UoB - Faculty of Theology
STUDENT LIFE
PHOTO GALLERY (Pictures from daily life of the seminary)
I Community life and boarding regulations
One of the main distinctive features of Saint John of Damascus Faculty of Theology is the life in community that students experience throughout the years, and which is as important as their academic studies. Each student participates in the fellowship of all, through daily prayers, fasting, feasts, spiritual retreats, mutual brotherly service and a good relationship with the administration and faculty of the Faculty. The Director of Student Affairs supervises life in community and is the reference in boarding student matters. Student life in the Faculty is constantly evaluated. This evaluation plays a central role in the final assessment of the student's qualifications before graduation.
II Residence
Most students reside on campus, and do not leave except by permission granted by the Director of Student Affairs.
A number of students do not reside on campus. They are part of the Faculty's community; their academic and spiritual responsibilities are the same as those of other students, except for matters related to boarding regulations.
All students participate in the regular meetings which include all members of the Faculty's community.
III Prayers
Daily prayer life refreshes, renews and sustains the academic effort. Commitment to prayers is a basic requirement for enrollment in the Faculty. Students and professors gather daily for morning and evening prayers. Priests alternate in serving the liturgy and other prayers. Students partake frequently in the Holy Communion, read the Scriptures, the Patristic texts and other spiritual books; they are divided into groups that serve the daily prayers alternately and on a weekly basis. The Faculty's choir chants the Sunday Divine Liturgy.
Throughout their prayer life, students get acquainted with liturgical books, are trained in chanting and proper reading and are introduced into the great liturgical tradition of the Church Fathers and inspired poets. All students participate during the first three days of the Great Lent, in a spiritual retreat that combines intensive prayers, spiritual discussions and creative silence. An all-night vigil is held on the eve of the feast of Saint John of Damascus, the Patron Saint of the Faculty. Other vigils may be celebrated during the academic year.
IV Manual Work
Manual work is an expression of commitment to life in community and brotherly service. Students are to engage in different types of manual work:
- Table waiting and dish washing.
- Cleaning the dormitories.
- Laundry.
- Organizing festivities on major occasions.
V Field Work
Field work is a form of putting into practice the theoretical studies in the areas of Pastoral Theology, Homiletics, Sociology of Religion and Church Art. It also aims at developing the students' abilities to collect pastoral data, promoting their leadership capacities, and training them for ministry. Field work is primarily required of students in their third and fourth years. Its duration may even extend to the summer vacation.
VI Conferences
Participation in conferences contributes to the cultural and spiritual development of the student. The Faculty delegates a number of full-time students as its representatives to conferences and seminars, organized at the Orthodox or ecumenical levels. The Faculty promotes relationships with other theological Faculties and seminaries through the Association of Theological Faculties in the Middle East.
VII Activities
In addition to the spiritual retreat at the beginning of the Great Lent, spiritual lectures are given throughout the academic year, according to a program determined in cooperation with a number of spiritual fathers who regularly visit the Faculty. The student is encouraged to establish a close spiritual relationship with the spiritual fathers residing in the Faculty or visiting it, leading to a genuine spiritual discipleship. Students are asked to participate in the liturgical celebrations on major feasts in neighboring monasteries and in all night vigils.
2. Pastoral Activities
A number of pastoral activities are organized and students participate in their planning. These activities are an extension of pastoral studies, and a preparation to their subsequent ministry in the Church in its various aspects (visits to the handicapped, visits to social service institutions, pastoral visits to the outlying areas).
3. Cultural Activities
The Faculty organizes a series of lectures on various areas of human knowledge. From 1983 to 1987 the Faculty organized three book exhibitions. The Faculty looks forward to playing a greater cultural role in the future.
4. Recreational Activities
Recreational activities contribute to the human fulfillment of students. They should take into account the students’ creativity and the resources available at the Faculty. These activities include sports, excursions, chess tournaments, indoor parties, etc.
VIII - The Choir
The choir holds a unique position among the various activities of the Faculty. The
choir serves the Divine Liturgy on Sundays and major feasts in the Balamand Monastery's
church. Other activities include church music concerts, radio programs and production of
tape-recorded musical programs. The choir also has a central role in the program of
pastoral activities, as it is divided into groups that visit different parishes in
coordination with diocesan bishops and parish priests. These activities are intensified
during the Great Lent. The choir is also invited to different liturgical celebrations.