Aquinas Institute of Theology
Encyclopedia
Aquinas Institute of Theology is a Roman Catholic graduate school and seminary
in St. Louis, Missouri. It was founded by the Dominican Order
and sponsored by the Province of St. Albert the Great.
The Institute has also been in a leader in online theological study and currently offers four separate graduate programs in a blended online/intensive format, including a Master of Arts in Health Care Mission (MAHCM), a Master of Arts in Pastoral Studies in the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd (MAPS), the Aquinas@Home Master of Arts in Pastoral Ministry (MAPM) and the country's only Roman Catholic doctoral program in preaching (D.Min.). Excellence in preaching is further promoted through AI’s Summer Preaching Institute.
Graduate Certificate Programs are offered at Aquinas Institute in Biblical Studies, Pastoral Care, Spiritual Direction (offered now also offered in an online format), and in Thomistic Studies.
Aquinas Institute is accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools
and the Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada
.
featuring local theologians discussing relevant topics; a Business Forum for local business leaders to discuss faith-related issues in their professions; and the Apollos Project, a Lilly Endowment
-funded project to identify and train lay ministers in St. Louis area parishes.
, the Dominican Order founded a new House of Studies in River Forest, Illinois
.
1939 - The Master General of the Dominican Order makes the House of Studies/college a Studium Generale
. He also formally established the Central Province of St. Albert the Great, and the school was intended primarily to prepare the province’s members for priesthood. The Studium Generale operated from 1939 to 1951.
1951 - The Studium faculty moved to the campus of the Dominican College of St. Rose of Lima in Dubuque, Iowa
, and experienced a period of rapid change.
1961 - The two Dominican colleges, St. Rose of Lima and the Studium Generale, are incorporated as one, the Aquinas Institute of Philosophy and Theology.
1964 - Aquinas Institute is accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools.
1965 - The Association of Theological Schools of Iowa, the first ecumenical consortia established in the country, is formed.
1967 - The first women students begin their studies.
1968 - Aquinas Institute becomes one of the first five Catholic schools to enter the Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada
and to be accredited by it.
1981 - Aquinas Institute of Theology moved to St. Louis, Missouri
, where it entered into a "Cooperative Project for Theological Education" with Saint Louis University
, on whose campus it resided. During that time the school inaugurated the Great Preacher Award (awarded to an outstanding homilist in the St. Louis area), the Catherine of Siena Excellence in Ministry Award (awarded to a lay person who has contributed through ministerial work) and the annual Aquinas Lecture (given by leading theologians on current topics in theology). The Dubuque campus was sold to Emmaus Bible College.
2005 - The school moved again, this time to a former factory in Midtown St. Louis, built in 1903 to house the Standard Adding Machine Company
, which prospered with the invention of a 10-key adding machine. The renovation of the building is part of a larger urban renovation project which will include residential and commercial space.
On January 1, 2008, Rev. Richard Peddicord, O.P., professor of moral theology, assumed the role of president of the Institute.
Seminary
A seminary, theological college, or divinity school is an institution of secondary or post-secondary education for educating students in theology, generally to prepare them for ordination as clergy or for other ministry...
in St. Louis, Missouri. It was founded by the Dominican Order
Dominican Order
The Order of Preachers , after the 15th century more commonly known as the Dominican Order or Dominicans, is a Catholic religious order founded by Saint Dominic and approved by Pope Honorius III on 22 December 1216 in France...
and sponsored by the Province of St. Albert the Great.
Mission
Impelled by the Catholic faith and in the Dominican spirit, Aquinas Institute educates men and women to preach, to teach, to minister and to lead.Degrees/Programs of Study
The Institute offers a number of graduate degrees in theology and ministry, including a Master of Arts in Theology (M.A.), a Master of Divinity (M.Div.) and a Master of Arts in Pastoral Studies (MAPS).The Institute has also been in a leader in online theological study and currently offers four separate graduate programs in a blended online/intensive format, including a Master of Arts in Health Care Mission (MAHCM), a Master of Arts in Pastoral Studies in the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd (MAPS), the Aquinas@Home Master of Arts in Pastoral Ministry (MAPM) and the country's only Roman Catholic doctoral program in preaching (D.Min.). Excellence in preaching is further promoted through AI’s Summer Preaching Institute.
Graduate Certificate Programs are offered at Aquinas Institute in Biblical Studies, Pastoral Care, Spiritual Direction (offered now also offered in an online format), and in Thomistic Studies.
Aquinas Institute is accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools
North Central Association of Colleges and Schools
The North Central Association of Colleges and Schools , also known as the North Central Association, is a membership organization, consisting of colleges, universities, and schools in 19 U.S. states, that is engaged in educational accreditation...
and the Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada
Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada
The Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada is an organization of seminaries and other graduate schools of theology. ATS has its headquarters in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and has more than 250 member institutions...
.
Community Offerings
In addition to its academic programs Aquinas Institute offers several community programs, including monthly Roundtable lunch and lecture; Theology on TapTheology on Tap
Theology on Tap is a program of lectures sponsored by a number of local Catholic dioceses. The lectures, which are often given by noted spiritual leaders and religious academics, address current topics in religion and theology, and are notable and sometimes controversial for their venue, which is...
featuring local theologians discussing relevant topics; a Business Forum for local business leaders to discuss faith-related issues in their professions; and the Apollos Project, a Lilly Endowment
Lilly Endowment
Lilly Endowment Inc., headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana is one of the world's largest private philanthropic foundations and is among the ten largest such endowments in the United States....
-funded project to identify and train lay ministers in St. Louis area parishes.
History
1925 - Having decided not to expand the House of Studies in Washington, D.C.Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, the Dominican Order founded a new House of Studies in River Forest, Illinois
River Forest, Illinois
River Forest is a suburban village in Cook County, Illinois, United States. Two universities make their home in River Forest, Dominican University and Concordia University Chicago. The village is closely tied to the larger neighboring community of Oak Park, Illinois. There are significant...
.
1939 - The Master General of the Dominican Order makes the House of Studies/college a Studium Generale
Studium Generale
Studium generale is the old customary name for a Medieval university.- Definition :There is no clear official definition of what constituted a Studium generale...
. He also formally established the Central Province of St. Albert the Great, and the school was intended primarily to prepare the province’s members for priesthood. The Studium Generale operated from 1939 to 1951.
1951 - The Studium faculty moved to the campus of the Dominican College of St. Rose of Lima in Dubuque, Iowa
Dubuque, Iowa
Dubuque is a city in and the county seat of Dubuque County, Iowa, United States, located along the Mississippi River. In 2010 its population was 57,637, making it the ninth-largest city in the state and the county's population was 93,653....
, and experienced a period of rapid change.
1961 - The two Dominican colleges, St. Rose of Lima and the Studium Generale, are incorporated as one, the Aquinas Institute of Philosophy and Theology.
1964 - Aquinas Institute is accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools.
1965 - The Association of Theological Schools of Iowa, the first ecumenical consortia established in the country, is formed.
1967 - The first women students begin their studies.
1968 - Aquinas Institute becomes one of the first five Catholic schools to enter the Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada
Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada
The Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada is an organization of seminaries and other graduate schools of theology. ATS has its headquarters in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and has more than 250 member institutions...
and to be accredited by it.
1981 - Aquinas Institute of Theology moved to St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
, where it entered into a "Cooperative Project for Theological Education" with Saint Louis University
Saint Louis University
Saint Louis University is a private, co-educational Jesuit university located in St. Louis, Missouri, United States. Founded in 1818 by the Most Reverend Louis Guillaume Valentin Dubourg SLU is the oldest university west of the Mississippi River. It is one of 28 member institutions of the...
, on whose campus it resided. During that time the school inaugurated the Great Preacher Award (awarded to an outstanding homilist in the St. Louis area), the Catherine of Siena Excellence in Ministry Award (awarded to a lay person who has contributed through ministerial work) and the annual Aquinas Lecture (given by leading theologians on current topics in theology). The Dubuque campus was sold to Emmaus Bible College.
2005 - The school moved again, this time to a former factory in Midtown St. Louis, built in 1903 to house the Standard Adding Machine Company
Standard Adding Machine Company
Standard Adding Machine Company was founded in the early 1900s and was the first company to release a 10-key adding machine. The machine was a breakthrough for its time because it dramatically modernized computing...
, which prospered with the invention of a 10-key adding machine. The renovation of the building is part of a larger urban renovation project which will include residential and commercial space.
On January 1, 2008, Rev. Richard Peddicord, O.P., professor of moral theology, assumed the role of president of the Institute.