M.A. in Theology and Ministry (Hybrid)

Hometown
Long Beach, CA

Undergraduate Institution and Major
Loyola Marymount University, Business Marketing

Current Position
Campus Minister for Faith and Justice and Loyola Marymount University

At the CSTM, I have been fortunate to get involved with various aspects of the community. Being a non-denominational Christian it has been great to engage in ecumenical dialogue. In questioning aspects of my peers' beliefs, it encourages them to formulate their own understanding of various practices, as well as allowing me to share about my religious culture and beliefs. Through attending Mass, prayer services, and praise and worship adoration nights, my understanding of the Catholic faith has been enriched, and I have enjoyed adopting specific aspects to my own faith.

Through the integration of theology and ministry, the CSTM provided me a framework and training to effectively minister and best care for those I encounter. Through various internships, campus ministry involvements, and practical learning opportunities, the CSTM prepared me to enter the world of ministry feeling equipped and excited to accompany college students.

Hometown
Cleveland, OH

Undergraduate Institute and Major
The Catholic University of America, Theology and Religious Studies

Current Position
Theology Teacher and Drama Director, St. Ignatius High School in Cleveland, OH

My Experience
My most meaningful class has been Franciscan Spirituality with Sr. Meg Guider. I loved this class because it so excellently combined Church history, spirituality, and ministerial practices. It was one of my first in-person classes at the CSTM, where each student was given the opportunity to be vulnerable, pray together, and learn a lot about a tradition that often goes unnoticed at a Jesuit school!

Why CSTM?
The CSTM has allowed me to pursue a rigorous theological education rooted in the Catholic, Jesuit tradition while actively applying what I learn in the classroom to my ministry. I am so grateful that I could continue my fulltime work in ministry while also deepening my craft with students all over the world.

Hometown
Solon, Iowa

Undergraduate Institution and Major
Loras College, B.S. in Biological Research

Meaningful Course
I really appreciate Sr. Barb Quinn's steady sense of hospitality and inclusivity that she extends to every student. I take Spiritual Formation with her and benefit from her wisdom inside the classroom, but I'm also struck by her example of doing ministry well as she loves the people around her so well.

Why CSTM?
The CSTM's academic environment is one where all of us are genuinely excited to be there, and the result is a vibrant classroom environment where you are learning from a diverse number of perspectives that really value the learning community they are a part of.

Home City and Country
San Dimas, CA

Undergraduate Institute and Major
St. John’s University (MN), Theology

Most Meaningful Relationship
It has been a joy to work alongside the CSTM’s new dean, Mick McCarthy, S.J. As the CSTM Diversity / Equity / Inclusion graduate assistant and student representative to the Committee on Race and Ethnicity (CORE), I have had the opportunity to collaborate with Dean Mick as we reimagine what community can look like at the CSTM. Dean Mick exemplifies the Ignatian phrase “cura personalis” by taking proactive steps to ensure that I am first supported as a person. I can’t even begin to count the many times Dean Mick has counseled me, showed genuine concern for my health and well-being, and supported me in my journey to become my best and most authentic self. I am truly grateful for the relationship we’ve been able to cultivate in such a short time, and I look to my future at the CSTM with excitement of joys yet to come.

My Experience
The CSTM has blessed me with the opportunity to play at weekly liturgical celebrations, prayer services, open mic nights, and praise and worship. There is nothing like cultivating lasting bonds with my peers through this sacred gift. Music has the power to unite all God’s people. Musical harmony has its fair share of consonance and dissonance, and in an era characterized by discord, I believe it doesn’t hurt to lift your voice and share that song God placed on your heart. I hope you’ll join me.

Hometown
Denver, CO

Previous Institutions
Creighton University - B.A. in Theology, with Co-Majors in History, and Justice & Peace Studies / University of Notre Dame - M.Ed. / CSTM - M.A.T.M.

Most Meaningful Experience
My personal spirituality and professional teaching style have always been incarnational and Ignatian, so Dr. Griffith's "Theological Anthropology and the Body" and Dr. Ryliskyte's "Pastoral Care as Theological and Transformative Practice" helped me explore both more intentionally. They helped me recover sacred parts of Scripture and Tradition while applying them to my current ministry and academics. I also developed a directed readings course, "Queering the New Testament," with Dr. McDargh from the BC Theology Department. Through this experience, he and the CSTM empowered me to examine my own spiritual life and my future ministerial and doctoral work.

My Experience
My academics, ministerial work, and relationships all inform, support, and strengthen each other. I learn a concept in class, apply it in my work with BC undergrads, and then get to explore where that integrated theology takes me next. Sometimes, that meant developing unique directed reading courses with generous CSTM professors, while at other times it meant exploring courses and building new relationships throughout the BTI.

Community
My experience of community at CSTM was continually expansive. My friendships with my classmates, colleagues, CSTM faculty and staff launched me into meaningful work in and with the BC undergrad community. These, in turn, helped expand my horizons across the community offered in and through the BTI. I now have friends at Boston University and Harvard Divinity School, and beyond. (Also, my mom loves showing off her new stickers and sweatshirts from each school - makes birthdays and Christmas a cinch!)

Hometown
Fremont, CA

Undergraduate Institutuion and Major
University of San Francisco, Theology and Religious Studies

Current Position
Religious Studies Teacher, St. Francis High School (Mountain View, CA)
 

My Experience
Although my time as a student has mainly been online due to the pandemic, I am grateful for having had one Summer at the CSTM. Dr. Hosffman Ospino's class on Teaching Theology and Religion was a memorable experience. Having taken two of his courses throughout my time at BC, I was excited to be in-person for this class. The experience of being in Dr. Opsino's class felt warm and inviting. Amidst the rigor of the class material, I felt a sense of community, where each student saw each other as colleagues with valuable contributions to our field of study. 

Why CSTM?
The ability to take classes asynchronously, while being a worker in "the vineyard of the Lord" creates new opportunities for me to make immediate connections between classroom content and my ministerial work. What I have loved about the classes at the CSTM is that the pastoral sense of ministry is balanced with a rigorous theological insight, the two things I was looking for when discerning Master programs in Theology.

Hometown
Manila, Philippines, and Jakarta, Indonesia

Undergraduate Institution and Major
Boston College, B.S., Double Major in Management and Theology

CSTM Community
One of the most meaningful experiences that I have had at CSTM is working as a Graduate Assistant for the Admissions Office. In applying to CSTM, I knew that I was interested in the school's many graduate assistantships because I wanted to take advantage of all the learning opportunities possible and gain as many ministerial and professional skills as I could during my time in graduate school. Receiving a graduate assistantship felt like an affirmation that the school recognized and believed in my potential as a future minister, and it has been a joy to be able to work with such a thoughtful, insightful, and caring team to practice ministry through an administrative lens and support prospective students in their discernment from the other side of the application process.

Why CSTM?
CSTM has been the right place for me to study because of its holistic view of theology and ministry and its commitment to forming the whole person, which have left a mark on me academically, spiritually, socially, and professionally. I have grown so much from the intentional application of academics to ministry, investment in cultivating the spiritual and religious life of students (like through our weekly community liturgy), kind and supportive community, and opportunities through the M.A./M.S.W. dual degree program.

Hometown
Co. Tyrone, Ireland

Undergraduate Institution and Major
University of Ulster, Northern Ireland, Hospitality Management

Current Position
Task Group, Irish Synodal Pathway, Youth Coordinator for the Archdiocese of Armagh
Assistant for Formación Continúa Courses

My Experience
The CSTM and the community there has opened doors, created a global network and community that has helped me carve out a pathway that I could never have imagined. Synodality and formation in practice of Synodality is central to my vocation and Ministry.

Why CSTM?
The CSTM has given a world class education and widened my horizons. The community at the CSTM and it’s multicultural community has challenged me to look at who I am and discern how I can serve the Church.

Hometown
Fairhaven, MA

Undergraduate Institution and Major
Providence College, Sociology & Theology

My Experience
My most meaningful experiences at the CSTM has been learning alongside students with a diversity of backgrounds. Most of my classes consist of students from various cultures, occupations, and stages of life, which is incredibly enriching when it comes to conversations regarding how our theology is perceived and lived in different contexts.

Why CSTM?
Not only does the CSTM offer phenomenal classes and a close-knit community, it also offers generous scholarships and work opportunities, which made it possible for me to afford to pursue a degree in theology.

Hometown
Maynard, MA

Undergraduate Institution and Major
Boston College, English and Secondary Education

Current Position
Assistant Director of Boston College's Church in the 21st Century

CSTM Community
I experienced community with my classmates through the CSTM retreats, study sessions, group projects, ice cream outings, and most especially the El Salvador Immersion program.  We were able to not only learn alongside one another, but also celebrate our successes and walk together through our struggles. The CSTM community gave witness to our greater faith community and how we can live alongside one another!

My Experience
Working on my creative thesis on The Spirituality of Children's Literature became an extremely communal experience. My advisors, Colleen Griffith and Tom Groome guided and encouraged my vision, my friends at the CSTM read my work and inspired me to keep going, and my family and now wife were supportive as well. What started as a personal idea became a mission in light of a greater need and showed me how connected we all are with one another.

Why CSTM?
CSTM affirmed my desire to work with students and others, and I was fortunate enough to do the program as a full-time student while having a graduate assistantship. The placement program had me serve with Emmanuel College, which expanded my work with students from a ministry lens. Overall, the program taught me more about my faith, how to walk with others experiencing their faith, and the many ways in which we can serve one another.