Loyola Schools of the Ateneo de Manila University
By virtue of a Memorandum of Agreement between LST and the Loyola Schools of the Ateneo de Manila University signed on 25 May 2015, LST, while remaining a federated unit in the University as it had been since 1968, was established as the Theology and Ministry Program (TMP) of the School of Humanities.
As the University’s graduate department of theology and ministry, the TMP offers the following degree programs recognized by the Commission on Higher Education of the Republic of the Philippines: Master of Arts major in Theological Studies, Master of Arts major in Pastoral Ministry with specializations in Spirituality and Retreat-Directing, Family Ministry and Counseling, Pastoral Management and Pastoral Ministry; Doctor of Philosophy in Theology; and Doctor of Ministry with specializations in Religious Education, Pastoral Counseling and Spiritual Care, and Spirituality and Retreat Direction. The Agreement commits LST and the ADMU LS in sharing programs, teachers, resources, facilities, and services insofar as the civil degrees in graduate theology and ministry are concerned. LST continues to grant ecclesiastical degrees, independently of ADMU, by virtue of its status as an Ecclesiastical Faculty of Theology, as erected and declared by the Vatican Congregation for Catholic Education.
East Asian Pastoral Institute (EAPI) of the Jesuit Conference of Asia Pacific
LST with EAPI offers a Master of Arts in Pastoral Ministry and a Licentiate in Spirituality with a field of specialization in Pastoral Leadership & Management. These civil and ecclesiastical degree programs aim to equip Church leaders such as parish priests, formators, religious and lay leaders with the requisite knowledge, skills and practical know-how in Church leadership and management in parish and other ecclesial settings.
Animated by a profound apostolic spirituality, the courses delve into pastoral concerns such as ecclesial leadership spirituality, group leadership skills, developmental planning, financial management, fund raising, and handling conflicts in relationships. A main component of the degree is residential (live-in) program at EAPI, including participation in its community life and modular courses.
Ruben M. Tanseco, SJ Center for Family Ministries Foundation, Inc (RMT-CEFAM)
LST, through the Ruben M. Tanseco, SJ Center for Family Ministries Foundation, Inc, offers a one-year non-degree program for the Professional Diploma in Family Ministries. The diploma program aims to equip priests, ministers, religious brothers and sisters, seminarians, lay-workers and coordinators of family life apostolate for the pastoral care of couples and families. Together with RMT-CEFAM, LST also offers a civil Master’s degree in Pastoral Ministry with field of specialization in Family Ministry and Counseling and a Doctor of Ministry in Pastoral Counseling and Spiritual Care. RMT-CEFAM has pioneered in the psycho-spiritual approach to helping families cope with the challenges of modern life, adjust to change, deal with crises, and thrive so that they become resources for their loved ones, their communities and for the nation.
Loyola School of Theology values every gift. There are several ways that individuals, corporations, and foundations can provide financial support through one-time gifts, matching gifts and pledged gifts.
Center for Ignatian Spirituality Philippines (CIS)
The Guides Formation Institute of CIS seeks to form, train, and network retreat guides and spiritual directors following the tradition guided by the Spiritual Exercises of St Ignatius. The Formation Institute offers modular training courses which help individual obtain a good conceptual map of the dynamics of Ignatian prayer, the Spiritual Exercises and Spiritual Direction as well as good instruction and supervision as they get initiated into the actual practice of the ministry of retreat giving and spiritual direction. CIS modules may be taken by LST students for credit.
Catholic Safeguarding Institute (CSI) of the Emmaus Center for Psycho-Spiritual Formation, Inc.
The Catholic Safeguarding Institute (CSI) of the Emmaus Center for Psycho-Spiritual Formation, Inc. offers Pioneering Programs on the Safeguarding of Minors and Vulnerable Adults in the Catholic Church. The program consists of three (3) modules entitled “An Orientation to Safeguarding”, “Safeguarding Protocols and Guidelines Writeshop”, and “Safeguarding and Formation for Formators”. Emmaus Center is an affiliate of LST, offering the following courses: Fundamentals of Human and Christian Formation, Growing in Religious Vows, Assessment Skills in Formation, Basic Concepts in Psycho-Sexual Formation, and Formative Processing Skills.
Jesuit Communications Philippines (Jescom)
Jescom, the communications arm of the Philippine Province of the Society of Jesus, offers a course on the Ministry of the Word at LST. The seminar-workshop course with practicum endeavors to equip students with necessary skills in effectively carrying out the Ministry of the Word in its various traditional and contemporary forms. The course includes modules on faith and media, public speaking and communication skills, presentation techniques, handling the media, hosting and interviewing skills, the practice and spirituality of preaching, homiletics, story-telling, etc.
Sacred Springs Dialogue Institute of Spirituality and Sustainability
Sacred Springs Dialogue Institute of Spirituality and Sustainability is an institute within the Loyola School of Theology that assists the school in fulfilling its mission of theological reflection and formation, geared towards bringing justice to the poor and healing to sacred earth. Challenged by the growing ecological crisis and impelled by the call of Pope Francis for ecological conversion, Loyola School of Theology is now offering a Certificate Program in Integral Ecology consisting of five (5) three-unit courses. This program addresses the urgent environmental issues and explores alternative perspectives and lines of action. Following the insights of Pope Francis’ Encycical Laudato Si’, it uses the lenses of Biblical Theology, Systematic Theology, Moral Theology and Interreligious Spirituality to reflect on the political, cultural, economic and scientific aspects of the damage we have inflicted on our common home.
Loyola School of Theology values every gift. There are several ways that individuals, corporations, and foundations can provide financial support through one-time gifts, matching gifts and pledged gifts.
St. John Vianney Theological Seminary (SJVTS) Cagayan de Oro City, Philippines
In a decree dated 9 November 2017, the Holy See has approved the affiliation of the Theological Program of St. John Vianney Theological Seminary (SJVTS), Cagayan de Oro City, Philippines with LST. The relationship of affiliation, approved for an experimental period of five years, grants LST the power to confer the academic degree of Baccalaureate in Sacred Theology (STB) on students of SJVTS. SJVTS is a regional theological seminary owned by the Ecclesiastical Province of Cagayan de Oro, consisting of the Archdiocese of Cagayan de Oro and the Dioceses of Butuan, Surigao, Tandag, and Malaybalay (CaBuSTaM).
St. Joseph Jesuit Scholasticate (SJJS) Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
St. Joseph Jesuit Scholasticate in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam celebrated its first Baccalaureate in Sacred Theology (STB) graduation on 28 March 2018 as an affiliate of LST. By virtue of the relationship of affiliation between SJJS and LST, the Congregation for Catholic Education, in a decree dated 23 January 2018, likewise has granted LST as an Ecclesiastical Faculty the power to confer the STB degree to students of SJJS.
The Vatican Congregation for Catholic Education has encouraged other seminaries and theological centers to be affiliated with an Ecclesiastical Faculty. Thus, LST has been active in pursuing this goal with other seminaries in the Philippines and the Asia-Pacific region. Currently under process is the affiliation of the theological center of the Archdiocese of Manila, San Carlos Seminary Graduate School of Theology.
Global Theology Initiative of the 7 English-Speaking Theological Centers of the Society of Jesus
The Global Theology Initiative (GTI) is a networking program of the Seven English-Speaking Theological Centers of the Society of Jesus: Jnana-Deepa Vidyapeeth, Pune, India; Vidyajyoti College of Theology, New Delhi, India; Loyola School of Theology, Quezon City, Philippines; Hekima University College School of Theology, Nairobi, Kenya; Jesuit School of Theology, Santa Clara University, California, USA; School of Theology and Ministry, Boston College, Massachusetts, USA; and Regis College, Toronto School of Theology, Canada. Launched in July 2018 during the Assembly of the International Association of Jesuit Universities at the Universidad de Deusto, Bilbao, Spain, GTI takes its inspiration from the words of Fr. General during his address at the theology faculty in New Delhi in 2017. He encouraged Jesuits “to form an effective network” and “to collaborate in the development of creative thinking that may propel the new age of Humanity towards social justice, dignity and peace”.
The GTI prospectus states that “The mission of the Global Theology Initiative is to deepen collaboration among the seven English-speaking theology centers sponsored by the Society of Jesus. This collaboration will enrich the scholarship and learning taking place at the theology centers and thus help us better serve the Church and God’s people”. The GTI formalizes the cooperation and interaction that have long been in place among some Jesuit theology centers across the world. These institutions are networked through the Jesuit Curia in Rome, particularly through Fr. General’s Counselor for Formation. The Jesuit School of Theology of Santa Clara University serves as the initial animator of the GTI.
In addition to expanding traditional faculty and student exchanges, GTI envisions developing multi-institution scholarly projects, offering courses that enroll students from multiple institutions, and weaving the unique strengths of each theology center with the others into an integrated resource. In the context of the global Church, such collaborations open doors to deeper inter-cultural conversations that help faculty and students put theology in service to the Church and the world by addressing social injustices and dire human needs.
Global Theology Initiative Activities
- Global degrees: jointly offered degree programs on issues with a global impact (e.g. migration, environment, health disparity) with residency at different schools.
- Global courses: courses that take place on two or more campuses at the same time, linked by technology, or courses that take place on one campus, but conclude with an immersion in another campus and culture.
- Short courses for faculty and students that rotate among the schools to consider global issues, such as migration; environmental justice; dialog with Muslim communities; income inequality; Ignatian spirituality; women’s development; globalization; and human health.
- Academic conferences, with rotating host schools for deeper learning and sharing expertise on particular global crises;
- A shared academic electronic journal resulting from the conferences and collaborations;
- Workshops for academic administrators in curriculum development, planning, assessment, and other professional development opportunities;
- Faculty and student exchanges on a semester basis and immersive experiences in another culture;
- Coordinated missioning of Jesuit graduates of one theology center to teach at another center;
- Directing or advising theses and dissertations across schools, according to faculty expertise.
In consultation with their respective administrators and faculty members, participating theologates may enter into bilateral agreements with other theologates either on a regional or intercontinental level.
