The CSTM experience is so much more than education. It emphasizes the formation of students as whole people, helping them grow and flourish throughout the intellectual, spiritual, ministerial, and human dimensions of their lives.
Intellectual inquiry, persistent questioning, the collaborative pursuit of knowledge鈥攖hese values have always been at the heart of Jesuit, Catholic theological traditions. Our approach to intellectual formation prioritizes rigorous scholarship that elevates these values and makes a positive impact on local and global communities.
At CSTM, we believe that theology can never be only an academic study鈥攊t must be a personal, spiritual pursuit that actively envelops one鈥檚 entire being. That鈥檚 why we support students with a variety of opportunities for reflection, prayer, worship, retreats, and spiritual direction. Many of our degree programs include an intentional spiritual formation component, and our students are valued members of faith communities across the Boston area.
How will you serve and lead? Who do you want to become? These questions imbue everything we do, from curricula to student support, immersion experiences abroad, and service opportunities here in Greater Boston. Professors, administrators, and peers alike encourage student to engage outside of the classroom and value the insights they bring back with them.
All across campus and in parishes across Greater Boston, our students are challenged to grow as ministerial leaders and excel through supervised ministry placements. They serve as mentors in a variety of programs and conduct Confirmation, the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults, and faith formation programs. These experiences, in turn, shape classroom conversations and inform the process of vocational discernment.
“The administrators, faculty and staff at CSTM see their day-to-day work as a ministry, a vocation. Our commitment is to provide the best individualized programs so that each student continues to grow in wisdom and grace and to develop as mature, well-rounded ministers for the Church and the world today.”
CSTM House is a lay formation community for students at the Clough School of Theology and Ministry. Its two points of focus are: 1) formation in prayer based on the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius, and 2) formation for ministry in the Church.听The house will accommodate ten to twelve individuals per year in a structure that fosters communal living, prayer, and conversation.听听
CSTM House is open to single (non-married) lay students who are committed to the work of building community, have a sincere desire to deepen in their discipleship of Jesus, and intend to serve the Church in ministry after graduating from the CSTM. It will be open to students enrolledfull-time in any CSTM master's degree program, though the formation process is imagined as being geared especially to M.Div. and M.A.T.M. students.
Members of the community must have a commitmentto formation in prayer based on the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius, though no previous experience of the Spiritual Exercises is required.
An application will open in early spring each year.
Programming will include (subject to change):
In addition, members are expected to join in the rhythm of common life as established by the community by mutual agreement. Common meals are encouraged, and a basic care for the house, common space, and each other is required of all members. Support will be given by the CSTM and other members of the larger community, and a basic structure will be established to facilitate common life. Members of CSTM House, both as a community and as individuals, will also be encouraged to support other programs at the school.
The Newman House Student Community is an informal community of graduate theology students from the CSTM and Boston College Theology Department. Members of the community provide friendship as well as academic and spiritual encouragement to one another. By bringing together graduate students from different fields of theology and from different experiences of the Christian faith or even diverse religious traditions, the Newman House serves as a space for mutual learning which complements the experience of its members at Boston College.
While only open to graduate theology students at Boston College, the Newman House is not formally affiliated with Boston College. An application will open each spring.
As a school of discernment, CSTM prizes the tradition of spiritual direction. Spiritual directors are available to meet with students over the course of their programs. A stipend is allocated to make this possible for every student.
Opportunities for reflection, quiet prayer, and shared experiences on and off campus help deepen students' individual and communal spiritual lives. Financial support for retreats is allocated to all students, and those who are interested will also encounter opportunities to plan and facilitate a retreat themselves.听
The foundational Ignatian value of being "men and women for and with others" informs multiple opportunities for service within and beyond CSTM. Whether students are serving a need at Boston College, participating in a local project, or working with communities in other parts of the world, service is a central aspect of the process of formation here.
At CSTM, liturgical life grounds our community, directing our academic pursuits toward the "greater glory of God." It provides an essential formation experience for future ministers, and it binds us together听in prayer.听
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Reflect, discern, and grow鈥攊n the classroom and beyond.
Develop intellectually, spiritually, and socially while embracing your vocation at CSTM. Learn about our integrated approach to education that cultivates hearts as well as minds.
These semesterly events feature a panel, speaker, and group discussions on a wide range of vital topics: racism, climate change, the role of women in the Church, pastoral presence in the LGBTQ context, and more.
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At CSTM, student support begins on day one. In early September, all new students are invited to gather for a retreat that offers them the opportunity to meet one another, pray together, and reflect on their hopes, fears, goals, and aspirations. Afterwards, we round out the event with dinner and a social at the Jesuit community. It is a great night for all!
Spiritual direction is a central part of discernment for individuals who are seeking ways to partner with God in the work of the gospel.听 Each fall, available spiritual directors gather to introduce themselves to interested students and share their approach to spiritual direction so that students become familiar with the resources available to them.
As a way of consistently engaging the full CSTM community in conversations around racial justice and intercultural formation, we hold a community meeting once per semester. This meeting, during which there are no classes or other meetings scheduled, brings together students, faculty, and staff to reflect on a question or questions related to CSTM's efforts toward better forming a racially just community of faith.
Meet two alumni and hear about what drew them to CSTM.
Whether they are traveling to El Salvador and the U.S.-Mexico border, exploring Greater Boston, or attending exchange programs around the world, CSTM students find many opportunities to bond with the universal Church, become more alive to the world's needs, and serve as women and men for and with others.
