Our Catholic Identity
From its founding in 1852, Loyola University Maryland has been shaped by its identity as a Catholic institution. The first higher education institution in the United States to bear the name of St. Ignatius of Loyola, Loyola is enriched and strengthened by its Catholic identity, which connects it to the universal Catholic Church throughout the world.
As a Catholic university, Loyola draws both from the charism of the Society of Jesus and of the Religious Sisters of Mercy—which founded Mount Saint Agnes College. When the all-women’s college, Mount Saint Agnes, merged with Loyola in 1971, the two institutions came together as a single institution, educating people to learn, lead, and serve in a diverse and changing world.
Loyola’s Catholic identity calls the University to educate individuals who will seek to lead transformative lives, who will bring about needed change in the world, and who will contribute to the public good. Loyola educates young people in the Catholic social and intellectual tradition, in the liberal arts tradition, being at the “service of faith and the promotion of justice,” as we “aspire to be the best place in the world from which to change the world.”
Catholic Social Teaching
Loyola University Maryland lives out Catholic Social Teaching, which is often referred to as "the best-kept secret in the Roman Catholic Church in the United States!" Catholic Social Teaching is made up of a body of teaching on social, economic, political, and cultural matters, drawing insights from biblical passages, the writings of early Christianity, scholastic and other Christian philosophies, and theological reflection. Since the Second Vatican Council, the Church has understood and appreciated more deeply that a 'living faith' leads directly to a 'loving action' in transforming the world. From Pope Leo XIII to the Second Vatican Council to Pope Francis, the Church continues to read the signs of the times and provides the following principles as foundation of Catholic Social Thought:
- The Dignity of the Human Person
- The Principle of Solidarity
- The Principle of Subsidiarity
- The Common Good
- Rights and Responsibilities
- The Dignity of Work and Rights of Workers
- The Option for the Poor and Most Vulnerable
- Care for God's Creation
"As children of God created in God's image, human persons have a preeminent place in creation. Human dignity is the result of human existence. It is not earned by achievements or bestowed by any authorities other than God. It is not dependent on race, creed, color, economic class, political power, social status, culture, personal abilities, gender, sexual orientation, or any other dimensions by which people discriminate social groupings. There is a unique and sacred worth that is present in each person simply because they exist. The germinal aptitudes and abilities each person possesses at birth constitute a divine vocation, a specific and unique calling to further the development of human society as a whole." (from the encyclical Populorum Progressio)
Catholic Academic Programs
The Catholic Studies Program (CSP) fosters engagement with Roman Catholic intellectual life in depth and breadth: from material and spiritual, personal and social, moral and artistic, religious and secular, philosophical and theological. CSP programs include the Catholic Studies Minor, lectures and panel discussions, film series, cultural immersion programs, and family masses.
The Graduate Programs in Theological Studies offers a Master of Theological Studies (MTS), a 48-credit program that can lead to doctoral studies or careers in fields like campus ministers, teachers in secondary education and parochial schools, faith-based non-profit leadership, law, or library science. They also offer a Certificate in Theology and Ministry, a 25-credit program for those seeking ministerial vocations or wanting to apply theological insights to their current roles.
Sacraments
All Masses are held at the Alumni Memorial Chapel on the Evergreen Campus
- Weekday Masses are celebrated at 12:10 p.m. (with Sacrament of Confession available from 11:45 a.m. to noon) during the semester
- Sunday Masses are celebrated at 11:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. during the academic year.
The Mass of the Holy Spirit is a traditional Mass that has been held annually at Loyola University Maryland since 1852. A tradition that dates to the first Jesuit Catholic school in Messina, Sicily, in 1548, the Loyola community gathers early in September to praise God and to pray for guidance from the Holy Spirit as we begin a new academic year.
The Baccalaureate Mass is a traditional liturgy held before commencement that serves as an opportunity to thank God for all the blessings and gifts bestowed upon the graduates and their families. Music is provided by Loyola's Chapel Choir and is led by our office of Campus Ministry.
The Order of Christian Initiation of Adults provides a process by which individuals become full members of the Catholic Church. This formation process culminates in the reception of one (or more) of the sacraments of initiation: Baptism, Confirmation, and Eucharist.
Alumni Weddings are available at Alumni Memorial Chapel on Loyola's Evergreen Campus.