Monthly Archives: June 2019

IPS is proud to announce that the Board of Commissioners of the Association of Theological Schools granted full accreditation to the Loyola University Chicago Institute of Pastoral Studies on June 10, 2019.

The IPS degree programs: Master of Divinity, Master of Arts in Christian Spirituality (Professional MA), Master of Arts in Counseling for Ministry (Professional MA), Master of Arts in Pastoral Counseling (Professional MA), and the Master of Arts in Social Justice (Professional MA) were also approved, as were our comprehensive online (distance education) programs. Dr. Brian Schmisek, Dean of IPS said, “This accreditation recognizes the quality of the IPS programs, the strength of our relationship as an integral academic unit at Loyola University Chicago, and the efforts of the entire IPS community. We are grateful for our membership in ATS, and are happy to have had such a positive review.” The next evaluation of IPS is set to take place in the spring of 2026.

In his new book, Woven Together: Faith and Justice for the Earth and the Poor, James Mastaler makes the case that now, more than ever, it is critical that religious stories encompass a call to moral responsibility for the earth and to the global poor.

James is an alumnus of the Master of Arts in Social Justice program at the Institute of Pastoral Studies and he has a PhD in theology from Loyola.

The book, with a foreword by distinguished environmental philosopher Holmes Rolston III, has been endorsed by Bill McKibben as a “good-hearted and useful effort to bridge some of the gaps between communities of faith and the environmental justice movement.”

*For an extended description of the book and additional reviews, see http://www.jamesmastaler.com/book​

*Readers are encouraged to connect with the author in the Facebook Group “WE ARE #WovenTogether” or on Twitter @JamesMastaler

*Available wherever books are sold​​ in paperback and e-reader versions, including Kindle on Amazon, or from your local independent bookstore (such as Chicago’s Unabridged Books​).