TILBURG SCHOOL OF CATHOLIC THEOLOGY
The Tilburg School of Catholic Theology (TST) is one of the five institutes of Tilburg University, which is part of the Engage Alliance and which also includes Ramon Llull University.
Mission
The mission of the Tilburg School of Catholic Theology is to provide academic-theological research and education on Christianity and religion in the broad sense. It does this from a Catholic perspective, in line with the core values of Tilburg University, and focused on the university, society and the church. They believe that worldwide, faith and religion are factors of great social importance, touching personal lives, ethical choices, and ecological and political developments that reach far beyond national borders.
As a knowledge center, the Tilburg School of Catholic Theology is simultaneously at the intersection of science, society, and church in the secularized context of the Netherlands and part of a global network of universities committed to research-driven education. The TST aims to play a role at the heart of these intersections and to develop strategies to bring its belonging to each of these areas into fruitful cross-fertilization.
The faculty wants to connect locally, nationally and internationally with the scientific reflection on social themes, and wants to respond to the lack of literacy in religious and existential questions. From its academic approach and its attention to the Jewish-Christian sources of Western identity, the TST seeks connections with the broader society in its ideological and religious diversity, and with the Roman Catholic Church and the Christian tradition in its multiformity.
Focused on society
Under the motto ‘Understanding Society‘, the TST focuses on the changing position of religion in late modern society and shows attention to the context of philosophical fragmentation. The faculty aims to deliver bachelors, masters and doctors who demonstrate religious literacy that enables them to contribute responsibly and critically to the social, academic and ecclesiastical debate on the subject.
Context
Faithful to the mission formulated by the most recent council, the theological faculty promotes critical reflection on the presence of faith in society and academia, not only by studying the heritage and the ever-developing Catholic thought of the Roman Catholic Church, but also promoting (inter)religious dialogue. They are part of a global network of over 200 Catholic universities and they offer students the opportunity to follow a training program for ministerial work and to obtain the ecclesiastically recognized degrees. In line with this, they provide training for professionals for pastoral functions in healthcare, justice and the armed forces. The researchers and teachers of the TST pay special attention to the interaction between tradition and innovation, based on the study of texts, ethical and doctrinal beliefs and liturgical practices in a contemporary context.
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