Curriculum

Classes at the seminary are offered in spirituality, liturgy, history, and traditions of the Maronite Church. Also pertaining to the Maronite Church, are lessons in the liturgical and vernacular languages, Syriac and Arabic. The students take a weekly class in music where they learn the hymns and chants which are used in the Liturgy and other services of the Church. Special classes are given to candidates as they prepare for ordination to Minor and Major Orders of the Priesthood.

Our Lady of Lebanon Maronite Seminary accepts students on both the graduate and the undergraduate levels. Undergraduate students may attend classes at the Catholic University of America and Montgomery College. It is recommended that a seminarian will receive his Bachelor’s degree in the humanities, with a preference given to a major in philosophy. All undergraduates are expected to have a substantial background in philosophy. This should include courses in scholastic metaphysics and the history of ancient, medieval, and modern philosophy.

Graduate students usually attend classes at the various schools of Theology in the Washington area. Maronite seminarians, pursuing a Master’s or Doctoral degree, may attend classes at Catholic University, the Washington Theological Union, or the Dominican House of Studies. The Washington area offers a wealth of research and cultural facilities. In the area of research, there are the Semitics library of Catholic University, the Library of Congress, and the Dumbarton Oaks Library, among others. Culturally, there are the Smithsonian Institution, the National Gallery of Art, the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, to name a few.