Mission Statement

Impelled by the Catholic faith and the Dominican mission, Aquinas Institute of Theology educates men and women to preach, to teach, to minister, and to lead.

Vision Statement

Aquinas Institute of Theology envisions the hope-filled participation of the faithful in the Church. We are a Roman Catholic graduate school of theology and ministry animated by an eight-hundred year Dominican tradition of study in the pursuit of truth. We are a community of scholars and ministers striving to witness to the Gospel of Jesus Christ as we pursue theology for the life of the Church and the world.

We commit our gifts in service to the Church and world as a center for:

• scholarship and theological reflection;
• collaborative lay, religious, and ordained ministry;
• initial formation for the Dominican friars of the Province of St. Albert the Great and for other religious communities;
• preaching education;
• leaders stewarding the mission of Catholic institutions;
• adult faith formation.

As a community we seek to be transformed by a spirit of holiness and by faithful engagement with the living tradition of the Church. We eagerly invite others to share our vision and mission.

In a suffering world, we believe that God’s Word is alive and active. In response we say, “Here we are, God, send us.”

Beliefs and Values

Aquinas Institute of Theology expresses its core beliefs and values in these statements:

As a theological community:

• We believe in full, active, and collaborative participation in the life and mission of the Church.
• We believe in ongoing formation for Christian life, leadership, and ministry.
• We believe in academic and faith-filled engagement with the Dominican and Roman Catholic tradition.
• We believe in dialogue and public discourse in the search for truth.
• We believe justice is constitutive of preaching the Gospel.
• We believe in placing our theological vocation at the service of the Church.
• We believe that the Church in all its diversity is called to unity in Christ.

As a theological community: 

• We strive for the highest levels of professional and ministerial integrity and performance.
• We call for excellence in teaching, learning, preaching, and public scholarship.
• We promote a culture of collaboration.
• We value cultural competency for ministry.
• We require respectful dialogue.
• We pledge financial integrity and accountability.
• We aspire to be a learning community.
• We model continuous improvement.