At the heart of the Church are those who respond to the call to use their gifts at the service of others. Those who study canon law answer that call by helping others to apply Church teaching to the way that they live.  Through study, research, and analysis, canon lawyers help to distill practical ways for Christians to live in light of the Gospel.

The School of Canon Law at The Catholic University of America is the only national, ecclesiastical faculty of canon law.  This means that our faculty members don’t just teach about the Church; they teach in its name. Our students have unparalleled access to pre-eminent scholarship, publications, and research in disciplines from Church History to theology to philosophy. We are proud to educate some of the Church’s leading canon lawyers in the United States and abroad.

At Catholic University, our faculty educate canon lawyers who will advance the cause of the Church, to work for it, and to contribute to its well-being. They prepare men and women – laity, priests, and religious – to join their ranks in serving dioceses, advising bishops, and teaching seminarians. In the words of one of our professors, “Nothing is more pastoral than canon law.”