The Commission on Accrediting of the Association of Theological School in the United States and Canada reaffirmed the accreditation of Oblate School of Theology for a period of 10 years at its Board of Commissioners meeting in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, June 3-4, 2019. The reaffirmation was effective June 4, 2019 and expires on July 31, 2029. All six of Oblate School of Theology’s graduate degrees were approved including the long-standing Master of Divinity and the new research-based Doctor of Philosophy in Spirituality, one of only two such programs in North America.
The reaffirmation of accreditation followed a comprehensive site visit last March by an evaluation committee and the report of that committee’s findings.
Among Oblate School of Theology’s distinctive strengths noted in the Commission on Accrediting’s letter of June 10 in which it announced the reaffirmation of accreditation are the School’s “commendable clarity of institutional mission and devotion to the Oblate charism.” The letter also mentioned the School’s “coherent educational philosophy embodied in the ministry-based programs through the interplay of academic studies, supervised pastoral practice, and theological reflection, and emerging in the research-based programs.” Further noted was Oblate School of Theology’s “dedication to global, cultural, and ecumenical diversity and inclusion, demonstrated in more than a century of ministry with the Hispanic community, in the more recent Sankofa program, and in the provision of scholarship for students from around the globe.” Lastly, the Commission’s letter mentioned the School’s “entrepreneurial ethos characterized by humility, boldness, and strength that is widely evident and cultivated throughout the faculty and administration.”
Inspired by the charism of its founders, the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate, Oblate School of Theology educates, forms and renews men and women to “preach the Gospel to the most abandoned.” Established in 1903, the School offers masters and doctoral degree programs in Theology and Spirituality, as well as pastoral lay ministry certificate programs.
Submitted by Lea Kochanek, OST VP for Institutional Advancement