Center for the Study of Consecrated Life

Religious communities are a vital presence in today’s global Church. With new forms of consecrated life also emerging, there is a compelling need for a Center where the theology, spirituality, and history of religious life can be studied, and where collaboration, dialogue, and creativity will yield valuable resources for religious communities worldwide.

The goal of the Center is to dynamically engage in research and dialogue on contemporary issues in consecrated life today. We want to encourage new scholarship across disciplines; provide processes for reflective dialogue and creative imagining; assist in the discovery of new calls to ministry; explore the internationality of consecrated life through courses, symposia, and workshops.

In 1968, the energy and hope engendered by the Second Vatican Council moved three religious communities of men to take a bold leap of faith and form a new kind of theological union for the training of their seminarians. Within just a few years, CTU welcomed women religious, brothers, and lay women and men as students, ushering in exciting opportunities for collaboration, dialogue, and creativity in addressing the needs of an evolving and increasingly diverse Church.

CTU is currently the only “union” model of theological schools in the United States. The school is sponsored by 24 religious communities of men; 40 percent of students are women and men religious. Since the school’s founding, approximately 2,500 religious have graduated from CTU and have gone on to serve in a variety of ministries in 60 countries worldwide.

CTU is blessed by the rich “concert of charisms” that informs the life of the school; its internationally renowned faculty; an established tradition of scholarship and training for ministry; and its diverse, global population. Additionally, CTU benefits from the on-campus presence of the Institute of Religious Formation, the Hesburgh Sabbatical Program, and the National Religious Vocation Conference. Thus, CTU is uniquely positioned to serve as a leader in the ongoing study of consecrated life.

Courses Related to Consecrated Life

D 4018 Wake Up the World: Consecrated Life For Our Time

D 4300/5300 The Vowed Life

DS 4017 Religious Life for the 21st Century: ‘Creating Communities of Hope on a Global Scale’

DS 4010: “Theology and Spirituality of Religious Priesthood”

S4207 Spirituality of Merton

S 4341 Spirituality of Clare

S 4342 Spirituality of Third Order Franciscans

Sr. Chioma is a Sister of the Living Word. She is completing her Doctorate in Ministry degree with a concentration in Spirituality. Her areas of interest are in the intersection of Mental Health, Immigration, Consecrated Life, Issues with Racism, Reconciliation.

In 2022, CSCL received a generous grant from the Hilton Foundation supporting the development of antiracism programming specifically designed for religious communities. Moving Along the Arc (MAA) will begin its work in 2023 with a cohort of religious communities participating in a series of programs designed to raise awareness and renew commitment to actively ending racial inequality.