Dear friends and companions on the journey, 

It is with profound gratitude that we welcome you to the Institute of Pastoral Studies at Loyola University Chicago. We are an educational community shaped by decades of faithful ministry, rigorous academic inquiry, and a living Ignatian tradition that continues to inspire, challenge, and transform.

Among the early Jesuits, St. Peter Faber, SJ stands out as a model for our mission today. Gentle in spirit yet bold in discernment, Faber embodied a pastoral heart formed by deep interior freedom. He traveled widely, accompanying people with patience, intellectual clarity, and a profound sense that God labors in all things. His life reminds us that pastoral ministry is not merely a profession, it is a way of being present to the world with compassion, humility, and hope. At the IPS, we strive to form leaders who carry that same spirit into their ministries, classrooms, parishes, counseling rooms, and communities.

The IPS, following the Jesuit tradition, was founded in response to the call for a Church more engaged with the world, more attentive to the signs of the times, and more committed to the formation of lay and ordained leaders. Since its foundation, the IPS has expanded and evolved, accompanying thousands of students on their journey of professional and ministerial formation. Today, IPS stands among the world’s leading programs for pastoral, theological, and spiritual education. Those who join us become part of a vibrant community of co travelers, women and men seeking to grow in love, wisdom, and service. We invite you to discover how our IPS family might walk with you.

Here at Loyola University Chicago, our Ignatian heritage animates everything we do. A Jesuit education is transformative precisely because it engages the whole person—mind, heart, body, and spirit—in the tradition of cura personalis. Our students advance in knowledge in an integrated way, connecting their identities and the core of their faith critically and constructively with the theory and practice of the curriculum. Throughout their time with us, they grow in wisdom and are ultimately sent forth, in the words of St. Ignatius, to set the world on fire.

Our graduate programs coalesce around the central areas of Spirituality, Divinity, Pastoral Ministry, and Counseling, each offering a range of degrees and certificates designed for the diverse vocations of today’s Church and world. We are blessed with rich partnerships across Loyola University Chicago, including the Schools of Social Work, Business, Continuing Education, and Communications, as well as international collaborations such as our relationship with the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome and its renowned program in Ignatian Spirituality.

Our mission extends beyond the classroom. The IPS is deeply rooted in the life of Chicago and the global Church. We collaborate with the Archdiocese of Chicago, accompany parish communities through Scripture formation, host a nationally recognized Restorative Justice conference, and continue expanding our Continuing Education offerings for ministers, educators, and adult learners. As an accredited member of the Association of Theological Schools (ATS) and the Association of Chicago Theological Schools (ACTS), we offer our students access to a vibrant, ecumenical academic network.

 At the heart of our work is a simple but profound commitment to accompany those discerning and forming their vocations for service. In the Ignatian spirit, we seek God in all things, embrace social responsibility, and cultivate a community that grows into what St. Ignatius called persons for others. Like St. Peter Faber, we aspire to be bridge builders, namely, people who listen deeply, think critically, and act with courage for the good of God’s people.

Following this beautiful Jesuit tradition, at the IPS, we begin from a fundamental conviction that God is already present in every person, context, and conversation. Our task is to help students recognize, discern, and respond to that presence. By cultivating a diverse, welcoming, and interculturally competent community, one in which every person has a voice and a place, we draw closer to God and become more capable of discerning together where the Spirit is calling us: toward deeper faith, greater solidarity, and a shared mission of service.

   Today, the IPS stands at the forefront of Catholic higher education’s response to Pope Francis’s call for a synodal Church, a Church that listens, discerns, and walks together. Synodality is both a spirituality and a method rooted in the ancient Tradition of the Catholic Church; it is a way of being, proceeding, and acting rooted in dialogue, shared discernment, and co responsibility. This vision shapes how we teach, form, and accompany our students.

At the IPS, we proudly welcome students and members from diverse backgrounds and denominations. Whether you are exploring a call to ministry, deepening your theological and spiritual formation, or seeking a community to walk with you in faith and scholarship, we stand ready to accompany you.
   

Welcome to the journey. Welcome to the IPS family.

Fr. Dempsey Rosales Acosta, SSL, STD. 
Executive Director 
Institute of Pastoral Studies 
Loyola University Chicago