Back to school, back to school...

The main courtyard at the Angelicum University

A week ago today it started: lectures at the Angelicum University. This is actually one of the most enjoyable parts of being a seminarian. After all when will I have the leisure to study these central mysteries of the faith that I love so much? It is my third year of theology, but my second year at the Angelicum.

The Angelicum -- what I describe as a "happy place." This will most likely be my last year here, since I finish my degree this year, and most likely will be working on my second degree at a different university. That is the usual arrangement for studying in Rome. Most students, seminarians and lay students, earn two degrees. The first is the Sacred Theology Baccalaureate, and is roughly equivalent to a Master of Arts in Theology in the United States. It takes three years to complete.

The student will than pursue a second degree to specialize. There is diversity in this area. Some will complete a proper Masters, which usually takes one additional year. Most will work on a License -- this is usually a two year degree, and sometimes three years depending upon the speciality. Other degrees, like Canon Law are their own breed.

So I will be looking ahead to a specialization next year. The question is: What will it be? Rest assured this has been discussed with the bishop, but nothing is set in stone, and I am not sure how much I am free to discuss. Anyways. I do have my own interests.

The astute reader will notice that I started lectures on Tuesday, but school began last Monday. What's going on? Did I skip the first day? Well - yes, but not exactly. I live in Italy, and I am an American. This logically means that I am an immigrant. This means that I participate in the annual routine of filing papers, visiting the offices of the Italian questera, and than praying that my papers do not get lost (I am not actually joking with that last one). Monday was spent at the immigration office. I have much sympathy for those men and women in our own land, who have to go through the same routine.