School of Theology and Seminary

A School for the Lord’s Service

Catholic, Benedictine, Ecumenical, and Global

Saint John’s is one of the country’s premier graduate programs in theology. Our mission is grounded in our Catholic identity which includes a dynamic commitment to studying and receiving the church’s theological tradition while applying to the questions of modern women and men. You will learn and experience Catholic theology life like few other places. Our work is enlivened with Benedictine Spirituality which integrates study, prayer, and the communal life as a pursuit of wisdom. We are the only place in the United States that integrates the study of theology and monastic spirituality in this way. As part of our Benedictine tradition, we welcome all as Christ, inviting students from diverse Christian traditions to join us in our studies and work of ministry. Ecumenism remains an animating reality at the School of Theology and Seminary. And at Saint John’s students will meet the global church: lay students, religious, monastics, and seminarians drawn from around the world journey together in the study of theology. We invite you to explore and join our community of learners. There is no other school like it!

Students at Saint John’s enter a learning environment like no other. 
Our mission is to prepare visionary leaders for the church and the world
who bring forth the Kingdom of God.

Shawn M. Colberg, Ph.D.

A Legacy of Learning

With St. Benedict’s 1500-year old vision as our guide, Saint John’s School of Theology and Seminary offers transformative education. We integrate the pursuit of theological wisdom with service to the church and the world that is only possible when our prayer and work are grounded in love. We cultivate a learning community that welcomes all people – particularly the cultures, perspectives, experiences, and questions they bring – as we would Christ. And we root this in the riches of Catholic Theology and its 2,000-year heritage.  

Benedictine learning is special.  It is sapiential and in the pursuit of wisdom. It is also practical, rooted in ministry, and conscious of community.

National Leaders

99%

Placement rate within a year of graduation.

Top 10%

Of 270+ ATS Schools in minimizing student debt.

160+

Enrolled Students.

100%

Of Degree-seeking students receive a scholarship

Why SOT/Sem

Prayer, Study, and the Communal Life

At Saint John’s you have opportunities to nourish your spiritual life, learn from distinguished faculty who are area experts, all within the context of a prayerful community.

Ever Ancient. Ever New.

Founded in 1857 by the monks of Saint John’s Abbey, one year before Minnesota received statehood, our school is the most ancient element of Saint John’s University. Saint John’s serves the needs of the modern world, while remaining deeply enmeshed within the theological tradition through our Benedictine and Catholic stability.

With a legacy of preparing visionary leaders:

• Saint John’s faculty attended the Second Vatican Council as periti.

• Saint John’s is one of the first Roman Catholic Theologates to confer master’s degrees to women.

• Saint John’s was one of the pioneering communities to offer formation for the permanent diaconate.

• Saint John’s hosted a major symposium with the USCCB on the role of the laity.

• Saint John’s was represented by a faculty member on the theological commission for the Synod on Synodality.

The Collegeville Core

Through an integrated curriculum pioneered under the leadership of Fr. Dale Launderville, OSB, the Collegeville Core grounds our entire catalog within an ecology of coursework fundamental to every theological education: the History of Christianity, Sacred Scripture, Systematic Theology, Liturgy, and Spirituality/Monastic Studies. These building blocks, shared between degree programs, allows flexibility and a guaranteed standard of preparation for ministry, education, and doctoral preparation.