Sacramental Law (J.C.L.)

Program Overview

The Licentiate in Canon Law (J.C.L.) in Sacramental Law prepares canonists for the questions parishes ask most often. May this infant be baptized when the parents no longer practise? Who may serve as a sponsor? May a priest from another diocese hear confessions here? Is this candidate for ordination irregular? Book IV of the Code answers these questions, and a parish that answers them wrongly can leave the faithful uncertain about the sacraments they have received or unable to prove the status those sacraments confer. Students study the sanctifying office of the church through the sacraments of initiation, healing, and service: the minister and subject of baptism, sponsors, and registration; confirmation and the faculty to confirm; the Eucharist, admission to communion, and the obligations of the faithful; penance, the faculty to hear confessions, and the inviolable seal; the anointing of the sick; and orders, with the requirements, irregularities, and impediments for ordination. The distinction between validity and liceity runs through every unit, together with the conditions for sharing the sacraments with other Christians and the law of sacramentals, sacred places, and sacred times. Graduates serve chanceries and parishes as sacramental canonists, prepare formation for clergy and parish staff, and care for the records that prove a person's canonical status. The licentiate thesis resolves a practical sacramental question — the correction of a baptismal register, the scope of a faculty, or admission to the sacraments in a hard case — from the canons, liturgical law, and the responses of the Holy See.

Core Courses

• JCL 701 — General Norms and the Sources of Canon Law (6 credits)
• JCL 712 — Baptism, Confirmation, and Christian Initiation (6 credits)
• JCL 723 — The Eucharist (6 credits)
• JCL 734 — Penance and the Anointing of the Sick (6 credits)
• JCL 745 — Holy Orders (6 credits)
• JCL 760 — Canonical Latin and Legal Method (6 credits)
• JCL 790 — Licentiate Thesis in Sacramental Law (12 credits)

Admission Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in canon law, or a master's degree in theology, ministry, or law with the canonical foundations completed during the program
• Experience in parish, chancery, tribunal, religious institute, or church administration
• Statement of purpose naming the canonical field chosen and the service it will support
• Reading knowledge of Latin, or willingness to develop it during the first year of study
• Current curriculum vitae or ministry profile
• Official transcripts from prior institutions when available
• Letter of support from a bishop, religious superior, or employer when requested