Three clergymen and St Mary's University Vice Chancellor standing in front of the alter in the Chapel, two in White Robes, one in a Red Robe and one wearing black garments and a black hat

About Mater Ecclesiae College

Mater Ecclesiae is an ecclesiastical college which can trace its history back to 1614. In 2019, it entered into a collaborative relationship with St Mary’s University. It existed first of all to facilitate the education of seminarians to the priesthood, being founded when the Society of Jesus established a house of studies in Louvain for English Jesuits studying for degrees in theology and philosophy. From 1964 it has been open to students from all walks of life, and Mater Ecclesiae College is proud to continue this tradition and to be able to confer some of the oldest academic degrees in the country. By doing so it is supporting an important aspect of the Catholic Church’s mission.

A group of six people in academic regalia standing in front of a religious altar inside a church. The group includes men and women, with some holding certificates. Behind them is a large mosaicked artwork of Jesus Christ, flanked by various smaller depictions of religious scenes, and a floral arrangement is placed to the left.

These ecclesiastical degrees, awarded under the auspices of the Holy See, are not exclusively for seminarians. Increasingly, lay men and women study for these degrees at every level. By offering these degrees in the UK, Mater Ecclesiae offers a home for the global Catholic community. To enrol for the Baccalaureate in Theology (STB), students who are not seminarians should have completed a certain amount of preparatory philosophical study.

For further information, please contact materecclesiae@stmarys.ac.uk.

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Students of Mater Ecclesiae may receive a civil award, the BA (Hons) in Theological Studies, from St Mary’s, as well as the STB from Mater Ecclesiae.

In addition to the Baccalaureate in Theology, Mater Ecclesiae College will soon award the Licence in Theology (STL), ecclesiastically equivalent to a Master’s degree, and it is hoped that in the near future it will also award other ecclesiastical degrees: the Doctorate in Theology (STD), and the Licence in Canon Law (JCL). Suitable candidates, both laity and clergy, will be very welcome. The possibility of studying for these higher degrees will significantly enrich the intellectual life of the Church in this country, as well as the existing research community in theology at St Mary’s University.

The relationship between Mater Ecclesiae and St Mary’s brings significant benefits for the student experience and also through the breadth of expertise among lecturers on the various programmes. The faculties of Mater Ecclesiae and St Mary’s offer a rich range of talent to serve both lay students and seminarians, and indeed to contribute to the good of both the Church and society at large.