Pontifical Institute of Mediaeval Studies Hosts Annual Christmas Celebration

On Dec. 3, the Pontifical Institute of Mediaeval Studies hosted its annual Christmas celebration – with guest of honour His Eminence Frank Cardinal Leo in attendance. He serves as Grand Chancellor of the Institute, and also gave the Benediction at the opening of the celebration alongside 80 fellows, supporters, and friends. Among those in attendance were Fr. Augustine Thompson, O.P., the Praeses of the Institute, Dr. David Sylvester, the President of St. Michael’s College, and Mr. John Bennett, the Chair of the Institute Board of Governors. 

The Pontifical Institute of Mediaeval Studies is a post-doctoral research institute at the University of St. Michael’s College in the University of Toronto. It is dedicated to advanced studies in the culture and history of the Middle Ages. The Institute was founded in 1929 through the efforts of Étienne Gilson, the distinguished historian of medieval thought, in particular the theology of St. Thomas Aquinas. Fr. Henry Carr and Fr. Edmund J. McCorkell of the Congregation of St. Basil and St. Michael's College, were the co-founders. The Institute has included in its faculty, among others, the distinguished philosopher, Jacques Maritain, and the later Papal Librarian, Fr. Leonard Eugene Boyle, O.P.

The Institute was granted a pontifical charter in 1939 by Pope Pius XII, by which it was given the power to grant degrees, including the License in Medieval Studies, which is currently offered as a post-doctoral research degree. In that program, four students a year receive Mellon Fellowships to pursue research and writing under the direction of the fellows of the Institute. They are joined by visiting scholars and lecturers from around the world, who, like the post-doctoral fellows, take advantage of the expertise of the 19 fellows and associate fellows of the Institute, and of the Institute Library, which is generally regarded as the finest research depository collection in North America. The Institute is the home of the Pontifical Institute Press, which publishes scholarly books as well as The Journal of Medieval Studies. The Institute also sponsors lectures and conferences featuring the foremost scholars and writers in the field of Medieval Studies.

For more information on the Institute and its programs, please visit https://pims.ca.