Catholic / Orthodox Theology & Studies - Abroad

Hello again,

After Holy Apostles College and Seminary came up again in another thread, I thought I'd put out feelers here to see what opportunities may exist for non-Protestant theological studies abroad. As I believe I've mentioned elsewhere, my curiosity is in Eastern and Oriental Orthodox history, liturgy, theology, etc., but I am also considering more "conservative" or "traditional" Catholic programs of study (like Holy Apostles). Obviously, there are some major differences (Filioque, papacy, etc.), but some Catholic schools may also be more open to a more patristic approach, have a greater interest in liturgy, etc.

I've already looked into Lampeter and Maryvale, but the costs and residencies tend to be prohibitive at this point in my life. So, does anyone know of any other programs abroad? I've seen a number of the other programs available in the States (those mentioned on the USCCB's site) but just wanted to know if anything else is available abroad (eg. the Philippines). Also, if it helps any, I can read and write in German, Spanish, and (possibly) French (if I really put in some effort).

Finally, since it seems to be a common question in religious threads, I thought I would answer this one in advance: I do not have any plans to be ordained but simply have a curiosity to learn more about these Churches and their traditions. Consider it a hobby. Nevertheless, if I am going to put the time and money in, I would like to receive some sort of proper award and not just a pat on the back.

Thank you,

Messdiener

 

Maybe you already know about this:

Catholic Distance University

 

another

Institute for Orthodox Christian Studies, Cambridge

 

2 others

Orthodox Theology

http://www.winchester.ac.uk/studyhere/Pages/MTh%20Orthodox%20Studies.aspx

 

I've been interested in this program but just don't have the time to do it right now:

Ukrainian Catholic University
Master of Ecumenical Studies
Academics and Fees / Home - Ecumenical Studies Distance Learning

As far as I can tell, the university is legit, and the program sounds like it would be fun/interesting. Not sure what kind of practical utility it would have, but it sounds like that's not too important to you. It's offered entirely online/distance and is relatively cheap, especially since it gets cheaper when you do more credits per semester.

 

I've heard of several of the programs here, but it's not bad to have them all in one place. Now, on to a few, specific questions:

@emmzee: Do you know anyone who has given the courses a try? It sounds like they have quite a list of different topics to cover, and 3000USD for the entire degree isn't all that bad. Of course, as you noted, there isn't a lot of practical use for the award, but that doesn't bother me any! Thanks for sharing it! Ukrainian Catholic seems to fall right in the middle of my request for either Orthodox or conservative Catholic. Perhaps, this will be the best of both worlds!

@Kizmet: Thanks for posting both of the links. The Finnish one came up in one of my other Orthodox threads, and I'm still not exactly sure what they are offering (as far as the awards go). Also, can you (or anyone else) confirm that this is a real institution? When I searched around, I had found a University of East Finland (with a campus in Joensuu) but not a University of Joensuu. Is this a real school?

Also, as for the MTh in Orthodox Studies at Winchester, I'd never stumbled on that one yet. It looks like a great find! I'll definitely look into that further.

 

The school emmzee mentioned was discussed before and is real and a great bargain. If you have questions, e-mail them directly. From what I recall of discussions on a board years ago, the program seemed well respected. If you want a degree, it is a good one to go through.

As of the Joensee program, it is also real. I think no one really knew what to make of the specific program. It seems like a diploma of some kind (eg like the first year of a degree program). In any case, the school changed names and I think is now the University of Eastern Finland due to a merger. Again, I would contact them and see if the Orthodox theology program is still available. It looked interesting and was also very affordable

 

Should be Joensuu rather than Joensee. Sorry, my Finnish is rusty. Well actually, it is non existent.

 

Garp, thank you for your helpful feedback.

I'm still curious about all of the mentioned programs (and many of the other I've posted about on DI) and hope to continue learning more. If anyone has any other suggestions, I'm definitely game.

Oh, and I sent an e-mail to someone at the University of Joensuu. We'll see what they have to say.

 

I don't know anyone who has taken courses at the Ukrainian Catholic University, all I know is what I've read on their website. It does sound like a very interesting program. I'm not sure if you noticed this part on the page:

"In addition to the classes, to receive full credit students will make three Ecumenical Visits each semester to a church that is not in their own tradition, and submit reports on their experience to the program coordinator and to their fellow students. Students are also required to submit a short paper at the end of the semester reflecting on their learning experience."

So, for personal interest, it seems right up your alley, and quite cheap. You could always take just 2 courses to try them out, and at most you'd be out around $550.

 

OK... since you're interested in Oriental Orthodoxy... I saw this on one of my Yahoo Groups...

"Mor Adai Study Centre is happy to announce the launching of Christian Studies leading to M.A. Degree from Madras University Distance Education Scheme. The University will provide Study materials. University charges will be approximately Rs.7000/- including study materials. MASC (Yahoo Group) will conduct coaching classes at different places and other supports. There will be 5 papers each year. There will be 1 MASC paper each year on Syriac Literature and Syriac Orthodox Faith and History. All Graduates are eligible. Undergraduates cannot be registered for M.A. degree program but can be admitted as listeners. Medium will be in English. Please be kind enough to contact me at the earliest. Add your Postal Adress and Mobile number in all correspondences."

Please direct all your inquiries to my personal Id.
moolelachen@... (moolelachen @ yahoo. com)

Dr. Kuriakose Corepiscopa Moolayil
Cheeranchira, Changanaserry, Kerala, Pin: 686 106 India
Tel. +91 481 272 4353
Cell: +91 944 620 3002
Director: Theeram, India Center for Social Change Home
Director, Mor Adai Study Centre
Mor Adai Study Center-Home

Note: I looked this program up on the University's website. It is a new program and there isn't much on the website yet... however I did find this...
https://www.ideunom.ac.in/downloads/Prospect_PG.pdf

The program appears to require a Theology or Philosophy undergrad degree... not sure if this is negotiable.

The papers will be written in the following areas:
Paper - I : Christianity : General Introduction and History
Paper - II : The Holy Bible : The Old Testament
Paper - III : The Holy Bible: The New Testament
Paper - IV : The Basic Beliefs and Teachings of Christianity
Paper - V : Christianity in India
Paper - VI : The Person and Message of Jesus
Paper - VII : Christian Spirituality and Religious Practices
Paper - VIII : Leading Christian Thinkers and Movement
Paper - IX : Christian Ethics
Paper - X : Christianity and Contemporary Human Concerns

PS: 7000 Indian Rupees = US$156 = 109 Euros (rounded to nearest whole unit)... as of the time of this posting

 

BruceP,

That is super exciting. Please let me know if you hear any further details. I will try to contact Dr. Kuriakose Corepiscopa Moolayil soon.

Thanks,

Messdiener

P.S. Is Madras University considered to be GAAP (I think that is the term you guys use here)?

 

The University of Madras claims to have been in business for 153 years... brick and mortar... offers an impressive array of residential programs... from what I can see from cruising the website it looks legit...

As far as "GAAP status" goes I must defer to some of the more knowledgeable DegreeInfo residents...

 

A quick update for those who are interested:

Regarding the MA in Christian Studies (University of Madras), I contacted the school and was told that there are a minimum of two required residencies in India, which is an impossibility for me at this time, so I guess that is out.

Also, I was able to talk to the people in Finland about the Orthodox Studies Basic Study and Subject Study diplomas. From what I was told, it seems that these are two distinct courses (my original assumption being that the Subject Study unit was simply a longer form of the basic), which can be taken consecutively towards the first 60 credits of the University of East Finland's (in Joensuu) BTh. It is still not perfectly clear if the entire BTh can be done via correspondence, but the first 60 credits, for sure, can be.

I hope that info helps anyone else out there with the same interests.

 

Interesting, please keep us updated on what you decide, especially if you enter the Ukrainian Catholic University program!

 

Out of curiosity, are there any Catholic programs from South Africa? I've already e-mailed the Eastern Orthodox (Greek Patriarchate of Alexandria) but never heard back. From what I gather, they (the Orthodox) haven't really developed much in SA yet, even as far as B&M schools go.