Catholic Tradition

The Church as Mother and Teacher

The University is part of a tradition that goes all the way back to the 11th century and the Catholic University of Bologna in Italy.  As such, every Catholic University looks to the Church as both Mother and Teacher.

Assumption is consequently heir to a rich and diverse intellectual tradition and an understanding of the relationship between faith and reason that favors the serious pursuit of truth wherever it is to be found.  A Catholic university is founded on the conviction that reason and faith are united, illuminating each other, in the pursuit of the same goal.  Faith and reason co-exist in a creative tension of intellectual inquiry in which each challenges and strengthens the other.  Therefore, faith encourages all questions to be posed, all texts to be read and with reason promotes a vigorous debate to be engaged among all those seeking the truth.  The disciplines of Philosophy and Theology hold special importance in the University’s curriculum.  They are considered integrating disciplines that help unite all academic inquiry, in whatever department, in view of a common search for understanding.

Inspired by the Catholic Tradition

As a Catholic university, Assumption has an obligation to encourage wherever appropriate the study of the best authors, artists and thinkers who have been inspired by the Catholic tradition.  It promotes the free search for the whole truth about nature, the human being, and God.  As a university, it considers it to be an essential dimension of the intellectual life to pursue serious reflection on all important questions and to study all major thinkers that help us to deepen an understanding of these questions.  Consequently, in different ways and in keeping with the gifts of each one, all are able to contribute to the carrying out of Assumption’s mission.

As an intellectual community, the University is dedicated to the search for truth in the context of serious dialogue and debate.  It seeks to foster a way of living and working on campus that is inspired by the Gospel and is faithful to the Christian message as presented by the Church.  It works to support the faith development of its students by offering a vigorous campus ministry program, personal assistance to them in their own human and spiritual growth, and a lively worship program able to address the needs and culture of its students.

A University that Welcomes All

Faithful to the long-standing (since 1865) commitment of the Assumptionists to ecumenism and inter-religious work at the intellectual and pastoral levels, the University welcomes into the community all those who share its goals and want to deepen an understanding of the spiritual and religious dimension of life in today’s world.  In that same spirit, Assumption actively seeks to expand its community both internationally and interculturally.