Our Mission

The Department of Theology and Religious Studies explores the human quest for the transcendent as expressed in the world’s diverse religious traditions. It makes an essential contribution to the mission of Saint Joseph's University as a Catholic Jesuit institution to strive “to be an inclusive and diverse community that educates and cares for the whole person, encouraging and modeling a lifelong commitment to thinking critically, making ethical decisions, pursuing social justice, and finding God in all things.”

We endeavor to engage ourselves and our students in the critical study of theological and religious traditions, praxis, and intellectual inquiry, both historically and in the contemporary world. We are committed to a rigorous presentation of the methods and content of both Christian Theology and Religious Studies as academic disciplines. In pursuit of this mission, the department recognizes four primary goals:

• Instill in students a capacity for methodical analysis and understanding of the world's theological and religious traditions;
• Provide students with a scholarly, multifaceted understanding of the foundations of Christian faith, its development in different times and cultures, and its implications for life in society, especially within the Roman Catholic tradition;
• Engage students in exploring the richness of the spiritual expressions and experiences encountered through the study of religions other than Christianity;
• Foster in students and professional colleagues an appreciation for the diversity that exists within the contemporary study of theology and religion as reflected in the department’s faculty and their research endeavors.