Дистанційна магістерська програма екуменічних наук для англомовних студентів

 Our goal is to give our students a solid ecumenical formation by offering comprehensive courses in reading and writing under the guidance of well-known figures in the world of ecumenism. The program is designed for an independent student who will be motivated to read and think on his own, to communicate with his teachers several times a semester through argumentative writing, and to take advantage of opportunities for discussion with his peers through on-line facilities.

 DLMPES proposes foundational courses in the major Christian traditions, ecumenical theology and ecclesiology, and the history of the ecumenical movement; as well as elective courses on contemporary topics such as ecumenical hagiology, Oriental churches and ecumenism, and Eastern Catholic churches. We also incorporate video conferences into the courses so that students and professors can have closer interactions. In addition, during each of the first three semesters students will visit churches of a different tradition than their own, and report on their experience. Upon completion of 15 courses, students write a thesis on a topic of their choosing.

 The Master’s program is designed to be completed in two years. However, students wishing to study on a part-time basis may take up to six years to finish their degree.

 Those who wish to take only individual classes, for their own education or for credit at another university (contingent upon arrangement of credit transfer with that institution), may do so as well.

 The Master’s program welcomed its first class of students in September 2008.

 

Students about the program

Penny Cavill

I am very much involved in ecumenical work and activities here in South Wales partly through the Catholic charismatic renewal and also through my work as a Street Pastor where I work with Pastors from all the other churches in the town. We are fortunate here to have very good relations and unity between the different churches. I felt that it was particularly important for me to not only be able to worship with other denominations, but also to confidently engage in ecumenical discussion to help further the journey towards a greater visible unity.

This program has enabled me to study my specific area of interest whilst because it is on- line, it has a flexibility that allows me to carry on with my work other activites. I find it such a great opportunity and privilege to be able to study and engage with teachers and students from all over the world from such diverse backgrounds. I thoroughly recommend the course to anyone who is passionate about Christian unity.

Timothy Flanders

I am very pleased with the education and studies of the distance program. It is very convenient and easy to work on studies from home online, and the readings are very good and I learn a lot. I’ve been very passionate about Ecumenism for about six years now because I feel great sorrow in my heart over brothers who hate brothers, and how alienating that is to the rest of the world who does not know Christ. I want to work for Christian reconciliation because I love Christ and the Church, and we have been given the “ministry of reconciliation.”

I do feel very benefited by the program and have learned a lot so far, and I plan to complete the Master’s program and write a thesis.

Dear prospective student,

Welcome to the Master’s Program in Ecumenical Studies. We offer a unique opportunity to study and conduct research with some of the leading specialists in the field of ecumenical theology.

The Institute of Ecumenical Studies was a pioneer in launching this online program. It is not a coincidence that the world’s first distance learning Master’s in ecumenism was founded in Lviv. Ukraine is at the crossroads between East and West, with a long tradition of interconnection and dialogue between Christians belonging to different denominations, and to people of other religions. Catholics of both Latin and Greek rites, Orthodox, Armenians and Protestants have been living together in Lviv for centuries. The city was also home to a significant Jewish community. Martin Buber and Muhammad Asad grew up walking its streets.

Although directed from Lviv, our program is truly international. Our teaching staff come from Ukraine, many European countries and North America. Not only do they teach ecumenism, but they also practice it within their communities. Our students are a very international crowd, coming from various backgrounds. We are one of the most global programs at the Ukrainian Catholic University, an institution respected for the quality of its education, and its engagement in social justice and human rights.

Our program was carefully crafted to be flexible enough to allow people, who are already engaged in academic or other professional activities, to familiarize themselves with the rich traditions of various branches of Christianity. I am confident that you will appreciate the quality of the courses and materials we offer as well as the flexibility of the program. Do join our community, and let us contribute together to dialogue and understanding amongst the followers of Jesus.

Yours,

Dr. Pavlo Smytsnyuk

Director of IES

Courses offered:

FALL SEMESTER

• Survey of the Catholic Tradition Fr. Dr. Roman Fihas (Ukraine)

• Survey of the Protestant Tradition  Dr. Roman Soloviy (Ukraine)

• History of the Ecumenical Movement Taras Kurylets (Ukraine)

• Liturgy and Sacraments Fr. Dr. Daniel Galadza (Canada)

• Oriental Churches and Ecumenical Rapprochement Fr.Dr.Oleh Kindiy (Ukraine)

• Ecumenical Hagiology Deacon Didier Rance (France)

• Bi-Lateral and Multi-lateral Ecumenical Dialogues Dr. Pavlo Smytsnyuk (Ukraine) / Fr.Dr.Oleh Kindiy (Ukraine)
  

• Christian Social Teaching and its Ecumenical Perspective Dr. Zinoviy Svereda (Ukraine)

SPRING SEMESTER

• Survey of the Eastern Christian Tradition Dr. Nicholas Denysenko (USA) / Fr.Dr.Oleh Kindiy (Ukraine)
  

• Christian History – An Ecumenical Perspective Dr. Antoine Arjakovsky (France) / Taras Kurylets (Ukraine)
  

• Ecumenical Social Ethics Fr. Dr. Roman Fihas (Ukraine)

• Opposition to Ecumenism Fr. Dr. Michael Plekon (USA)

• Ecumenical Biblical Hermeneutics Halyna Teslyuk (Ukraine)

• Eastern Catholic Churches and Ecumenism Fr. Dr. Ivan Dacko and Taras Kurylets (Ukraine)

• Methods in Ecumenical Dialogue Fr. Dr. Laurent Cleenewerck (USA)

• Ecumenical Theology Dr. Joshua T. Searle (Great Britain)

 

Spring Semester starts on February 20, 2023

 

Students who already have a relevant education may be not be required to take some of the courses offered in the first semester, upon discussion with the program coordinator and/or the professor of the course.

Please note that a course may not be offered in a particular semester if not enough students register for it.

 

Course Structure and Requirements

All classes have a similar design. The course of reading for each class is structured by the writings of its professor. In some cases, guiding questions accompany the texts. Each class is divided into seven two-weeks sections. At the end of each section, students write a one-page response to a key argument made by the professor, to which the professor then responds with comments. At the end of the semester, students are required to submit a 10-15 page paper for each class, to be evaluated by a teacher at the Institute of Ecumenical Studies, and an abstract of the paper, to be evaluated by the professor. As they progress through each course, students will also engage in discussion with their peers on at least a weekly basis through an online forum and a blog. Students will also have opportunities to communicate with their teachers and peers through web resources.

In addition to the classes, to receive full credit students will make three Ecumenical Visits each semester to a church that is not in their own tradition, and submit reports on their experience to the program coordinator and to their fellow students. Students are also required to submit a short paper at the end of the semester reflecting on their learning experience.

Assistance and guidance are available to students at all times from the program coordinator and staff.

 

Program Tuition:

Full-time (5 courses per semester): $ 1.000 USD

Part-time (3 courses per semester): $ 775 USD

Part-time (2 courses per semester): $ 550 USD

Part-time (1 course per semester): $ 400 USD

Introduction to Ecumenical Christian Ethics (2008-2010)

Reverend Dr. Konrad Raiser, Former secretary general of the WCC (Berlin, Germany)

Reverend Dr. Konrad Raiser studied Protestant theology in Tübingen, Heidelberg and Zürich from 1957-63. In 1965-66, he studied sociology and social psychology at Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts (USA). From 1967-69, he was assistant in Practical Theology at the Protestant Theological Faculty in Tübingen (Germany). He earned a doctorate in theology in 1970 from the same faculty in Tübingen. In 1969, he joined the staff of the World Council of Churches in Geneva (Switzerland), first in the Commission on Faith and Order and then as Deputy General Secretary and Staff Moderator of the Unit on Justice and Service. From October 1983 to February 1993, he was Professor of Systematic Theology/Ecumenics at the Protestant Theological Faculty of the University of the Ruhr in Bochum (Germany).

He assumed leadership of the WCC as General Secretary in January 1993 and retired from this office in December 2003. Since 2004 he lives in retirement in Berlin, Germany. Dr. Raiser is the author of seven books, including Ecumenism in Transition, 1991, To Be the Church, 1997, and For a Culture of Life, 2002.

Survey of the Catholic Tradition (2008-2012)

Dr. Peter De Mey, Catholic University in Leuven (Belgium)

Peter De Mey is full Professor of Roman-Catholic ecclesiology and ecumenism at the Research Unit Systematic Theology, Faculty of Theology and Religious Studies, KU Leuven.

Peter De Mey is the founding chair of the Vatican II Studies group (2012-2016) of the American Academy of Religion. During 2004-2010, he was secretary and then president of Societas Oecumenica, the European Society for Ecumenical Research. He is also a member of the Board of the Ecclesiological Investigations Network and member of the Peter & Paul Seminar, an international network of Roman-Catholic ecclesiologists and canonists. Since 2005 he is a member of the Board of the National Commission for Ecumenism (and its president since 2010) and co-president of the Dialogue Commission with the United Protestant Church in Belgium. In 2010 the Vatican nominated him as a member of the international Catholic-Reformed theological dialogue. He is a member of the Board of Tijdschrift voor Theologie, Collationes and Exchange.

 

Survey of the Protestant Tradition

Dr. Ted Allen Campbell, Southern Methodist University (Dallas, USA)

Associate Professor of Church History,Perkins School of Theology, Southern Methodist University, Dallas, Texas

Trustee, International Foundation for Ewha Woman’s University; president of the Charles Wesley Society (1999-2003); delegate to the Faith and Order Commission of the National Council of Churches in the USA (1992-2002); an ordained elder of the Texas Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church.

Teaching Specialties: Methodist history, doctrine, and polity; History of Christianity; History of Christian doctrine and theology; Ecumenical Christian doctrine.

Christian History – an Ecumenical Perspective

Dr. Antoine Arjakovsky, College des Bernardins (Paris, France)

Dr. Antoine Arjakovsky received a Master’s degree from the Sorbonne and a Doctorate from Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Science Sociales (EHESS) in Paris, France. He is the author of several scholarly books and has written numerous articles on the subjects of theology and ecumenism. He is also a member of various editorial boards.

Dr. Arjakovsky is the recipient of awards from leading European universities for his published works and has been recognized for his administrative endeavors. He is considered one of the leading young Christian theologians in the world.

Dr. Arjakovsky was a founder and Director of the Institute of Ecumenical Studies at the Ukrainian Catholic University in Lviv. Having served for several years as a French diplomat, both in Moscow and in Kyiv, his life is now directed towards ecumenism – healing the divisions in the Church. The journal “Inside the Vatican” selected Prof. Arjakovsky as one of the ‘Top Ten People of 2005’.

Currently Dr. Arjakovsky is a Director of Research at the College des Bernardins in Paris.

Opposition to Ecumenism

Father Michael Plekon, Ph.D., Baruch College (New York, USA)

Father Michael Plekon is a professor in the department of Sociology/Anthropology and the Program in Religion & Culture at Baruch College, one of the undergraduate schools of the City Universit of New York (CUNY). He has taught there since 1977. He has written extensively on Kierkegaard’s theology and social criticism, on the thinkers of the Russian emigration in Paris and their effort to bring the church into conversation with the modern world. He has also translated and edited many of their writings. Among his publications are Living Icons (UND Press, 2002), edited & translated anthologies: Tradition Alive (Rowman & Littlefield, 2003), Discerning the Signs of the Times: The Theological Vision of Elisabeth Behr-Sigel , In the World, Of the Church: A Paul Evdokimov Reader, and Paul Evdokimov’s Ages of the Spiritual Life (all SVS Press, 2001, 2001, 1998). Most recently he edited Nicolas Afanasiev’s The Church of the Holy Spirit, trans. Vitaly Permiakov (UND Press, 2007) and is editing/translating Antoine Arjakovsky’s study of the Paris theologians and Olga Lossky’s biography of Elisabeth Behr-Sigel. He is a priest of the Orthodox Church in America.

 

Bi-Lateral and Multi-Lateral Ecumenical Dialogues (2008-2014)

Rev. Thomas A. Baima, Ph.D., University of St. Mary of the Lakes/Mundelein Seminary (Mundelein, USA)

The Very Rev. Thomas A. Baima is the Vicar for Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs of the Archdiocese of Chicago and Vice Rector for Academic Affairs of the University of Saint Mary of the Lake / Mundelein Seminary, where he is also a full professor of systematic theology. He is the author of The Concordat of Agreement Between the Episcopal Church and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America: Lessons on the Way Toward Full Communion (Edwin Mellen Press, 2003) and co-author of Understanding Four Views on the Lord’s Supper (Zondervan, 2007), and editor of What is a Parish? Canonical, Theological and Pastoral Perspectives (Hillenbrand, 2011) and A Legacy of Catholic-Jewish Dialogue: the Joseph Cardinal Bernardin Jerusalem Lectures (LTP, 2012). Father Baima teaches in the areas of ecclesiology, ecumenism, interreligious dialogue and mission. His research interests are in fundamental theology, interreligious dialogue, organizational studies as they apply to North American religion, theology of religion and contemporary Lutheran ecumenism. Father Baima was President of the Illinois Conference of Churches and the Council of Religious Leaders of Metropolitan Chicago. He was one of the organizers the 1993 Parliament of the World’s Religions. He currently serves the US Bishops’ Committee on Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs as a member of the National Catholic-Muslim Consultation Father Baima was appointed by the Holy See to the Assyrian-Catholic Consultation. He holds a doctorate in theology from the Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas in Rome.

Rev. Heleen Zorgdrager, Ph.D., Kerk in Actie (Utrecht, Netherlands) (2008-2016)

Reverend Dr. Heleen Zorgdrager obtained her Ph.D. (cum laude) in 2003 at the Theological University of Kampen. She works in the Mission Department (Kerk in Actie) of the Protestant Church in the Netherlands as Program Officer for Europe, and is also a Delegated Lecturer at Ukrainian Catholic University (Lviv).She is currently conducting the program “Protestantism and Orthodoxy: meet the Neighbour” in the Mission Department of the PCN.

Dr. Zorgrdager is an ordained pastor in the Protestant Church in the Netherlands. She served as student’s chaplain in Leiden University and as local minister in the Reformed Church in Leersum, and today is involved in coaching and supervising young pastors in the PCN.

Dr. Zorgdrager’s areas of specialization include Protestant systematic theology, ecumenical theology, theology of mission and pastoral theology. She published on Friedrich Schleiermacher, Karl Barth, women’s studies, and ecumenical issues.

Eastern Catholic Churches and Ecumenism

Father Iwan Dacko, Ph.D., Institute of Ecumenical Studies (Lviv, Ukraine)

Father Iwan Dacko received his Doctorate in Theology from the University of Innsbruck (1974). After his ordination to the priesthood in 1971 by Cardinal Joseph Slipyj, Head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church (in exile), he served as secretary to the Cardinal from 1976 to 1984. In 1995 he was ordained a Mitred Protopresbyter by Cardinal Myroslav Lubachivsky, who succeeded Slipyj, and served as Cardinal Lubachivsky’s secretary in 1984-1985.

Father Iwan is an active member of the Joint International Commission for Theological Dialogue between the Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church for many years. He is a president of the Institute of Ecumenical Studies and he organizes number of ecumenical conferences and academic events every year.

Survey of the Eastern Christian Tradition

Elizabeth Theokritof, Ph.D. (USA) (2008-2014)

Elizabeth Theokritoff completed a doctoral thesis in liturgical theology at Oxford under the supervision of Bishop Kallistos Ware; she subsequently served for 7 years as Secretary of the Anglican-Orthodox Fellowship of St Alban and St Sergius in London, during which time when was seconded to the Ecumenical Institute of the WCC (Bossey) as Orthodox tutor for the 1988-89 Graduate School. She is an independent scholar, freelance translator of theological works from modern Greek and occasional lecturer (including at the Institute for Orthodox Christian Studies in Cambridge).

She is co-editor of the Cambridge Companion to Orthodox Christian Theology (Cambridge, 2008), and author of Living in God’s Creation: Orthodox Perspectives on Ecology (St Vladimir’s Seminary Press, 2009), as well as numerous articles.

Liturgy and Sacraments (2008-2020)

Father Thaddée Barnas, Chevetogne Monastery (Chevetogne, Belgium)

Father Thaddée Barnas is a monk of the Benedictine Monastery of Chevetogne, in Belgium. He was born Andrew Joseph Barnas in 1944, and came to Belgium in 1964 to join the Chevetogne Monastery, known for its ecumenical work and its affinity for the Eastern Churches. Father Barnas teaches ecumenics at the Studium Notre-Dame at Namur, Belgium.

He is also chronicler and editorial secretary of the journal Irénikon. He is active in ecumenical commissions on local, national, and European levels.

Ecumenical Theology (2008)

Rev. Dr. Dagmar Heller, Ecumenical Institute at Bossey (Switzerland)

Rev. Dr Dagmar Heller studied Protestant theology at the church faculty of Bethel, and at the universities of Göttingen and Heidelberg from 1980-1985. In 1988/89 she finished her doctoral studies at the university of Heidelberg in the field of church history with a dissertation on “The interpretation of Scripture and spiritual experience in the works of Bernhard of Clairvaux”. In 1990 she was ordained in the Protestant Church of Baden in Germany and served as a pastor in several parishes in the Black Forest area. From 1993-2000 she was an executive secretary for the Commission on Faith and Order of the World Council of Churches in Geneva/Switzerland. From 2001-2007 she was an executive secretary for ecumenical relations and for the relations with Orthodox Churches of the Evangelical Church in Germany. Since April 2007 she is teaching Ecumenical Theology at the Ecumenical Institute Bossey/Switzerland, which belongs to the World Council of Churches and is in association with the University of Geneva and serves at the same time as dean for academic affairs.

History of the Ecumenical Movement (2009-2010)

Dr. Erich Geldbach (Germany)

Erich Geldbach received his doctorate (Dr. theol.) in Protestant Theology from Philipps University in Marburg (1969). He has taught church history and ecumenical studies at his alma mater, was a visiting scholar at Harvard Divinity School, and taught as a visiting professor at Eastern Baptist Seminary in Philadelphia (USA), Whitney College in Melbourne (Australia), and several universities in South Africa. From 1997 to 2004 he was full professor of ecumenical studies at Ruhr University Bochum (Germany). From 1981 to 1997 he was a full-time consultant at the Center for Ecumenical Studies in Bensheim (Germany). Today, Dr. Geldbach is retired, but continues his teaching and research activity in cooperation with several institutions, including the Institute of Ecumenical Studies. He is the author or editor of 17 books and many articles in both German and English on ecumenical issues.

A bibliography of Dr. Geldbach’s writings can be found on pp. 549-560 in a Festschrift in his honor entitled, ” Communion of Churches and Social Responsibility. The Dignity of the Other and the Right to Think Differently” (edited by Lena Lybaek, Konrad Raiser, and Stefanie Schardien; Münster: LIT Verlag 2004).

Ecumenical Hagiology

Deacon Didier Rance (Nancy, France)

Didier Rance was born in 1947. Since 1985 he has been Deacon in both the Latin and the Byzantine rites. He studied History in Sorbonne University (Paris), and holds a Master’s degree in Medieval History. His main area of research has been Byzantine History.

Deacon Rance has spent ten years in Middle East and Africa for Humanitarian work. He worked with ACN (Aid to the Church in Need) and Director ACN-France (1980-2005), and has been a member of the New Martyrs Commission in Rome (1995-2000).

Deacon Rance is the author of about twenty books, mainly on martyrs and persecuted Churches. His current fields of research are: martyrdom, Forgiveness, St. Ephrem and the Syrian Churches, Ecumenism.

Ecumenical Biblical Hermeneutics

Halyna Teslyuk, Ukrainian Catholic University (Lviv, Ukraine)

Assistant Professor, Faculty of Philosophy and Theology at the Ukrainian Catholic University and the Holy Spirit Seminary

S. T.B. Lviv Theological Academy (Lviv, Ukraine),

S.S.L. Pontifical Biblical Institute (Rome, Italy),

PhD candidate, Graduate Theological Union, Berkeley, California.

Courses: Pentateuch and Histories, Wisdom Literature and Psalms, Old Testament Prophets, Prayer in the Bible.

Methods in Ecumenical Dialogue

Father Laurent Cleenewerck, D.Sc.,M.E.S, St Sergius Licentiate (California, USA)

Father Laurent Cleenewerckis a professor of Theology and International Administration for EUCLID (PoleUniversitaireEuclide), one of world’s 5 regional / international institutions of higher learning. He is also serving as extension faculty member at Humboldt State University (Arcata, California) and as academic advisor for the St Gregory Nazianzen Orthodox Institute (Guatemala and Puerto Rico). He is interested in multidisciplinary studies (theology, physics, economics, and international affairs) as well as inter-religious dialogue.

He received his education at the University of Montpellier, Saint SergiusInstituteof Paris, St Tikhon’s Orthodox Theological Seminary of Pennsylvania, Ukrainian Catholic University and Universidad Rural de Guatemala. Among his publications are His Broken Body (EUC Press, 2007), The Eastern / Greek Orthodox Bible – New Testament (2011), and articles published in the Journal of Ecumenical Studies and Journal of Health and Religion. He was ordained in 2004 by the late Archbishop Vsevolod of Scopelos (Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the USA in the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople) and currently serves as Acting Rector of St Innocent’s Orthodox Church of Eureka in the Orthodox Church in America.

Introduction to Ecumenical Christian Ethics (2014-2016)

Dr. Kiyoshi Seko

Reserach Fellow, Shinsei Catholic Centre, Tokyo, Japan

Editor-in-Chief, Asian Christian Review

STD in Ecumenical Theology, STL (Pontifical Univ. of St. Thomas Aquinas, Rome, Italy)

MA in Theology (Dominican School of Philosophy and Theology, Berkeley, USA)

BA (International Christian Univ., Tokyo, Japan)

Survey of the Catholic Tradition (2014-2016)

Rev. Dr. John Berry (Malta)

Lecturer in Roman-Catholic Ecclesiology, Ecumenism and Fundamental Theology at the Faculty of Theology at the University of Malta and the Pastoral Formation Institute in Malta.

He is also a guest lecturer at the Ukrainian Catholic University, in Lviv, where at he teaches courses on “The Return to the Holy Fathers in Roman Catholic Theology”, “Nouvelle Théologie and Twentieth Century Theology” as well as “Introduction to Fundamental Theology”.

In his licentiates and doctoral studies, he has studied the theologies of Hans Urs von Balthasar, Joseph Ratzinger and Yves Congar O.P. under the supervision of Professors John O’Donnell sj and William Henn Ofm Cap.

He is co-Editor of Melita Theologica, the Faculty of Theology’s peer reviewed academic journal; Censor theologus of the Archdiocese of Malta; Member, Interdiocesan Theological Commission of the Archdiocese of Malta; General Secretary, Commission for Interreligious Dialogue of the Archdiocese of Malta; Vice-President, European Society for Catholic Theology, Maltese Branch; Revisor of the new Maltese edition of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, Member of the scientific council of The Person and the Challenges, an academic journal of Theology issued by the Pontifical University of John Paul II in Krakow, Poland and Chairperson, Library Committee, Seminary/Foundation for Theological Studies Library, Rabat, Malta, since 2014.

Berry is a member of Catholic Theological Association of Great Britain, the European Society for Catholic Theology, Società Italiana per la Ricerca Teologica and Societas Oecumenica.

He has just co-edited the proceedings of a European conference on the Family: “Between Two Synods – Journeying Together” and is currently working on the publication of “Religions in Malta: A Practical Handbook for Professionals”.

Ecumenical Theology

Dr Joshua T. Searle, Spurgeon’s College, London

He is a British Baptist who studied History (BA/MA) at Oxford University and Theology (MTh) at the International Baptist Theological Seminary, Prague. He gained a PhD from Trinity College Dublin. Joshua has lived for extended spells in the Czech Republic and Germany. He and his wife have also worked as a missionaries in Donetsk, Ukraine, where Joshua served as Dean for Global Relations at Donetsk Christian University until 2013.

As a committed ecumenist, Joshua is passionate about promoting unity and koinonia between Christians of diverse backgrounds and convictions. The strategic objective of his teaching is to develop creative and culturally sensitive ways of communicating the Good News of Jesus Christ into the public sphere toward the renewal of civil society. He has a wide range of academic interests, including ecumenical theology, Germanic and Slavic languages, critical theory, millennial studies and the social theology of evangelical Christians.

He is author of Scarlet Woman and the Red Hand: Evangelical Apocalyptic Belief in the Northern Ireland Troubles (2014), and Church Without Walls: Baptists after the Ukrainian Revolution (2015); and is co-author (with Dr Mykhailo Cherenkov) of A Future and a Hope: Mission, Theological Education, and the Transformation of Post-Soviet Society, and co-editor (with Prof. K.G.C. Newport) of Beyond the End: The Future of Millennial Studies (2012).

He is committed to the future of a free, open and democratic Ukraine and to the vision of Ukrainian Catholic University to form leaders to serve with professional excellence in Ukraine and internationally – for the glory of God, the common good, and the dignity of the human person.

Survey of the Eastern Christian Tradition

Dr. Deacon Nicholas Denysenko, the Huffington Ecumenical Institute at Loyola Marymount University (USA)

Nicholas Denysenko, Ph.D. is associate professor of Theological Studies and Director of the Huffington Ecumenical Institute at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles. Dr. Denysenko has published extensively on Byzantine liturgical history, sacramental theology, contemporary pastoral theology, and religion in Ukraine. He is the author of two books on the liturgy: The Blessing of Waters and Epiphany (Ashgate, 2012) and Chrismation: A Primer for Catholics (Liturgical Press, 2014).

Dr. Denysenko is currently completing a study of contemporary Orthodox architecture in America, and a monograph devoted to liturgical reform in the Orthodox Church (forthcoming with Fortress Press). The son of immigrants from Ukraine, Denysenko researches the history and theology of the Churches in Ukraine. Dr. Denysenko was ordained a deacon in the Orthodox Church in America in 2003 and is currently assigned to St. Innocent parish in Tarzana, California

Education: – Ph.D., Catholic University of America; – M.Div., St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary; – B.A., University of Minnesota

Introduction to Ecumenical Christian Ethics (2016-)

Fr. Dr. Roman Fihas

Coordinator of the Distance Learning Master’s Program in Ecumenical Studies at the Ukrainian Catholic University (Lviv, Ukraine) since 2008.

STD in Eastern Theology (Pontifical Oriantal Institute, Rome, Italy),

STL in Dogmatic Theology (Pontifical Gregorian Univeristy, Rome, Italy),

MA in Theology (Lviv Seminary of the Holy Spirit, Ukraine),

He is an ordained priest of the Ukrainian Ggreek-Catholic Church and completes his ministry as a chaplain at the Ukrainian Catholic University.

Spring Semester:

 

Christian History – An Ecumenical Perspective

Dr. Antoine Arjakovsky / Taras Kurylets

Among divided Christian traditions, Christian history has often seemed to provide painful memories, justification for mutual enmity, and cause for greater division. This study of history, however challenging at times, has also been considered to be a potential means for greater solidarity among Christians across traditions within contemporary ecumenical dialogue. Christian history is, at a certain point, the shared heritage of all who claim the name ‘Christian.’ Within this course, students will consider this new and fascinating project of reconsidering Christian history within an Ecumenical context, where Christians from across traditions are encouraged to explore the depths of their common heritage as well as to be open considering the possibilities of mutual forgiveness and understanding.

 

Ecumenical Theology

Dr. Joshua Searle

Ecumenical theology focuses on God’s will for unity among Christians. This course encourages students to develop an ecumenical perspective on their theological convictions and Christian worldviews and introduces students to various issues and approaches in the field of ecumenical theology, with a view to helping them elucidate their own approaches to ecumenism. The course begins with an exploration of biblical and theological rationales for ecumenical engagement. There follows a brief survey of the history of ecumenism in its various forms, both nationally and globally. Specific theological issues are then addressed, including the development of ecumenical relationships at the local level, reading the Bible ecumenically, ecumenical thinking on ecclesiology, and the relationship between ecumenism and theologies of mission.

 

Opposition to Ecumenism

Fr. Dr. Michael Plekon

While the ecumenical movement can be regarded as something that has made great strides to bridge the divides that have existed between Christians, it is undeniable that this movement still meets great opposition from many Christians today. This opposition has come from those within the Catholic, Protestant, and Orthodox traditions respectively, and each seem to have their own unique justifications for their unfavorable views of modern ecumenism. In this course, Fr. Michael Plekon, a priest of the Orthodox Church in America and Professor of Sociology at Baruch College in New York City, will give students a general exposure to traditional opposition to Ecumenism within the perspective of the three main traditions of Christianity. Moreover, students will be encouraged to consider the possible justifications for such opposition as well as possible ecumenical answers to this opposition.

 

Methods in Ecumenical Dialogue

Fr. Dr. Laurent Cleenewerck

Ecumenical dialogue requires a methodology to move from disagreement to consensus. The aim of this methodology is to allow participants to avoid the pitfalls of terminological confusion and to understand how to move from initial convergence to practical agreements. Ecumenical methods also include the understanding of ecumenical guidelines and the ‘art’ of drafting joint statements. This is a multi-disciplinary course whose objective is to provide practical and innovative perspectives for all those interested in ecumenical progress, both locally and through formal institutional mechanisms.

 

Ecumenical Biblical Hermeneutics

Halyna Teslyuk

This MA level course will allow students to explore the Eastern Orthodox, Catholic and Protestant understandings, interpretations and uses of Scripture. The course introduces students to several contextual and traditional practices of hermeneutics in biblical studies. They will learn to read the Bible from various perspectives by engaging in a series of exegetical exercises and developing an exegetical study of selected biblical texts. Participants will also have an opportunity to explore the use of the Bible in pastoral setting: namely, how various approaches and readings impact social and ethical life of believing communities.

 

Eastern Catholic Churches and Ecumenism

Fr. Dr. Iwan Dacko & Taras Kurylets

Within the context of Catholic-Orthodox Ecumenical dialogue, the ‘Eastern Catholic Churches’ provide a unique and essential role within this relationship. In this course, students will become acquainted with the unique and turbulent history of the Eastern Catholic Churches through the origination of the “Uniate” concept of the 16-17th centuries; development of the Eastern Catholic ecclesial, theological, and cultural identities amid Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox influences; 20th century totalitarian persecution and suppression; and recent emergence and role within contemporary Ecumenism. Join Fr. Dr. Iwan Dacko, priest of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, president of the Institute of Ecumenical Studies and member of the Joint International Commission for Theological Dialogue between the Catholic and the Orthodox Churches, and Mr. Taras Kureylets, theological doctoral candidate at the Pontificia Università di San Tommaso (Angelicum – Rome), for an engaging look at this history, tradition, and identity of faith.

 

Survey of the Eastern Christian Tradition

Deacon Dr. Nicholas Denysenko / Fr. Dr. Oleh Kindiy

This course will give an overview of the history, theology and spiritual life of Eastern Orthodox Christianity. It will look at some issues of theological controversy between East and West (e.g. Filioque) and some areas of doctrine and practice traditionally distinctive of Eastern Christianity (e.g. theology of the icon), as well as areas of theology and church life that show especial vitality today. Through a variety of readings, including some patristic and liturgical texts, it will try to convey the connections between spiritual life and worship, theology, and the response of the Church to the world.

 

Ecumenical Christian Ethics

Fr. Dr. Roman Fihas

This course offers perspectives into ethical aspects of ecumenical movement as well as ethics as an ecumenical issue.

Christian ethics, as guiding principles of Christian praxis both for individuals andcommunities, have always provided visions and a driving force for ecumenical movement, especially for its social witness and engagement with the world. At the same time, in more recent years, it has become clearer that disagreements over ethical issues, notably those in the areas of sexuality and bio-ethics, could give rise to serious tensions and conflicts between and within different Christian communities. In this course, we will first explore the historical development as well as issues in ecumenical ethics, with particular emphases on social, political and environmental ethics. We will also examine the current state of ethical questions in ecumenical dialogue, differing theological approaches to ethics, and a future prospect on these matters.

Deadlines for Spring 2023 Semester:

 

Spring semester 2023 starts on February 20, 2023

– The Application deadline: February 5, 2023

– The Notification of admission: February 7, 2023

 

To apply, please submit, by e-mailing to iesdistance@gmail.com, the following:

A completed application form, including:

• A statement of purpose
• An essay on one of the topics listed in the application form
• An official transcript from the most recent institution you attended (foto)
• A photograph
• A scanned copy of a government-issued identification document (passport, driver’s license, etc.)

 

Due to the diversity of graduate entrance exams in different countries, as well as the unique character of our program, we do not request scores from any such exams.

Please contact the program coordinator at iesdistance@gmail.com with any questions or concerns regarding the application.

Note: Both students seeking admission to the Master’s Program and those wishing to take individual classes should submit this application. Students wishing to take classes for credit at another institution should submit the application and also contact the program coordinator with the name of their institution, their course of study, the course(s) they wish to take, and any other relevant information.