HISTORY 

INTRODUCTION

On September 30, 1929, the Sacred Congregation of Seminaries and Universities, now known as the Congregation for Catholic Education (for Seminaries and Educational Institutions), established at St. Mary of the Lake Seminary, Mundelein, Illinois, an Ecclesiastical Faculty of Theology authorized to grant ecclesiastical degrees for a period of five years. The Sacred Congregation made this authorization permanent in a decree on September 21, 1934. The Ecclesiastical Faculty of Theology offers programs leading to the Baccalaureate (S.T.B.), the Licentiate (S.T.L.), and the Doctorate (S.T.D.) of Sacred Theology.  Since 1930 the Ecclesiastical Faculty of Theology at the University of St. Mary of the Lake has conferred thirty-eight doctorates (S.T.D.), more than five hundred licentiates of sacred theology (S.T.L.), and over eight hundred baccalaureates of sacred theology (S.T.B.).

Location and governance

The Ecclesiastical Faculty of Theology is located in Mundelein, Illinois, about forty miles northwest of Chicago. The Ecclesiastical Faculty functions as part of the University of St. Mary of the Lake. The University also includes the Graduate School of Theology (Mundelein Seminary), the Diaconate Formation Program, the Lay Ministry Program, the Instituto de Liderazgo Pastoral, the Liturgical Institute, and the Institute for Priestly Formation. The Graduate School of Theology offers programs leading to the M. Div., M.A.L, M.A. (Liturgical Studies) and the D. Min., under the university’s civil charter.

The Archbishop of Chicago, His Eminence, Francis Cardinal George, O.M.I., is ex officio the Chancellor of both the Ecclesiastical Faculty of Theology and the University of Saint Mary of the Lake. 

The Council of the Ecclesiastical Faculty (CEF) is the chief policy-making authority of the faculty. It consists of the President of the Ecclesiastical Faculty, all ranked members of the Ecclesiastical Faculty, and elected student representatives from the licentiate and doctoral programs.

The Statutes of the Ecclesiastical Faculty were reviewed and updated with minor modifications in both 2005 and 2006. The current version of the Statutes was approved by the Congregation for Catholic Education on 24 June 2006.