The Future Looks Bright for Theological Studies in Canada

With the Memorandum of Agreement to create a federated centre of Catholic excellence in theological studies approved by the governing boards of Regis College and the University of St. Michael’s College, the focus now shifts to the next steps needed to bring plans to life. Learn more about the Regis-St. Mike’s Alliance.

The alliance will create a single combined academic and administrative unit, reflecting both the Jesuit/Ignatian and Basilian charisms. Each institution will continue to have its own board of governors, presidents, and chancellors.

One of the first details to be addressed will be a search for a Dean to oversee the harmonized faculties, notes Regis Dean Susan K. Wood, SCL. A mandate memo makes clear that Wood and St. Michael’s Interim Dean John McLaughlin, who meet regularly with St. Michael’s President David Sylvester and Regis President Thomas Worcester, SJ, have the authority to make decisions in the interim.

Wood says the implementation process will require a great deal of consultation, including with faculty members, and gaining legal opinions to decide how to harmonize the structures and procedures unique to each institution, from budgets and course projections through to sharing faculty resources. Other practical issues include questions of space allotment and how best to merge two library collections.

Many discussions are set to take place over what the joint mission of Regis and St. Michael’s will look like, Wood adds, noting that the recent Chancellor’s Lecture at Regis delivered by Cardinal Michael Czerny, SJ, entitled The Renewal of Theology as Dialogue from Within, offers some conversation starting points.

“We have a long history of cooperation with Regis so it’s not as if we are starting from scratch,” says McLaughlin. “We are building on our existing positions as two strong institutions, each with a lengthy history and a great deal of talent, with a goal of creating something even better.”

Both Deans stress that a harmonized centre will heighten the ability of the Regis-St. Mike’s venture to address critical issues of the day, whether climate change or reconciliation with Indigenous peoples, while continuing to offer the foundational and advanced courses essential to theological study and to prepare women and men for ministry or academic careers.

The new venture will eliminate course duplications, freeing professors to teach new courses, and will provide students with access to more services and the opportunity to be part of a broader community, rich in experience.

“Shared faculty resources will enhance our ability to meet the needs of our students and of the Church,” says Wood. “It is essential to maintain a strong Canadian theological presence to answer the issues that beg for theological response—and that response has a ripple effect throughout the broader Church.”

Responsibility for implementation of the agreement rests with an Oversight Committee, composed of Drs. Sylvester and Worcester, as well as St. Michael’s Collegium Chair Paul Harris and Peter Warrian, who is Chair of the Governing Council at Regis.

The committee aims to have the new structure functioning for the 2022–2023 academic year, although full implementation will take longer.