The Gregorian University Foundation was established in the United States in 1972 to raise the urgently needed funds for scholarships, academic chairs, libraries and capital improvements for the Pontifical Gregorian University Consortium.
| "In these centers of learning, professors and students gather from all parts of the world to serve the Church through their study and research . . . spreading the light of Christ's truth to every corner of the globe." |
| POPE JOHN PAUL II |
| " . . . the Pontifical Gregorian University, the Vatican's premier training ground for priests and others entering religious life . . . " |
| THE NEW YORK TIMES Click here for excerpt |
The Gregorian University Foundation was established in the United States in 1972 to raise the urgently needed funds for scholarships, academic chairs, libraries and capital improvements for the Pontifical Gregorian University Consortium.
The Pontifical Gregorian University Consortium in Rome is the international citadel of ecumenical scholarship, Biblical research and advanced theological education for the Catholic Church. It has been entrusted to the Society of Jesus by a succession of Popes since the first school of the consortium was founded by St. Ignatius of Loyola.
The consortium consists of three schools serving more than 3,800 students: The Pontifical Gregorian University, The Pontifical Biblical Institute, and The Pontifical Oriental Institute for Eastern Christian Studies. The Pope personally selects the Rectors (presidents) of the University and the two Institutes.
The Pontifical Gregorian University
The first school in the consortium is the only Jesuit university founded by St. Ignatius himself. It began as the "Roman College" in 1551 and is one of the oldest universities in the world. About thirty years after its founding, Pope Gregory gave the College a new building and endowment. It took almost two hundred years, but Pope Gregory's generosity was honored when the College was renamed The Gregorian University, commonly called "The Greg." St. Ignatius envisioned a "university of all nations, for the defense and propagation of the faith and for the training of wise and qualified leaders of the Church and society."
The Pontifical Biblical Institute
Founded by Pope Pius X in 1909, the Institute is devoted to the study of Sacred Scripture. The Institute houses the finest collection of Biblical books in the world. The Jerusalem campus was established in 1976 and is affiliated with the Hebrew University and the Ecole Biblique.
The Pontifical Oriental Institute for Eastern Christian Studies
Established by Pope Benedict XV in 1917, the school is devoted to the study of the theological, spiritual and liturgical patrimony of the Eastern Churches in union with Rome, and to ecumenical dialogue with related churches. The Institute's faculty and students seek to promote understanding between Rome and the Churches of the East through the study of the history, spirituality, theology, liturgy, and canon law of the Orthodox and Eastern Catholic Churches.
As we face the challenges of the 21st Century, extraordinary moral leadership will be needed to address the problems, needs and opportunities of our Church and civil institutions. To prepare these leaders is the mandate of the Consortium. To support these efforts is the challenge of The Gregorian University Foundation. Here are the Foundation's priorities for 2007-2011:
These are the highest priority needs of the Gregorian University Consortium. Financial support for these projects is needed so we can continue Forming Future Leaders for the Church.
Consortium benefactors are able to make tax-exempt contributions through the Gregorian University Foundation. Click here for more information.
Gregorian University Foundation Board of Trustees — Please click here.