The Faculty of Theology: A Century of Forming Eastern Clergy (1875-1974)

The Faculty of Religious Studies of USJ traces its origins to the 19th century, starting with “[…] the humble beginnings of the Saint Francis Xavier Seminary in Ghazir on March 19, 1845 […] By October 30, 1875, both the college and seminary had relocated to Beirut. On February 25, 1881, Pope Leo XIII […] “elevated the Beirut Seminary to University status, granting it the authority to confer academic degrees, including PhDs in philosophy and sacred theology” (Ducruet, SJ, and Awit, Henri. “The Faculty of Theology”. In The Saint Joseph University of Beirut and its Institutions… (1875-2002), Beirut: USJ Publications, 2006, p. 27).

The establishment of seminaries aimed at forming clergy for the Lebanese Maronite Order, Melkites, Catholic Syrians, and Catholic Armenians, coupled with directives from the Second Vatican Council, prompted the Society of Jesus to express readiness, in April 1972, to collaborate with local ecclesiastical authorities without asserting control over a unified faculty structure. In 1974, they formally relinquished the title of Pontifical Faculty of Theology, which they had held since 1881. “This marked the end of an era during which the Faculty of Theology at the Saint Joseph University had trained numerous priests, including 70 bishops” (id., p. 29).

From the Faculty of Theology to the Faculty of Religious Studies (FSR)

In 1974, the Society of Jesus formally notified the Ministry of National Education that the “Faculty of Philosophical and Religious Studies retained exclusive authority over degrees conferred by the Faculty of Theology and the Institute of Philosophical Studies with respect to the Lebanese State” (id., p. 29). During its meeting on December 20, 1980, the USJ Board approved the Bylaws of ISSR. The institute was “established to provide academic programs in religious studies to clerics, nuns, and laypersons interested in Church activities” (id., p. 31). That same year, the Department of Islamic-Christian Studies founded in 1977, was established as the Institute of Muslim-Christian Studies (IEIC). It was not until 1999 that Decree 1947 formally authorized the incorporation of these institutions into the Faculty of Religious Studies, leading to the official inauguration of FSR on October 1, 2000.

The Faculty of Religious Studies (FSR) at the Saint Joseph University of Beirut comprises two institutions and a department, each specializing in distinct academic areas: