Ecclesiastical Studies
Formation & Studies
Fourteen years of formal study, beginning at the seminary gate in Chennai in 1997 and concluding with the conferral of a doctorate in theology at Bengaluru in 2011 — pursued throughout without ever stepping away from priestly ministry.
Seminary Formation
Sacred Heart Seminary, Chennai
Six years of priestly formation — two in philosophy, four in theology — at the seminary of the Archdiocese of Madras–Mylapore.
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1997 — 1998 · Philosophy
Philosophical Studies
Sacred Heart Seminary, Chennai
The foundational discipline of priestly formation: logic, metaphysics and the history of philosophy, taken up so that the theology which follows can be reasoned as well as believed.
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1998 — 2002 · Theology
Theological Studies
Sacred Heart Seminary, Chennai
Four years of dogmatic, moral, biblical and pastoral theology, concluding in ordination to the sacred priesthood on 6 April 2002 for the Archdiocese of Madras–Mylapore.
“Lead, kindly Light, amid the encircling gloom, lead Thou me on.”St. John Henry Newman
Licentiate
Masters in Theology — Spirituality
Two years after ordination, Fr. Bosco returned to formal study, this time at pontifical level and in the discipline that would occupy the rest of his academic life.
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2004 — 2006
Licentiate in Theology, specialising in Spirituality
St. Peter's Pontifical Institute, Bengaluru
A pontifical licentiate — the degree that qualifies its holder to teach theology in the name of the Church. His specialisation was Christian spirituality, and his dissertation took up the figure who would remain his lifelong subject.
DissertationThe Spirituality of Newman and its Relevance to Contemporary Life
Doctoral Studies
Doctorate in Theology — Spirituality
Five years of doctoral research into the nature of conversion, carried out alongside active priestly ministry and completed in 2011.
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2006 — 2011
Doctorate in Theology, specialising in Spirituality
St. Peter's Pontifical Institute, Bengaluru
Two conversions stand at the head of the Christian tradition — one on the road to Damascus, one in a cottage at Littlemore, eighteen centuries apart. The thesis asks what they hold in common, and what a Church that must still convert hearts today can learn from both.
Doctoral ThesisA Comparative Study of the Seminal Conversion Experience of St. Paul and Cardinal Newman: Its Common Elements and its Relevance for Contemporary Catholic Spirituality
The research was published in expanded form as a book by Christian World Prints, Delhi, in 2021. The book
At a Glance
The academic record
- Philosophy
- 1997 – 1998 · Sacred Heart Seminary, Chennai
- Theology
- 1998 – 2002 · Sacred Heart Seminary, Chennai
- Ordination
- 6 April 2002 · Archdiocese of Madras–Mylapore
- Licentiate
- 2004 – 2006 · Masters in Theology, specialisation in Spirituality · St. Peter's Pontifical Institute, Bengaluru
- Doctorate
- 2006 – 2011 · Doctorate in Theology, specialisation in Spirituality · St. Peter's Pontifical Institute, Bengaluru
- Present post
- Permanent Teacher · Sacred Heart Institute of Theology, affiliated to St. Peter's Pontifical Institute, Bangalore