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History

Serving the Church and the World since 1968

The Loyola Institute for Ministry (LIM) is a department in the College of Nursing and Health of Loyola University New Orleans, which is itself one of the twenty-eight Jesuit institutions of higher education in the United States and is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.

The Loyola Institute for Ministry was founded as the Catechetical and Pastoral Institute (CPI), which offered summer programming in New Orleans to students from around the country who sought to update themselves in practical theology and ministerial preparation following the Second Vatican Council. CPI functioned under the auspices of the Archdiocese of New Orleans until 1978 when it moved to Loyola University and became a part of the university's program of graduate studies.

The Catechetical and Pastoral Institute of Loyola began to offer courses in the fall and spring semesters primarily for students whose proximity to the university allowed them to attend classes at night or on weekends. In January 1983, Loyola’s Board of Trustees officially changed the name to the Loyola Institute for Ministry (LIM). That same year and in response to requests from bishops in the region, LIM formally inaugurated its ministry education by extension model, calling it LIMEX—the Loyola Institute for Ministry Extension Program—that spread LIM’s programs and Loyola’s name around the country and around the world.

In May 1992, the Institute for Ministry inherited the ownership and mission of the Institute for Pastoral Life in Kansas City, Missouri (IPL). In 1993, these resources provided the foundation for the Loyola Pastoral Life Center (LPLC), the continuing education entity of LIM. LPLC provides continuing education opportunities, ministry studies programs, and spiritual enrichment for women and men involved in various aspects of the church's life and ministries. LPLC offers three certificate programs; first is the Specialized Certificate in Parish Life and Administration, which is offered in on-campus and on-site (extension) formats. The Specialized Certificates in Christian Spirituality and Catechetical Leadership are offered in the on-site (extension) format.

In 2000, LIM developed two new credential programs—a Post-Master’s Certificate in Pastoral Studies and an Advanced Continuing Education Certificate—thus enabling graduates of the Institute’s on-campus and on-site (extension) programs to take additional focus area courses after graduation, while at the same time earning another professional ministry credential. LIM also began to make many of its focus area courses regularly available as online course offerings. In 2002, LIM developed a new Dual Degree Program — the Master of Pastoral Studies plus a Master of Science in Counseling. Since 2006, the university has approved a dual Master of Pastoral Studies and Master of Criminal Justices degree and a dual MPS and MBA degree.  In spring 2010, the Institute was approved to offer its master's degrees fully online. 

The new millennium presents many new opportunities and challenges. As we have always done, the Loyola Institute for Ministry reads and replies to these signs of the times, and we continue to do so by offering innovative, transformative, and responsive programs. As has been the case since the beginning, we invite collaborators to partake in the exciting venture of ministry education for today and tomorrow.

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