Studying Missiology
You Can Study Missiology
Every year over a dozen new missionaries leave Poland and other missionaries, who have accomplished a certain stage of their missionary work, come back to the country.
Missiology is one of the least known fields of studies in Poland. Many people are surprised that such a field of studies exists at all, the more so as this year falls the fortieth anniversary of missiology studies established in 1969 at the then Academy of Catholic Theology in Warsaw.
Since a long time the chairs of missiology have been functioning in the universities of other countries and they have been engaged in systematic and critical academic reflection on the missionary activity of the Church. Missiology in Poland appeared when first Polish missionaries started going on mission after the World War II and after the Second Vatican Council. The theology of mission changed and the missionaries sent on mission needed a solid missionary preparation. Also, the persons working in widely understood missionary animation were calling for support in this domain.
Specialists for missionary matters
Nowadays several dozen people study the field of missiology at the Faculty of Theology of the CSWU in Warsaw. Most of them are students of five year full time studies for the degree of Master of Arts and there are four year full time or extramural studies for the doctorate degree. The Chair of History of Mission together with the Chair of Theology of Mission prepare specialists in theoretical and practical knowledge of the missionary activity of the Church. The two year studies at the Postgraduate Missionary College also function in the same area of education.
Interests in missionary work and going on mission
Many people in Poland are interested in deepening their knowledge of the missionary activity of the Church and Polish missionaries.They are mainly teachers, catechists, and misssionary animators. The Postgraduate Missionary College meets their requirements and interests in increasing their knowledge of the subject. Every year over a dozen missionaries go on mission and other missionaries, who have accomplished a certain stage of their missionary work, come back to the country. The offer of studies at the Postgraduate Missionary College of the CSWU is also addressed to them. People with personal missionary experience have a chance to critically reflect on their work and the possibility of theoretical estimation of their activity.
Gazeta Finansowa (Financial Paper) p. 21, Biznes Raport : edukacja dla menadżera (Business Report: education for a manager), April 25, 2008, Fr dr Tomasz Szyszka
Information about the author: Fr dr Tomasz Szyszka is an assistant professor at the Chair of History of Mission at the Faculty of Theology of the Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński University in Warsaw
