Jnana-Deepa Vidyapeeth is a Pontifical

Pontifical

Pontifical may refer to the Roman Pontifical, a Roman Catholic liturgical book used by a bishop.When used as an adjective, Pontifical may be used to describe things related to the office of a bishop, such as the following:*Solemn Pontifical Mass...

 Institute for Philosophy and Religions, located at Pune

Pune

Pune , is the eighth largest metropolis in India, the second largest in the state of Maharashtra after Mumbai, and the largest city in the Western Ghats. Once the centre of power of the Maratha Empire, it is situated 560 metres above sea level on the Deccan plateau at the confluence of the Mula ...

, India

India

India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

. It caters predominantly to the philosophical and theological formation of catholic

Roman Catholic Church

The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...

 priests in India with a student population of more than 750 and faculty of 25.

In 70's and 80's it was the driving force for inculturation

Inculturation

Inculturation is a term used in Christianity, especially in the Roman Catholic Church, referring to the adaptation of the way Church teachings are presented to non-Christian cultures, and to the influence of those cultures on the evolution of these teachings....

, inter-religious dialog and liberation theology

Liberation theology

Liberation theology is a Christian movement in political theology which interprets the teachings of Jesus Christ in terms of a liberation from unjust economic, political, or social conditions...

 for the Indian church. Great personalities like Richard De Smet

Richard De Smet

Richard De Smet was a Jesuit Indologist and missionary to India.- Life :Born at Charleroi, Belgium, he came to India as a young student of theology in 1946...

, George Lobo and George-Soares Prabhu have enabled JDV to lead a movement for the Indian Church that takes up the concerns of the poor and marginalised in the Indian society. Sara Grant

Sara Grant

Sara Grant, RSCJ was an Indologist, and, as a missionary and member of the Religious of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, actively engaged in interreligious dialogue in India.- Life :...

 taught philosophy and theology at the institute.

Today it has taken up some some pioneering activities for the Indian Church. For the last ten years, it has been pursuing vigorously dialog between science and religion. A new pastoral management course has been set up to cater to the needs of administrative and service sector. Relevant and contextual studies in sacred scripture has also seen a revival recently. A new Master's Program in contextual spirituality

Spirituality

Spirituality can refer to an ultimate or an alleged immaterial reality; an inner path enabling a person to discover the essence of his/her being; or the “deepest values and meanings by which people live.” Spiritual practices, including meditation, prayer and contemplation, are intended to develop...

 is being offered.

History

JDV was founded in 1883 at Kandy, which was part of British India, to look after the formation of Catholic priests for the whole of India. After India's independence, it was becoming difficult for Indians go to Sri Lanka to pursue their studies. So in 1955, it was shifted to Pune. Ever since, it has been serving the needs of young seminarians in their philosophical and theological search.

Current Position

Today JDV serves as one of the prominent intellectual centres of the Indian Catholic Church. Reflecting seriously on the context and deeply rooted in the Indian Culture, the staff and students of JDV are engaged in making Christian values significant in the Indian context of deep religiosity and inhuman poverty. Through class room teaching, debate and writing, JDV tries to articulate a Christian vision for contemporary India/world. JDV has been leading roles in promoting inculturation since 1970s. It has a Department of Indian Studies that actively strives to contribute the Indian insights to the Christian vision.

Some Eminent Professors

Prof Richard DeSmeth
Prof Jean Marneff
Prof George Lobo
Prof George Soares-Prabhu
Prof John Vattanky
Prof Salvino Azzopardi

External links

• http://www.assr.in Science-Religion Dialog Centre, ASSR
  ASSR
  ASSR may refer to:* Autonomous republics of the Soviet Union* Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic, now Armenia * Auditory steady-state response, a steady-state evoked potential...
  
  , at JDV]