The Pontifical Oriental Institute (Paurastya Vidyapitham), Vadavathoor, Kottayam, India organizes a Diploma course in Theology to contribute to the biblical, liturgical, theological and catechetical formation. In the United States, the Catechetical Department of St. Thomas Syro-Malabar Catholic Diocese of Chicago coordinates this online program.

ABOUT THE COURSE

To love a person, we need to know well the person we love. This is true of loving our Lord and savior Jesus Christ and His Church. Therefore, just having Jesus is not enough but we need to know who He is and what he means to me and what he is expecting from me and what the scripture really means.

To accept God’s call and recognize one’s purpose in life, the Catechetical Department of the Diocese of Chicago is offering a Theology course, a course offered by Pontifical Oriental Institute, Vadavathoor, Kottayam, Kerala. They have approved our diocesan Catechetical Department as an Off-campus Center to conduct this online theology program in the United States.

This is a golden opportunity for anyone aspiring to become Christian leaders, catechists, evangelists and God’s ministers,

Highlights of this course:

       Fully Accredited by the Pontifical Institute
       Easy to follow and flexible schedule
       Two years to finish the program
       4 semesters, 24 subjects
       One subject per month
       Affordable fees, $50 per semester 
       Notes prepared by the experts
       Can be done from the comfort of your home

INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE PARTICIPANTS

1. Registration

The first step to join this course is to register online, by completing the registration form. After the successful registration, one can login, by clicking on the member login button on the website and using the Username and Password sent to the registered E-mail ID. A lost or forgotten username or password can be retrieved through the Forgot Password button provided in the member login page. Once logged in, one can see his admission card, and use the Edit Profile tab to make any corrections.

2. Payment method.

The course consists of four semesters. Course fees for each semester is $50. Payment may be made online as a one-time full payment of $200 or in 4 installments of $50 or 2 installments of $100 each. The candidate will only have access to the course study materials and the examination portal after the verification of the payment by the Administration Department.

3. Study Material

A total of 7 subjects will be uploaded for each semester and the candidate has the option to select any 6. The candidate can download one subject each per month, however with permission from the course director, the candidate may download more than one subject in a month, with or without writing the concerned exam of the subject for that month. In any case, only after the completion of 6 months from the joining date, the candidate will have access to the next semester. The course material consists of 40 to 60 pages of study material prepared by the concerned resource persons and the candidates are free to contact with the concerned resource person by phone or by Email.

4. Examination

There will be an online written examination at the convenience of the participant on the concerned subject of that month. The candidates are encouraged to attend the examination of that subject in the same month. With genuine reason, the course coordinator may grant exceptions to the candidates. The examination consists of five questions. To appear for the examination, click on the examination button on the control panel and choose the subject. After writing the answers if needed, one can correct his / her answers at the end and click the send button to submit the answer sheet to the concerned professor. Examination time will be one hour and once you open the link of the concerned subject for the examination, it will automatically cut-off after one hour and the answer paper will be mailed to the concerned resource person. After the evaluation the concerned professor will submit the result to the candidate and the course coordinator. Questions will carry 50 marks, and a minimum of 40% of marks is required to pass in any subject.

Grades will be awarded on the following basis :

        Pass 40-49%

        Second class 50-59% 

        First class 60-69%

        High first class 70-79% 

        Distinction 80-100%

5. Certificate

After completing the requirements, acquiring at least the minimum pass mark for each subject, the Pontifical Oriental Institute will issue the Certificate of Diploma in Theology with their grade. Those who have failed to acquire the required pass mark will be issued the course completion certificate from the Pontifical Oriental Institute.