The International Monastic Institute of the Faculty of Theology was founded on 21 March 1952 to provide a forum for research into Christian monasticism. It was also intended to give students the opportunity, through courses and seminars, to acquire a fundamental knowledge of monastic theology and history. In 1977, the right to award licentiate and doctorate degrees was conferred on the Institute.

The Institute is at the service of Benedictines, other orders and the universal Church. Many spiritual writers, researchers, teachers, monks and nuns, novice masters, priors and abbots have graduated from the Institute.

Several times in its history, the study programme of the Monastic Institute has been adapted to the needs of the times. At the beginning of 2012, the entire curriculum was subjected to a fundamental revision. This revision should take into account the interests of the universal Church and the Benedictine family in a monastic theology of spirituality.

The result of this revision is a unique academic cycle of studies in ‘the theology of spirituality’ with a monastic and Benedictine profile.

The sapiential orientation of theology

The foundation of Benedictine theology is Sacred Scripture. In the light of the symbolic thought of the Fathers of the Church, this theology is based on a reciprocal interpretation of the Tradition of faith, liturgical and private prayer, forms of community life and daily experience.

The study cycle

It is aimed at all those interested in in-depth studies in the theology of spirituality with a specific Benedictine and monastic profile:

- students who wish to specialise in ‘theology of spirituality’ / ‘spiritual theology’.

- novice masters and juniorate directors, who need comprehensive training for their important duties.

- professors of ‘theology of spirituality’ / ‘spiritual theology’ in universities, theological academies and major seminaries of dioceses and religious orders.

- spiritual directors in retreat centres, theological training centres for adults, etc.

- those responsible for spiritual matters in dioceses, deaneries, parishes and religious communities.

- all those who, for personal reasons, are interested in the themes of ‘spirituality’ and ‘monasticism’.

Online Training Programme

This series of online courses is organised by the Faculty of Theology of the Pontifical University of Sant'Anselmo and the Monastic Institute. The aim is to provide ongoing training in monasteries by offering new programmes each semester.

To accommodate monastery timetables, the courses run over a period of 5 weeks, with 2 hours of teaching per day, combining 5 different courses.

The courses take place online, live, in the afternoon; participants can receive a recording of the course to watch and listen to at a later date.

In addition to the course and reading materials, access to a bibliography of texts is provided to assist participants and enable them to further their studies.

See the dedicated page: https://www.anselmianum.com/it/programmi-di-formazione-online