Matrimonial Jurisprudence (J.C.D.)

Program Overview

The Doctor of Canon Law (J.C.D.) in Matrimonial Jurisprudence trains canonists for the work that occupies most tribunals most of the time: deciding whether a marriage was validly contracted. Behind every case file is a person who cannot move forward until the church answers carefully, and the answer must rest on evidence and law rather than sympathy or suspicion. The program covers the canonical doctrine of marriage as covenant and contract, consent and its defects, the capacity required for consent, error, fraud, condition, simulation, and force, along with the impediments and the requirements of canonical form. Students study the grounds most often pleaded, the use of expert psychological testimony, the assessment of witness credibility, and the drafting of a sentence that a higher instance can review. The procedural half of the program works through the ordinary nullity process, the briefer process before the bishop introduced by Mitis Iudex Dominus Iesus, documentary cases, and the guidance of Dignitas Connubii, together with the roles of judge, defender of the bond, promoter of justice, advocate, and notary. Graduates serve as judges, defenders of the bond, advocates, and tribunal directors, and as teachers of matrimonial law. The dissertation addresses a jurisprudential question — the treatment of a ground of nullity, the handling of expert evidence, or the practical working of the briefer process in a particular jurisdiction.

Core Courses

• JCD 801 — General Norms and the Structure of Church Law (6 credits)
• JCD 812 — Canonical Doctrine of Marriage (6 credits)
• JCD 824 — Consent, Capacity, and the Grounds of Nullity (6 credits)
• JCD 836 — The Nullity Processes (6 credits)
• JCD 848 — Proof, Expert Evidence, and Credibility (5 credits)
• JCD 860 — Doctoral Research Design in Canon Law (4 credits)
• JCD 899 — Doctoral Dissertation in Matrimonial Jurisprudence (24 credits)

Admission Requirements

• Master's degree or ecclesiastical licentiate in canon law, theology, ministry, or law
• Experience in tribunal, chancery, diocesan, religious institute, or church governance work
• Statement of purpose describing canonical interests and intended service to the church
• Reading ability in Latin, or willingness to develop it during the program
• Current curriculum vitae or ministry profile
• Official transcripts from prior institutions when available
• Writing sample, canonical opinion, or research paper when requested