History of the Dominican School of Philosophy and Theology
The Dominican School of Philosophy and Theology had its beginning more than 150 years ago when Fr. Francis S. Vilarrasa, O.P., and six Spanish Dominican novices arrived in Monterey, California, on December 26, 1851, and established a School to prepare young men for the priesthood. The School was moved to Benicia in 1854, but the traditional attraction of the Dominican Order to major university centers, led to its relocation to the Berkeley/Oakland area, where it was known as St. Albert's College.
The Dominicans of the Western Province founded the School in the tradition of their brother, St. Thomas Aquinas, OP., who emphasized the pursuit of truth through human reason, examining both Divine revelation and the insights of great thinkers from every tradition. Today, the DSPT remains inspired by those who followed this tradition, including Yves Congar, OP, Marie-Dominique Chenu, OP, and Jean-Marie Tillard, OP, friars whose work in systematic theology and ecclesiology shaped the ideas of the Second Vatican Council (Vatican II, 1962-5). This tradition has been further developed in the work of contemporary Dominican scholars such as Edward Schillebeeckx, OP and Servais Pinckaers, OP. At the DSPT we are proud to have contributed to this development through the work of our own faculty and graduates.
In 1964, the School became the first Roman Catholic institution to join the Graduate Theological Union. Since that time the school has welcomed into its student body women and men, lay and religious studying for academic and ministry careers. In 1976 the administrative offices and classrooms were moved from its Oakland campus to Berkeley. And, in 1978, the name was changed to the Dominican School of Philosophy and Theology. Today DSPT is one of three Roman Catholic member schools of the GTU. The GTU is composed of nine member schools and several affiliated centers and institutes.
The students of DSPT come from a diversity of backgrounds and variety of life experiences. Currently the student body is composed of fifty percent lay students and fifty percent members of religious orders. The religious orders represented within the student body include members of the Dominicans, Franciscan Capuchins, Franciscan Conventuals, Salesians, Verbum Dei Missionary Fraternity, and Daughters of Saint Paul.
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