Mission, History, and Values
Founded in June 2008, BC’s Clough School of Theology and Ministry is committed to cultivating students’ intellectual, spiritual, and social growth and to helping them transform into leaders who will serve Catholic and Christian communities through careers within the Church and beyond.
Mission Statement
The Boston College Clough School of Theology and Ministry (CSTM) is an international theological center that serves the Church’s mission in the world as part of a Catholic and Jesuit university. CSTM is committed to the Catholic theological tradition, which encompasses academic inquiry, interdisciplinary study, ecumenical dialogue, interreligious encounter, and the engagement of faith and culture.
CSTM prepares its students for leadership in lay and ordained ministries and for service rooted in faith—in increasingly multicultural contexts. Theological research and reflection, spirituality, and pastoral practice are integral to the School’s life and mission.
CSTM offers graduate programs, including civil and ecclesiastical degrees in theology and ministry, that integrate intellectual, spiritual, pastoral, and personal formation. Drawing on the Ignatian tradition and rich diversity of its students, faculty, and staff, CSTM fosters a community that is contemplative, critical, and collaborative. The Clough School reaches out to larger theological and ecclesial communities through scholarly research, timely publications, ministerial practice, and continuing education programs.
CSTM Values
Inspired by the vision and practice of Jesus Christ and grounded in the Ignatian tradition, CSTM will educate a generation of theological and ministerial leaders who embody these values:
Forming Christian leaders for a variety of academic and ecclesial contexts and for faith-based service
Engaging in scholarship, critical thinking, and the practices of prayer and discernment
Forging collaborative communities of learning and worship
Making accessible the richness of the Catholic and Jesuit theological and spiritual traditions
Celebrating inclusivity and respect for difference, and constructive engagement with diversity, including interreligious and ecumenical encounters
Significant Dates in CSTM's History
- 1863
Boston College Founded
Boston College was founded in 1863 by the Society of Jesus (the Jesuits) to educate Boston’s predominantly Irish, Catholic immigrant community. Through the decades, Boston College has become an internationally respected research university and a center of academic excellence.
- 1922
Weston College Founded
Founded in 1922 as a center of philosophy for the New England Province of the Jesuits, Weston College expanded to offer theological studies to men preparing for ordination, and then later to women religious and lay men and women, as the Weston Jesuit School of Theology.
- 1956
New Testament Abstracts First Published
Now entering its seventh decade, NTA, a publication of the CSTM, has become the definitive source on current literature devoted to research of the New Testament and the times in which it was formed, and an invaluable resource for scholars, librarians, clergy, and students around the world.
- 1967
Boston Theological Institute Forms
Weston College joined with five other theological schools in 1967 to form the Boston Theological Institute. The consortium gives students access to the rich diversity of theological academia, including cross-registration opportunities, throughout Boston.
- 1971
IREPM Founded
In the summer of 1971, BC opened the Institute for Religious Education and Pastoral Ministry, which offered hands-on ministerial training to men and women throughout New England and beyond.
- 2003
BC Launches C21 Online
C21 Online was created in 2003 as a way to further increase access to theological continuing education. Today, as CSTM Online: Crossroads, the program reaches over 2,000 online learners each year.
- June 1, 2008
STM Founded
Weston Jesuit School of Theology and the IREPM joined to offer a full array of ministerial and theological courses and degrees.
- September 16, 2015
Simboli Hall Dedication
On September 16, 2015, 9 Lake Street on the Brighton Campus, the home of CSTM, was dedicated in recognition of Gloria M. and Anthony C. Simboli, '50, B.A., M.A. '50.
- 2016
The New Hybrid M.A. Program
Designed for students wishing to continue their current ministries while pursuing a degree, the Hybrid M.A. combines on-campus summer courses and online for-credit courses.
- June 1, 2018
STM Celebrates 10 Years
On June 1, 2018, the Boston College School of Theology and Ministry celebrates its 10th anniversary.
- March 20, 2024
School of Theology and Ministry named for Boston College benefactors Gloria and Chuck Clough
On March 20, 2024 we celebrated the naming of the Gloria L. and Charles I. Clough School of Theology and Ministry in honor of two of the University’s most loyal and generous benefactors.