About

+A TRADITION OF CHRISTIAN EDUCATION

St. Ninian founded at Whithorn in Scotland a monastery which became famous as a school of monasticism within a century of his death. It is reported to have been a rigorous and well respected place of learning, worship, and communal living.

Whithorn School of Theology (WST) is a spiritual continuation of the tradition of those Celtic Christians of long ago in the education of women and men in the theology and philosophy of the Christian Faith.

WST was established primarily as a seminary of Shepherd’s Heart Ministries a diocese and religious order in communion with Christ’s Catholic Church for the preparation and training of those who have been called to serve God and His Church through an ordained ministry but is open to all qualified applicants on an equal basis. WST does not discriminate on the basis of age, gender, race, sexual orientation, national origin, religion, or theological beliefs.

+MENTOR PROGRAM AND TUTORIALS

Whithorn School of Theology offers course work through distance learning, and in residence at various locations and associate academic institutions. All students will be assigned an academic mentor who will advise and shepherd them through the applicable program or programs. Students are encouraged to maintain close contact with their mentor during enrollment.

A portfolio evaluation to determine the necessary course of study and required courses for a degree will be completed in consultation between the prospective student and the student’s academic mentor of the school.

We recommend our in-house bookstore Shepherd’s Heart Books and Gifts for study materials. Other supplemental materials can be arranged between the student and the mentor from a variety of different sources.

+LIBRARY FACILITIES

Whithorn School of Theology has library capabilities with an 8000 volume on site library, a multi-thousand volume electronic library, and can access various university libraries through the Internet. Special arrangements to conduct research, can be made with various programs in university settings. Details will be furnished upon request.

+TUITION AND FEES

Class costs are kept to a minimum. WST does not charge tuition. The expense of books and materials needed for each class are the financial responsibility of every student. WST does however charge a $25 application fee, $75 for a portfolio evaluation, and a $125 graduation fee. Whithorn School of Theology courses are “given away” in the ministry and the name of the One who has given all for us: Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior. Scholarships for books and materials are available to those in need of financial assistance. “We give with hands overflowing, what we have received with hands empty.” -Rule of the Order of the Shepherd’s Heart

+ACCREDITATION

Whithorn School of Theology, in the tradition of the “free church” reality, maintains a strict position of the separation of church and state, not wanting to have any governmental agency dictate to us what we may or may not teach. The Christian Way is under great assault these days and we intend to maintain the highest standard of clarity and candor where virtue and Christian principles are concerned. Whithorn School of Theology does not carry regional accreditation and is not registered with or in association with the U.S. Department of Education.

WST’s application for exemption from Missouri’s statutory provisions regulating private post-secondary education has been approved by the Missouri Department of Higher Education. The Coordinating Board for Higher Education has found that our school meets the criteria for exemption as outlined by the State of Missouri, and may operate as a bona fide seminary legally granting undergraduate and graduate religious degrees.

Credits taken at Whithorn School of Theology may or may not transfer to other schools and colleges. If you are in need of a program that requires regional accreditation, you may want to check with that program first to see if they will accept credits taken at our school.

+SCHOOL PRAYER

By St. Thomas Aquinas

Creator of all things, true source of light and wisdom, origin of all being, graciously let a ray of your light penetrate the darkness of my understanding. Take from me the double darkness in which I have been born, an obscurity of sin and ignorance. Give me a keen understanding, a retentive memory, and the ability to grasp things correctly and fundamentally. Grant me the talent of being exact in my explanations and the ability to express myself with thoroughness and charm. Point out the beginning, direct the progress, and help in the completion. I ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.