History

Aquinas Institute of Philosophy, belonging to the Vincentain Board of Education of the North Indian Province of the Congregation of the Mission, traces its origin back to 1955, when philosophy was begun to be taught to the Vincentian students at Gopalpur-On-Sea, a beautiful seaside resort facing the Bay of Bengal in Odisha, India. During the initial years, a part of the then Vice Provincial House at St. Vincent’s was used for the classes of the students.

On 19th July 1967, the institute was shifted to the present site and was christened Aquinas Institute of Philosophy. At present, the Institute has its own well furnished building, an updated library of vast collection of books on varied topics, a computer lab with Internet facilities, a spacious auditorium, a beautiful garden, and other such facilities as needed for the overall growth of the students.

Aquinas Institute of Philosophy at Gopalpur-On Sea was meant to cater exclusively to the need of the Indian Province of the Congregation of the Mission.

However, as “Formation of the Clergy” is one of the charisms of the Congregation, Aquinas Institute of Philosophy began to admit diocesan students from the year 1987, upon the request of the Odisha Catholic Bishops’ Conference. From the year 1999, admission was also extended to students from dioceses outside Odisha. And from the year 2004, the Vincentian students of the South Indian Province also avail this facility.

Although Aquinas Institute of Philosophy had all the requirements as prescribed by the Apostolic Constitution Sapientia Christiana and 3 of the Ordinationes of this Dicastery (1979) and the proposed reforms suggested by the Congregation for Catholic Education in the Decree on the Reform of Ecclesiastical Studies of Philosophy (2012- 2013), it was not affiliated to any Ecclesiastical Faculty of Philosophy.

However, as a part of the reformation, Aquinas Institute of Philosophy was separated from Aquinas College and new statues were drawn toward this end.

Now, with the promulgation of the Apostolic Constitution Veritatis Gaudium (2017), it becomes urgent that Aquinas Institute of Philosophy gets affiliated to an Ecclesiastical Faculty of Philosophy under which alone it can confer a valid degree to the students in Baccalaureate of Philosophy. Besides, due to the lack of affiliation to any Ecclesiastical Faculty of Philosophy, the certificate issued by our institute is not accepted by other institutes of higher learning and the students have to spend one more year, in addition to the three years of philosophy already done, studying some complementary subjects to validate the certificate. This really throws the students into a difficult situation.

Therefore, the President of Aquinas Institute of Philosophy, who is also the Provincial Superior of the North Indian Province of the Congregation of the Mission, in a letter dated 07-06-2024, proposed that possibilities be sought to get our Institute affiliated to an Ecclesiastical Faculty of Philosophy.

Accordingly, in a meeting of the Governing Body held on 08-07-2024, it was unanimously decided that the Pontifical Urbaniana University in Rome be requested to affiliate Aquinas Institute of Philosophy with its Faculty of Philosophy and make it an Ecclesiastical Institute of Philosophy.