Saint Paul University to offer Master’s and Licentiate in Canon Law in Australia

Ottawa, October 7, 2015 - A world-first partnership between The Broken Bay Institute (BBI) and Saint Paul University (SPU) will allow SPU to offer its Master’s and Licentiate in Canon Law in Australia to students throughout the Asia-Pacific region.

Through the partnership, SPU will deliver a combination of online courses and intensive residential courses at the BBI campus in Sydney. Thus, students from the Asia-Pacific region will no longer have to relocate to Canada to study canon law—a requirement that was a major obstacle for many students who were reluctant to leave their families and jobs behind.

The master’s and licentiate programs in canon law are relevant to members of the clergy, members of religious orders, and lay persons interested in receiving comprehensive training in canon law and learning how best to apply the rules of the Church in a pastoral manner for the common good of the faithful.

Chantal Beauvais, Rector of Saint Paul University, is delighted with this new collaboration: “This partnership highlights the dynamism and effectiveness of distance learning at SPU, and the ingenuity of the Faculty of Canon Law in reaching out to prospective students around the world.”

Bishop Brian Finnigan, Auxiliary Bishop of Brisbane, said, “As Chair of the Bishops’ Commission for Canon Law and the Australian Catholic Council for Canon Law, I heartily support this new venture. Our world and our Church are in constant evolution, and the need for educated and well-formed canonists is clear.”

BBI received a nihil obstat from the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference for the establishment of this prestigious program in Australia.

The Broken Bay Institute is one of the largest Catholic providers of online theological education in the Asia-Pacific region, through its partnerships with various organizations and educational institutions, notably the University of Newcastle (Australia), the University of Tasmania, and the University of Wollongong.