When she was an English teacher at Immaculate Heart College back in the '60s, Sister Rita Stuckey remembers sleeping in a classroom along with 11 other members of her Immaculate Heart of Mary congregation so that visiting women religious attending summer courses at the college could have a place to stay on campus.

"We were always trying to serve other religious communities during vacation times by sponsoring excellent speakers from all across the country. It was a part of Immaculate Heart's whole educational program that we wanted to share," said Sister Rita, currently the administrative coordinator of the archdiocese's three-year-old International Institute of Tribunal Studies.

As she prepares to welcome clergy, religious and lay canon law students from around the world who will reside for ten weeks this summer at the Immaculate Heart Retreat House in L.A. through an innovative collaboration between the archdiocese, IITS and The Pontifical University of St. Thomas (Angelicum) in Rome, Sister Rita has a feeling of déjà vu.

"This exciting partnership reminds me very much of the creative programs at IH C," which closed in 1981, said Sister Rita, who holds a doctorate in theology from the Catholic University of America and currently teaches a Thursday evening IITS spirituality course at the Archdiocesan Catholic Center.

As the newly-designated and sole summer campus outside of Rome for the Angelicum's Canon Law Department, the Immaculate Heart Retreat House will be a temporary home to U.S. and international students as they start the first of two summer semesters in L.A. followed by four semesters at the Angelicum in Rome in pursuit of a Licentiate in Canon Law.

This arrangement was spearheaded by Msgr. Charles Chaffman, J.C.D., head of the archdiocesan marriage tribunal, IITS director and a graduate of the Angelicum, who spent a working vacation in Rome for nearly a month early this year finalizing the program.

Instead of having to spend three academic years in Rome for a Licentiate in Canon Law, qualified students accepted into the new L.A.-Angelicum partnership program, will attend two consecutive summer semesters in Los Angeles followed by two years at the Angelicum, greatly reducing overall expenses.

Tuition for this summer, including on-site room and board, is $10,000, an academic financial bargain compared to fees at private universities which can charge a few thousand dollars for one 3-unit course.

Msgr. Chaffman notes IITS has its roots in the Catholic academic tradition of the residential study of canon law and he's grateful for the Immaculate Heart sisters' readiness to share their facilities. "Those long-ago summers became the engine of formation and intellectual pursuits that had an effect throughout the U.S. and especially in this archdiocese," said Msgr. Chaffman. "That same welcoming IHM hospitality remains."

Students will reside in rooms at the retreat center, a hilltop, 1929-era, Italian villa-style mansion in Los Feliz. The surroundings complement the curriculum: The first-semester canon law students will take intensive Latin and Italian, since classes at the Angelicum are taught in Italian.

The L.A.-Angelicum partnership seeks to address the worldwide shortage of canon lawyers licensed to serve as tribunal judges. Cardinal Roger Mahony's recent letter to U.S. bishops announcing the partnership has been positively received and already generated inquiries from prospective students around the country. Because the courses are accredited by the Angelicum, a Pontifical University, there is a good possibility that other local/international colleges and universities will be open to accepting the units.

"This is the second largest city in the nation, so we really need a center for the study of canon law," Sister Rita said, noting that, outside of the Catholic University in Washington, D.C., the only other option for students interested in earning a license in canon law in Northern America is to study at St. Paul University in Canada.

In addition to housing canon law students this summer, the retreat center is planning to host a group of bishops and diocesan officials from Belarus seeking education on how to organize a tribunal with limited financial resources. IITS is also repeating its "Summer with the Benedicts" program at the center this year offering extension courses in scripture, psychology and theology.

Students enrolling in the summer courses may apply to receive credit through the Graduate Theological Foundation towards a bachelor's, master's or doctorate degree. So far, IITS has graduated 20 students, many of them archdiocesan deacons, who have received either a bachelor's, master's or doctoral degree. A total of 65 students are studying at locations that include St. John's Seminary in Camarillo and the ACC in L.A.'s Wilshire district.

"The archdiocese is doing something to further education and is coming up with new, innovative educational programs called for by the 2003 Synod," said Msgr. Chaffman. As the new educational paradigm unfolds, faster and bigger than officials ever imagined, the priest said his secret to success --- besides having Sister Rita as IITS administrative coordinator --- is "allowing God to walk us through this, step by step."

For information on IITS or to receive a brochure listing summer courses, contact Sister Rita at IITS, the Archdiocesan Marriage Tribunal, 3424 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90004; (213) 637-7275.