The Episcopal Theological College of Pécs was founded by bishop Zsigmond Berényi in 1742. Today the college serves the training of both lay students and colleagues for the Catholic Diocese of Pécs. The Episcopal Theological College of Pécs is a Church maintained university college with the same recognition as any other state-maintained universities. We offer BA and MA degree programs in Roman Catholic Theology, Religious Education, Pastoral Assistance and Charity Studies.Our mission embraces both teaching and research. On the one hand, as the only church-maintained higher education institution in South-West Hungary, we train professionals primarily for the institutions of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Pécs – including schools (from pre-primary to secondary level), charity and social institutions (e.g. homes for the elderly, homeless shelter, Caritas), pastoral and cultural institutions –, but also for the Hungarian and the global Church. On the other hand, our college provides academic support for the professional and institutional development of the diocese and contributes to the development of catholic academic thinking.The college stands out in the Hungarian catholic higher education system for its commitment and expertise to train lay people. The Diocese of Pécs has been in a need to involve lay people with greater responsibility in church life, doing so in the spirit of the Second Vatican Council. Our institution is the only one among Catholic theological colleges in Hungary to train almost exclusively lay colleagues for the church. This special position gives our college the chance to work on much broader spectrum and with more creative methods than other theological higher education institutions. Most of our graduates take a position in the diocese at administrative, educational, social or pastoral institutions, and contribute to social and church development as lay colleagues.