Ecclesiastically Approved Doctoral Dissertation
In recent years the Church issued an appeal to theologians to correct what has been referred to as poor catechetical instructions on the Divine Will that were inappropriately associated with the Servant of God Luisa Piccarreta. In 2002 a formal letter was issued by the Archdiocese of Italy, granting Rev. J.L. Iannuzzi permission to write a doctoral dissertation at the Pontifical Gregorian University of Rome.
In 2012 the Pontifical Gregorian University of Rome, authorized by the Holy See, gave its official ecclesiastical approval to Rev. Iannuzzi’s doctoral thesis on Luisa’s doctrines. In 2013 this thesis received the written accolades of over 25 USA Catholic bishops that ensure sound doctrinal content for the Christian faithful. Rev. Iannuzzi’s thoroughly documented and highly researched account of Piccarreta’s life is unparalleled in its scope and depth.
Born in 1865 in Corato, Italy, Luisa Piccarreta began receiving revelations at age 12 and was called by God to become a victim soul. At a very tender age God spoke to her about a gift he wishes to bestow upon the world that will set it free and inaugurate an Era of Peace. God refers to this gift as “Living in the Divine Will”, for it is through an act of God’s will that the mankind will turn back to God’s friendship and live in peace and harmony with the world around him.
This book is divided into 7 chapters. Chapter 1 presents a biography of Luisa’s life. Chapters 2-4 explore the importance of the gift of Living in the Divine Will. Chapters 5-7 compare this gift to the Church’s Eastern and Western theological traditions.
Luisa’s writings consist of more than 8,500 pages. Because few will find the time to read and fully grasp the theological content of so many pages, Rev. Dr. Iannuzzi has condensed all of Luisa’s writings in 400 pages in this doctoral thesis that may be ordered as a hard-back, paper-back and e-book at www.LivingintheDivineWill.com, and online at local retail stores such as Barnes and Noble, Books-a-Million and Amazon.com.
If you are familiar with the extraordinary life of Luisa Piccarreta, then this book will truly bring you deeper into her life and the gift of the Divine Will. If you are not, then you are truly in for a special and extraordinary experience that will change your life. It is a story perhaps unparalleled in the history of mystical theology, written by a scholar whom many consider the Church’s most authoritative person on the subject.
USA Catholic Bishops Endorsements of Doctoral Dissseration
PONTIFICAL GREGORIAN UNIVERSITY
These are just some of the many written endorsements from Catholic Bishops on the first Doctoral Dissertation of Luisa’s Doctrines
“Thank you very much for the beautifully written analysis of the Divine Will Devotion of the Servant of God, Luisa Piccarreta. I am fairly familiar with this devotion, as I have visited the home of Luisa and prayed at her tomb. Please know that after skimming through the book, and now reading it more carefully, I realize this will be of great service to the Church on behalf of this servant of God who has had such incredibly mystical experiences. Thank you very much for taking care of the publicity and publication of this wonderful work. May God bless you and Fr. Iannuzzi in this important endeavor.”
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“I wanted to send this note of thanks for the doctoral dissertation, The Gift of Living in the Divine Will, recently sent to my office. Such scholarly work provides an essential service to the Church and to the New Evangelization. ‘Faith is truly a good for everyone; it is a common good. Its light does not simply brighten the interior of the Church, nor does it serve solely to build an eternal city in the hereafter; it helps us build our societies in such a way that they can journey towards a future of hope’ (Pope Francis, Lumen Fidei) 51.”
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“I would like to express my sincere gratitude for the copy of the book titled, “The Gift of Living In The Divine Will in the Writings of Luisa Piccarreta, an inquiry into the early ecumenical councils, and patristic, scholastic and contemporary theology”. I appreciate it very much and look forward to reviewing it! Be assured of my prayers for MHT and your ministry; I humbly ask that you keep me and the Archdiocese in yours as well.”
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“Warm greetings of Easter and joy. May Jesus, our risen Lord, bless you with all good things, particularly with a peaceful heart… I did look at the thesis and was struck with the splendid work of research and competence in writing, which Fr. Iannuzzi brought to the completion of the book… It is deep and rich writing from a theological perspective…”
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“Thank you for sending me a copy of the doctoral dissertation, “The Gift of Living in the Divine Will in the Writings of Luisa Piccarreta” by Fr. Joseph L. Iannuzzi. I appreciate the work that went into its publication and I am please to receive it. With prayers and best wishes, I remain sincerely yours in Christ…”
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“I recently received a copy of your dissertation, courtesy of the members of the MHT corporation. I look forward to reading it and will certainly share it with my priests. With gratitude…”
Doctoral Dissertation
In 2002 a formal letter was issued by ecclesiastical authorities to the author of this thesis, granting him permission to write this doctoral dissertation at the Pontifical University of Rome. This doctoral dissertation, approved by the Pontifical University of Rome in 2012, authorized by the Holy See in 2013 and having been received by over 500 hundred Catholic bishops, ensures sound doctrinal content for the Christian faithful, which in turn, brings about a greater theological appreciation of Luisa’s spirituality. This dissertation is a systematic theological presentation on devotion to the Divine Will within the framework of Church Tradition and Magisterial teaching.
It is noteworthy that the Italian Archdiocese entrusted with the Servant of God’s cause is in the process of preparing the critical edition of her text. Pending the release of the critical edition, the writings contained in this approved dissertation are referred to as pro-manuscripts.
This dissertation is divided into seven chapters, the first of which examines the Servant of God’s setting in life; chapters 2-4 extrapolate from Luisa’s text the gift of Living in the Divine Will; chapters 5-7 provide an objective inquiry into the Deposit of Faith and compares its unchanging truth to Luisa’s text – the former provides an inquiry into the doctrines of the early ecumenical councils and patristic theology; the latter provides an inquiry into the doctrines of scholastic and ressourcement theology.
SYNOPSIS OF DOCTORAL DISSERTATION
On the left: Picture of St. Hannibal Di Francia
Below: File to the PowerPoint presentation for Father Joseph’s Doctoral presentation.