Our Mission

The mission of the Pontifical John Paul II Institute for Studies on Marriage and Family is:

1

To provide a comprehensive understanding of human nature, the person, marriage, and family faithful to the Catholic tradition and, reciprocally, to explore the implications of this understanding for reality as a whole—all by means of a multidisciplinary education centered in theology and philosophy, and integrated in light of Karol Woytyła/John Paul II’s theological and philosophical work and his notion of man and woman as an embodied, sexually differentiated communion of persons created in the image of God with a given nature and destined for a state of life;

2

To develop a critical understanding of issues on nature, marriage, family, biotechnology, and ethics in light of Western/modern assumptions regarding the human person, as these bear on the nature and dignity of human life and the transcendental meaning of beauty, truth, and goodness, in a way that fosters a unity of theory and pastoral practice at the service of the Church’s mission of “new evangelization” in a post-Christian culture;

3

To offer civilly accredited graduate degree programs (M.T.S. and Ph.D.) and certificates, as well as accredited pontifical degree programs (S.T.L. and S.T.D.);

4

To prepare graduates (laypersons, priests, and religious) for teaching, research, and pastoral work in academic, seminary, or diocesan and parish contexts; for work in legal, medical, and other professional occupations; and for evangelization of the family as the original cell of society in order to build a truly human culture; and

5

To undertake significant research and publication regarding nature, person, marriage, and family, and the implications of the Church’s teachings on these matters for broader problems in theology, philosophy, and culture.

Further Reading: