Peace Catalyst International is thrilled to have St. Stephen's University as an accredited academic partner, with a shared vision for God's mission of peace in the church and the world.
We wholeheartedly support the mission of St. Stephen's University: to prepare people, through academic, personal, and spiritual development, for a life of justice, beauty, and compassion, enabling a humble, creative engagement with their world.
Why St. Stephen’s?
Located in New Brunswick, Canada, St. Stephen’s University is a graduate school of theology, peace, and reconciliation. At St. Stephen's, faculty, staff, and students from across denominations express their faith through their shared values of justice, beauty, and compassion. They aspire to challenge colonizing and exclusionary bounds of Christendom and set an open table where all are welcome.
St. Stephen's University offers a range of hybrid-distance master's degrees and graduate certificates to suit students from a variety of backgrounds and experiences who are interested or require training in theology & culture for pastoral ministry and other similar vocational directions, or peace & justice for any curious and thoughtful people who want to integrate spiritual and theological considerations with practical peace work, nonviolent activism, peacemaking, or advocacy for either personal enrichment or professional enhancement.
One of the most significant impacts of my time studying at SSU was being introduced to Palestine for the first time. Due to SSU's commitment to peacebuilding and intercultural engagement, I was able to visit Palestine twice as part of my studies and sit at the feet of Palestinian peacemakers, which was a life-changing experience.
- Michael McDougle
The Academic Programs
At SSU, academic programs are run through three schools:
The School of Theology & Culture is faith-based in the historic ‘Jesus Way’ gospel tradition of God’s self-giving love.
The Jim Forest Institute for Religion, Peace & Justice is faith-engaged in their theological exploration of peace and justice, the inner transformation of a peacemaker, and multi-faith conversations and interreligious peacebuilding.
The Centre for Reconciliation Studies is faith-affirming of First Nations spiritual values and traditions, gifts of the Creator, and all our relations.
Students in SSU programs have the benefit of completing their degree programs without uprooting their lives or disrupting their work schedules. SSU programs are offered through a variety of innovative delivery methods that are meant to strike the perfect balance between meaningful on-site engagement and low disruption to the lives of students.
After years of engaging in the Palestine/Israel conflict, I was burned out--theologically, spiritually, politically. SSU was for me a haven, a "shelter from the storm" that helped me to re-engage with my faith in the most interesting way possible: By delving deep into philosophy, peacemaking, and the theology of the church fathers while simultaneously wrestling with today's thorny and perplexing cultural issues. This approach refreshed and enabled me to continue going the distance in my vocation from a deeper and re-centered Christ-perspective.
- Mercy Aiken
