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Catholic Studies Program

“Individuals participate, according to their degree of readiness, in the Church’s catholicity… Origen calls such a soul ‘anima ecclesiastica’: a soul with the dimensions of the Catholic Church.”  – Cardinal Hans Urs von Balthasar

People sit, seen from behind, in the Catholic Studies Centre Chapel, looking at the altar. The altar is made of wood with a table covered in a lace cloth and candles, crosses and other accessories in gold.
 

St. Ignatius’ discovery that we can engage in Spiritual Exercises is among the great landmarks of Christian education. Continuing this 500-year tradition of Jesuit education, SLU’s Catholic Studies Center complements its academic program with a full range of co-curricular activities tailored to the spiritual formation of our students so that they might become ever more fully Catholic.

Why Study Catholic Studies at SLU?

The Church teaches that “the faithful must learn the deepest meaning and the value of all creation, as well as its role in the harmonious praise of God…[so that] the world may be permeated by the spirit of Christ.” (Lumen Gentium §36) 

In service of this mission, the Catholic Studies Program at SLU introduces students to the full riches of the tradition, teaching them how to perceive God’s glory in the world and to think with the Church. They practice engaging the culture creatively with the tools of their primary field of study and leave SLU ready to seek the greater glory of God in the worlds of business, education, health, law, engineering and academia. 

Learn More About SLU's Catholic Studies Minor

The Value of SLU's Catholic Studies Major and Minor

The Catholic Studies Major or Minor is an important credential in applying for graduate school or for employment after graduation.

No matter what major or profession you might pursue, the program can develop your critical thinking skills, as well as help you develop excellent written and oral communication skills. You’ll also enhance your capacity to see the big picture through the course of your SLU education.

Exterior of the 3-story brick building with a sign that reads Catholic Studies Center

The Catholic Studies Center at Saint Louis University was founded to reinvigorate St. Ignatius of Loyola’s call to “find God in all things.”

The Edmund Campion Society

Students smile at the camera while sitting at a long dining table with plates of food.

The Edmund Campion Society is open to all students. It is named after the Oxford priest and martyr (d. 1591).

Weekly Events and Devotions

Mass: 

  • Monday - 6 p.m. - Campion!
  • Tuesday - 8 p.m. (Jesuit Center)
  • Wednesday - 8 p.m. 
  • Thursday- 8 p.m. (Jesuit Center) 
  • Friday - 3:15 p.m.
  • Saturday - 9:15 a.m.

Confession:

  • Monday - 5:15 p.m. - 5:55 p.m.
  • Friday - 2 p.m. - 3 p.m.
  • Saturday - 8:30 a.m. - 9:10 a.m.

Adoration: 

  • Wednesday - 9 a.m. - 8 p.m.
  • Thursday - Friday - 3 p.m. - 3 p.m.

Rosary: 

  • Monday - 5:40 p.m.
  • Saturday - 9 a.m.

Giving to the Department

The Saint Louis University Catholic Studies Center welcomes gifts to help us continue building one of the largest and most active centers for Catholic intellectual, cultural, and spiritual formation in the country. Each week, hundreds of students come here to study, pray and grow in the faith. Your gift now allows us to bring leading Catholic speakers to SLU and to help young people know and share the presence of Christ in a 21st-century university.

 

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