity to the Church’s tradition.

We are committed to the whole of the theological tradition in fidelity to the magisterium, avoiding the fragmentation caused by extreme progressivism or rigid traditionalism. We believe that the aim of a genuine theological education is to receive the tradition in a prayerful receptivity, drawing on what is true, good, and beautiful, while embracing authentic development in the Church. We also engage the works of the Western tradition and of our own age so that we may understand man in his concrete situation and bring the wisdom of the Church’s tradition to the contemporary questions of our culture.

3. Our educational mission is centered on love of the human person.
3. Our educational mission is centered on love of the human person.

In contrast to our culture that tends to minimize education to a mere transfer of data, an authentic pedagogy requires both student and teacher to enter into a community in pursuit of knowledge and wisdom. We strive to offer a theological education that is dedicated, in both content and form, to the truth of the human person, who is made for communion with both God and man.

4. At A Glance
4. At A Glance
1988

The Washington D.C. session was founded as the first international chapter of the Pontifical John Paul II Institute.

9:1

The Institute’s student-faculty ratio allows for one-on-one mentorship and encourages community among students united in a life-giving mission.

85%

A high percentage of our full-time students receive scholarships from the Institute through the generosity of the Knights of Columbus.

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Featured Faculty

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Lesley Rice portrait

Lesley Rice

Assistant Professor of Bioethics
Dr. Rice received her doctorate in theology from the Pontifical John Paul II Institute with a dissertation on contemporary Catholic thought concerning biotechnology and the beginning of life. Her research concerns the history and philosophy of biology, the character of biological knowing, and the cultural and anthropological significance of biotechnologies.
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Nicholas Healy portrait

Nicholas Healy

Associate Professor of Philosophy and Culture
M.T.S. Program Advisor
Dr. Healy teaches and writes in the area of metaphysics, theological anthropology, and sacramental theology. Since 2002 he has served as an editor of the North American edition of Communio: International Catholic Review. He is a founding member of the Academy of Catholic Theology.
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Joseph Atkinson portrait

Joseph C. Atkinson

Associate Professor of Sacred Scripture
S.T.L. and S.T.D. Program Advisor
Registrar
Dr. Atkinson’s work has included foundational research in developing the biblical and theological foundation of the family. He is a primary authority on the concept of the Domestic Church, which explores the ecclesial structure and meaning of the family. He teaches on the biblical structure and meaning of marriage and the family, on the Jewish background of the family, and on the nature and role of covenant.
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Jonathan Bieler portrait

Jonathan Bieler

Assistant Professor of Patrology and Systematic Theology
Dr. Bieler received his doctoral degree in theology at the University of Zürich (2017), with a dissertation in Patristics on the coherence of Maximus the Confessor’s thought, which is published by Brill (2019). He taught in the theological faculty at the University of Zürich and assisted the chair of Patristics with teaching and research. In his work, he strives to combine the usage of historical-critical methods with faithfulness to the Church’s living tradition.
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David S. Crawford portrait

David S. Crawford

Dean
Associate Professor of Moral Theology and Family Law
Dr. Crawford’s teaching spans the areas of moral theology and philosophical ethics, the theological and philosophical anthropology of marriage and family, and legal and political philosophy. His publications address human action, natural law, homosexuality, “gender identity,” and the anthropological implications of modern civil law.
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Peter
Martin
Lauren
Walter
Fr. Steven
Costello, L.C.
Karen
Schultz

Peter Martin

S.T.L. ’10

Director of the Office of Life, Marriage & Family and Communications, Diocese of Winona-Rochester

“Having this great network of friends and colleagues who have also studied at the Institute allows me to find ways to care for the needs of the people in the Diocese in a way that respects the dignity of the person and their vocation to love.”

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Institute Publications

Humanum Review - Issues in family, culture & science

Humanum Review: Issues in Family, Culture, and Science

An online journal, Humanum is about the human: what makes us human, what keeps us human, and what does not. We sift through the competing ideas of our age so that we might “hold fast to what is good.”

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Humanum Academic Press

Humanum Academic Press

HAP offers contemporary scholarship in metaphysics and philosophical and theological anthropology. The focus is on works that deepen the teaching of the Second Vatican Council or develop a theology and an anthropology of love in light of pivotal thinkers, including Wojtyła, Ratzinger, Guardini, and von Balthasar.

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Apply Now

All application materials for the fall semester are due by January 20 for first-round consideration.
After the January deadline, admissions continue on a rolling basis for the spaces that remain available.
You may apply online or download an application and send with supporting documents to the Office of Admissions.
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