Our mission to educate women and men for apostolic work is made possible by the generous gifts of our many donors. From unrestricted gifts that support critical operations to endowed scholarships and grants that encourage innovation among students and faculty, your gifts today are a gift for the future. There are many ways that your donations have helped the Dominican School of Philosophy and Theology (DSPT) fulfill its mission, like helping students discover their vocations, forming effective leaders for the future of Church and society, preparing teachers and leaders to speak to contemporary culture, and supporting students financially through scholarships and grants.
An essential part of our degree programs is to assist students in discovering their vocation and preparing themselves for that work. Our many vocational development resources - from our low student-to-faculty ratio to the vocational workshops offered by our affiliated Catherine of Siena Institute - are all available to our students thanks to the support of our donor community.
"After two years of full-time parish ministry and one year of doctoral studies at the University of Fribourg in Switzerland, I have come to a deeper appreciation for my intellectual formation at DSPT. ... My intellectual formation left me with deep theological convictions, the instruments to articulate them, and a desire to learn from those who do not share them. For all of that, I am most grateful."
- Fr. Bernhard Blankenhorn, OP, M.A. (Philosophy), 2002, M.Div., 2006
"A Master’s degree in philosophy from DSPT allowed me to teach as a part-time lecturer at various colleges in the Bay Area. I found that I enjoyed engaging students in philosophical discussions and challenging them to think in new ways about ancient and contemporary philosophical literature. When I realized that I would be happy teaching philosophy for the rest of my life and couldn’t imagine doing anything else, I applied to PhD programs."
- Sophia Stone, M.A. (Philosophy), 2005
"Now, in coordinating the Respect Life Ministry Office for the Diocese of Oakland, I have many occasions to put this great lesson into practice as I engage my fellow East Bay inhabitants in critical dialogue that considers the very tenets of our existence. In looking at the question of when human life begins, what it means to be human, and why the dignity of the human person deserves -- demands really -- to be respected, I find myself drawing not only on the principles of philosophy and theology that I studied at DSPT, but equally on the way I learned to engage these critical questions."
- Colleen Knutsen, M.A. (Theology), 2005
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DSPT is committed in its Institutional Goals and Outcomes to creating effective leaders for the future. Your gifts of support to DSPT allow us to continue to create effective leaders, lay and religious, including the future leaders of the Western Dominican Province.
"The greatest gift that DSPT has to offer its lay students, however, is the living witness of the Dominican priests and brothers. It has been an immense privilege to attend classes with those who are the very best and brightest of the clergy, alongside those young men who will go on to lead the flock and uphold the teachings of the Church in the 21st century."
- Erin Zion, M.A. (Theology), 2008
"As a fairly new parish priest, the best part for me about DSPT was that the philosophy and divinity programs both taught me how to look at and understand new ideas, be they traditional, radically new, or simply coming from a different world-view."
- Fr. Dismas Sayre, OP, B.A. (Philosophy), 2003, M.Div., 2008
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Part of DSPT's mission is to draw its students into the rich tradition of classical philosophy and Catholic theology, especially as exemplified by St. Thomas Aquinas, and from this tradition engage contemporary scholarship and culture in mutual enrichment. We continue to filfill this mission with the support of gifts from our benefactors.
"I credit the diversity of ideas and scholarship that is integral to education at DSPT for providing me with the courage and tools I’ve used in talking with others and helping them to broaden their understanding of God and life."
- Colleen Power, M.A. (Theology), 2007
"Philosophical questions admit of many answers, and though the Dominican School is well known for adhering to Thomism, the history of philosophy is in some ways an equal commitment. The mantra is often repeated: we must engage with the world, but to do this we must understand its philosophy."
- Sarah Ball, B.A. (Philosophy), 2009
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DSPT is committed to providing scholarships to our students, based on both financial need and academic talent. Your gift makes it possible for us to offer this type of financial help to out students. Find out more about our endowed scholarship and grants from our generous benefactors.
"Without the scholarship support that DSPT provided me, I would not have been able to complete my Master of Arts, and I would not now have had the educational formation from DSPT that has allowed me to successfully begin my doctoral studies."
- Elissa McCormack, M.A. (Theology), 2009
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