Reasoning for our hope

Founding documents: 

​Texts and commentary

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Ex Corde Ecclesiae,
Apostolic Constitution of the supreme pontiff john paul II
​on catholic Universities

“Ex corde ecclesiae” means “from the heart of the Church”. The title represents the traditional Catholic perception, and John Paul II’s firm conviction, that an authentic Catholic university can develop properly only in a filial relationship with the Church, accepting her doctrines and values, guided by her Magisterium, and fostering a deeply Catholic understanding of all of reality. As the opening paragraph of the Apostolic Constitution states: “A Catholic University's privileged task is ‘to unite existentially by intellectual effort two orders of reality that too frequently tend to be placed in opposition as though they were antithetical: the search for truth, and the certainty of already knowing the fount of truth’.” The quotation is from an address in 1980 by Pope John Paul II at the Catholic Institute of Paris. - Dr. Jeff Mirus
​

Read the Apostolic Constitution, here

​

Catholic universities in church and society:
a dialogue on Ex corde ecclesiae,
 John P. Langan

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"The Roman Catholic Church's first significant legislative enactment on the nature and role of the Catholic university, the apostolic constitution Ex corde Ecclesiae (1990) grew out of thirty years of dialogue between ecclesiastical authorities and academic representatives. The final document affirms the explicit Catholic identity of Catholic educational institutions and outlines provisions for maintaining that identity; the questions of how to implement its provisions have in turn created the need for more dialogue and examination. In this volume, distinguished scholars and legal experts define the key questions and explore the future implications of Ex corde for American Catholic colleges and universities. 

The assertion of the Catholic identity of Catholic institutions of higher education prompts the contributors to examine the definition of Catholic education as a special synthesis of the religious and the academic, of faith and reason; and to discuss corollary issues such as secularization; the counter-cultural features of Catholic education; and the great diversity of such schools in the United States and of their sponsoring religious orders. The contributors probe the schools' relationships with the Church hierarchy, exploring in particular the role of the bishops, the degree of autonomy from ecclesiastical control, and questions of academic freedom. They also consider specific legal issues that American Catholic colleges must face, including recognition of student groups, tenure and promotion decisions, governance, student and faculty conduct, and the relationship between canon and civil law, including compliance with national and local civil rights provisions. This volume also includes the complete text in English of Ex corde Ecclesiae and the preliminary draft of ordinances from the Ex corde Ecclesiae Implementation Committee of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops.
Appearing at a time when universities must face major issues of their own identity and governance, this volume will be of interest to all faculty and administrators, diocesan authorities and legal counsel, and everyone concerned with the future of Catholic higher education." - John P. Langan 

Langan, John P. Catholic Universities in Church and Society: A Dialogue on Ex Corde          .        . . .                             Ecclesiae. Washington, DC: Georgetown. Press, 1993.

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"Mission Driven and Identity Shaped: Ex Corde Ecclesiae Revisited", Irish Thological Quarterly, Neil Omerod

​"With its 25th anniversary nearing, it is time to reassess the significance of Ex corde ecclesiae. Initial responses focused on questions of the mandatum and academic freedom. These issues have now largely subsided. This article will argue that the broader vision of Ex corde ecclesiae, in terms of identity, mission, and culture, remains relevant and is still a challenge for Catholic universities as they balance competing requirements of government, the market place, and the Church." - ​Author's abstract

Ormerod, Neil. "Mission Driven and Identity Shaped: Ex Corde Ecclesiae Revisited." in Irish Theological
​                  Quarterly
 78.4 (2013).

Read the Article:
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​
WorldCat
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  • The Conversation
    • Challenges of Contemporary Higher Education
    • Founding Documents: Texts and Commentary
    • Sustaining a Catholic Culture
    • The Role of Theology in a Catholic University
    • Catholic Higher Education & The Integration of Knowledge
    • The Catholic University & Christian Hope
  • Newman
  • Chesterton
  • Gilson
  • McLuhan
  • Watson
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