Mater Ecclesiae College

Welcome to the website of Mater Ecclesiae College! I would like to welcome in particular those who are interested in the possibility of studying here.

Our College’s origins go back to 1614, with the establishment of a Jesuit house of studies in Louvain. The college subsequently moved to England, and, since 2019, it has been dependent on the Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales and located at St Mary’s University, Twickenham.

Uniquely among centres of higher education in the UK, the College is a pontifical athenaeum, able to confer ecclesiastical degrees, under the aegis of the Holy See, which open up the possibility of teaching in Catholic universities, colleges, and seminaries throughout the world. Moreover, thanks to its special relationship with the University, those degrees are paired with civil degrees awarded by St Mary’s University.

Because of its regulation by the Holy See, the College is a full member of the European Higher Education Area. It exists for the benefit of the Church as a whole and for the good of the world. Please feel free to contact me (paul.mcpartlan@stmarys.ac.uk) or the Dean of the Faculty of Theology, Reverend Dr Javier Ruiz-Ortiz (francisco-javier.ruiz-ortiz@stmarys.ac.uk), or write to materecclesiae@stmarys.ac.uk.

We look forward to hearing from you.