Patrimonial Law (J.C.D.)

Program Overview

The Doctor of Canon Law (J.C.D.) in Patrimonial Law takes up Book V of the Code, the law of the church's temporal goods. Church property is held for the support of worship, the decent support of ministers, and works of charity, and canon law treats every administrator as a steward accountable for those ends. Most scandals of church finance are failures of ordinary stewardship law rather than exotic wrongdoing. Students study the capacity of juridic persons to acquire, retain, administer, and alienate goods; the distinction between ordinary and extraordinary administration; the requirements of consent from the finance council, the college of consultors, and where necessary the Apostolic See; the threshold rules and formalities for alienation and for transactions that worsen the patrimonial condition; pious wills and foundations; offerings, stole fees, and taxation; the obligations of the finance officer and finance council; and civil-law structures that hold church assets. The program treats accountability, audit, transparency, and conflict of interest as canonical obligations rather than modern add-ons. Graduates serve as finance officers, chancellors, canonical advisers to bishops and institutes, and auditors of church administration. The dissertation ordinarily examines a stewardship failure or a structural risk — alienation practice, the canonical status of a civil entity, or the governance of a diocesan fund — and proposes reform grounded in Book V.

Core Courses

• JCD 801 — General Norms and the Structure of Church Law (6 credits)
• JCD 812 — Acquisition, Ownership, and Administration of Goods (6 credits)
• JCD 824 — Alienation and Extraordinary Administration (6 credits)
• JCD 836 — Pious Wills, Foundations, and Restricted Gifts (6 credits)
• JCD 848 — Accountability, Audit, and Civil Structures (5 credits)
• JCD 860 — Doctoral Research Design in Canon Law (4 credits)
• JCD 899 — Doctoral Dissertation in Patrimonial Law (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