Church of Ireland Theological Institute
Anglican theological institute in Dublin responsible for ministerial formation and lay theological education within the Church of Ireland.
Last updated August 25, 2026
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Overview
The Church of Ireland Theological Institute is the principal institution for ministerial formation and theological training within the Church of Ireland, the Anglican church in Ireland. Based in Churchtown, Dublin, the institute prepares ordinands for ordained ministry and provides theological education for lay participants, including those undertaking reader and chaplaincy training. It also hosts retreats, seminars, conferences and other forms of continuing ministerial education. The institute developed from a much older system of Church of Ireland clerical education associated with Trinity College Dublin. For many years, candidates for the priesthood studied theology through Trinity’s divinity school. Changes in the legal and institutional status of Trinity, including its transition toward a non-denominational university environment after the nineteenth-century disestablishment of the Church of Ireland, gradually encouraged the church to establish more distinct arrangements for ministerial formation. In 1913, a Divinity Hostel was established in two buildings on Mountjoy Square in Dublin, initially accommodating 15 students. The hostel provided a residential setting for theological and pastoral preparation and became the institutional predecessor of the later college and institute. The Representative Church Body of the Church of Ireland acquired Fetherstonhaugh House in Rathgar in 1961. The Divinity Hostel moved to the property in 1963 and the site was formally opened the following year. The Church of Ireland Library moved there in 1969, and the campus subsequently became associated not only with theological education but also with the preservation of church records and archives. The Church of Ireland Representative Church Body Library and archives remain housed on the CITI campus. The Church of Ireland Theological College was established at the Divinity Hostel in 1980. It represented a more clearly defined institutional structure for the church’s own ministerial preparation as the historical relationship between the Church of Ireland and Trinity’s divinity school changed. In 2007, following a review commissioned by the bishops and proposals approved by the Church of Ireland General Synod, the college was reconstituted as the Church of Ireland Theological Institute. The change was intended to modernize and broaden theological education, covering both ordained ministry and forms of lay ministry. The Revd Maurice Elliot became director during this transition, succeeding the college’s principal, the Revd Dr Adrian Empey. CITI maintains an academic relationship with Trinity College Dublin. Its Master in Theological Studies was introduced in association with Trinity in 2009, replacing the earlier Bachelor of Theology pathway, which continued to be offered until 2010. The memorandum of understanding governing the relationship was revised in 2018. The institute also offers the Certificate in Christian Theology and Practice, a programme used both as preparation for candidates progressing toward the master’s degree and as training for lay readers. The course combines online or distance learning with contact sessions at the institute and in participating dioceses. Additional provision includes a third-level certificate in chaplaincy, awarded from 2016, as well as retreats, conferences and seminars such as the Annual Irish Preachers Conference. Through Braemor Studies, an annual publication issued by Church of Ireland Publishing, the institute supports publication related to the history, theology and life of the Church of Ireland. In 2019, it held a colloquium marking the 150th anniversary of the Irish Church Act 1869, placing the institute’s institutional development within the longer history of the church’s disestablishment and subsequent educational arrangements.
History
The institutional history of the Church of Ireland Theological Institute reaches back to the nineteenth-century relationship between the Church of Ireland and Trinity College Dublin. Traditionally, Church of Ireland ordinands studied for the priesthood through Trinity’s divinity school. The Irish Church Act 1869 disestablished the Church of Ireland, while the Dublin University Act of 1873 changed Trinity’s institutional position by making it a non-denominational university. Although the historical divinity-school arrangement continued for a time, the church increasingly required its own structures for the preparation of clergy. In 1911, governance of the divinity school was formally shared between the House of Bishops and the college board. Two years later, the Divinity Hostel was established in buildings on Mountjoy Square, Dublin. The hostel initially housed 15 students, with the property made available by the Revd Ernest Lewis-Crosby. It provided a residential base for students preparing for ordained ministry and became the main predecessor of the later Church of Ireland Theological College and CITI. After the death of warden Michael Ferrar in December 1960, the Revd John Simpson Brown succeeded him. Brown was also the Church of Ireland’s director of education and held the position of professor of pastoral theology at Trinity College. In 1961, the Representative Church Body purchased Fetherstonhaugh House in Rathgar. The Divinity Hostel moved there in 1963 and the new site was formally opened in 1964. The Church of Ireland Library moved to the property in 1969, and the campus became a combined centre for theological education, library services and church archival collections. As the bishops’ role in Trinity’s theological governance diminished, particularly after changes in the period before 1980, Trinity’s divinity provision developed into a broader, non-denominational academic environment. In response, the Church of Ireland established its own theological college at the Divinity Hostel in 1980. James Hartin served as its first principal, followed by John R. Bartlet and Adrian Empey. The college provided a more explicitly denominational setting for the education of Church of Ireland clergy. A review commissioned by the bishops led to proposals for a broader and more modern approach to ministerial formation. After approval by the General Synod, the Church of Ireland Theological College was reconstituted in 2007 as the Church of Ireland Theological Institute. The new institute was intended to serve both ordinands and lay ministers, rather than focusing exclusively on the traditional residential preparation of clergy. Maurice Elliot became director during the transition and is identified as the institute’s director from 2007 onward. The institute continues to work with Trinity College Dublin. A Master in Theological Studies was introduced in 2009 through the institutional relationship, replacing the earlier Bachelor of Theology route, which was offered until 2010. The memorandum of understanding with Trinity was revised in 2018. CITI also delivers the Certificate in Christian Theology and Practice, which functions as preparation for students seeking the master’s degree and as a pathway for lay-reader training. Its lay-reader course combines online learning with in-person sessions at the institute and in dioceses. The institute’s wider activity includes a third-level Certificate in Chaplaincy, awarded from 2016, and a programme of retreats, seminars and conferences. The Annual Irish Preachers Conference is among the events associated with the institute. CITI also supports theological and church-related publishing through Braemor Studies, an annual publication produced by Church of Ireland Publishing. In 2019, a colloquium at the institute marked 150 years since the Irish Church Act 1869, linking the institution’s contemporary work with the legal and ecclesiastical changes that shaped its origins.
- 2019
Colloquium marks the Irish Church Act anniversary
[1]CITI hosted a colloquium commemorating the 150th anniversary of the Irish Church Act 1869.
- 2018
Memorandum with Trinity College Dublin is revised
[1]The academic memorandum of understanding between CITI and Trinity College Dublin was revised.
- 2016
Third-level Certificate in Chaplaincy is awarded
[1]The institute’s third-level chaplaincy certificate was awarded from 2016.
- 2009
Master in Theological Studies is introduced
[1]The institute began offering the Master in Theological Studies in association with Trinity College Dublin.
- 2007
Theological College is reconstituted as CITI
[1]The college was reorganized as the Church of Ireland Theological Institute to broaden and modernize training for clergy and lay ministry.
- 1980
Church of Ireland Theological College is established
[1]The Church of Ireland created a dedicated theological college at the Divinity Hostel, with James Hartin as principal.
- 1969
Church of Ireland Library moves to the campus
[1]The Church of Ireland Library was transferred to the Divinity Hostel site, which also became a repository for church archives.
- 1964
Divinity Hostel site in Rathgar is formally opened
[1]After moving from Mountjoy Square, the Divinity Hostel was formally opened at the Rathgar property.
- 1961
Representative Church Body acquires Fetherstonhaugh House
[1]The Representative Church Body purchased Fetherstonhaugh House in Rathgar for the church’s theological and related institutional activities.
- 1913
Divinity Hostel opens on Mountjoy Square
[1]A residential Divinity Hostel was established in two Dublin buildings, initially accommodating 15 students and forming an institutional predecessor of CITI.
Products and positioning
A denominational Anglican theological education and ministerial formation institution serving the Church of Ireland while retaining academic links with Trinity College Dublin.
postgraduate theological degree · 2009
Master in Theological Studies
A postgraduate theological programme offered through the institute’s academic relationship with Trinity College Dublin. It replaced the earlier Bachelor of Theology pathway and forms part of the institute’s structured preparation for students pursuing ordained ministry and advanced theological study.
theological certificate
Certificate in Christian Theology and Practice
A certificate programme combining theological study with practical Christian ministry. It serves as preparation for students intending to progress to the Master in Theological Studies and is also used in the formation of Church of Ireland lay readers.
chaplaincy training · 2016
Church of Ireland Certificate in Third-Level Chaplaincy
A chaplaincy qualification delivered through CITI for theological and practical preparation in third-level chaplaincy contexts. The certificate was being awarded from 2016.
lay ministry formation
Lay Readers Course
A blended learning course for people preparing to serve as lay readers in the Church of Ireland. The programme combines distance or online learning with contact sessions at CITI and within dioceses.
theological publication
Braemor Studies
An annual publication associated with the institute and issued by Church of Ireland Publishing. It was established to encourage the publication of material relating to the Church of Ireland and its theological, historical and ecclesial life.
Marketing campaigns
- 2019Irish Church Act 150th Anniversary Colloquium
Ireland
CITI hosted a colloquium examining the 150th anniversary of the Irish Church Act 1869 and its importance to the history of the Church of Ireland and the development of church-related theological education.
Outcome. The event served as an academic and ecclesial commemoration linking the institute’s modern role with the historical disestablishment of the Church of Ireland.
Brand decisions
2018
Revision of academic memorandum with Trinity College DublinStrategyBackground
CITI’s degree and certificate provision continued to rely on a formal academic relationship with Trinity College Dublin.
Action taken
The memorandum of understanding between the institute and Trinity College Dublin was revised.
Aftermath
The revision maintained the institutional framework supporting collaborative theological education.
2009
Launch of the Master in Theological StudiesProduct launchBackground
The institute sought to maintain and update its academic connection with Trinity College Dublin after the earlier Bachelor of Theology route was being phased out.
Action taken
CITI began offering the Master in Theological Studies in association with Trinity College Dublin.
Aftermath
The master’s programme became a principal advanced academic pathway associated with the institute’s ministerial and theological education.
2007
Reconstitute the theological college as a broader instituteStrategyBackground
A bishops’ review concluded that the Church of Ireland’s approach to ministerial formation should be modernized and should serve lay ministry as well as ordained candidates.
Action taken
Following approval by the General Synod, the Church of Ireland Theological College was reorganized as the Church of Ireland Theological Institute.
Aftermath
The new institute expanded its remit to include ministerial formation, lay-reader education, chaplaincy training and wider theological events.
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