Margaret Beaufort Institute

Music and liturgy

A contemplative space is offered, with a tradition of retreats, quiet days, liturgical services and pilgrimages frequently supported by the Margaret Beaufort Association (MBA).

Parish life

The educational offer prioritises women and is available to all, worldwide, through in person and online teaching, from unaccredited short courses to postgraduate diplomas, taught master's degrees and research degrees. The academic community is shaped by a Catholic ethos and by the Second Vatican Council's emphasis on formation in the Catholic faith, the common good and dialogue with the world. The aim is to reflect a 'whole church' approach, taking in the entire breadth of Catholic theological tradition.

The mission is formative and transformative experience for all, especially women, in teaching, research and practice. The Religious Life Institute, based at the Margaret Beaufort Institute, researches religious life for women and men in the Catholic and Anglican churches and is involved in research and publications worldwide. The Religious Life Institute Meta-Analysis of Vocation Data project analyses research on recent entrants to religious life, using material from the UK and Ireland, the USA and Canada, Australia and France.

The BTh is a two-year accelerated undergraduate degree in theology, studied on a full-time basis only. The DTM admits students from a wide variety of backgrounds and is aimed primarily at people who want to explore Christian vocation or service. The MA in Christian Spirituality East and West concerns the meaning and role of spirituality in Christian traditions and in multi-cultural and multi-religious environments. The DProf, validated by Anglia Ruskin University, is aimed at relating theological, ethical and spiritual insights and methods to professional or voluntary practice.

Students can study the MPhil in Theology, Religion, and Philosophy of Religion at the University of Cambridge. The MPhil by Thesis is validated by Anglia Ruskin University, and the PhD is validated by either Anglia Ruskin University or the University of Cambridge.

Researchers from other Churches are welcomed to the community and to its seminars. On many courses, students may study alongside people from a wide range of Christian denominations and from other faith traditions or none. Courses range from short study days and entry level certificates that require no prior knowledge to undergraduate, masters and doctoral degrees.

Regular events

The community celebrates Mass together once per term and also has further prayer, reflection and community celebration. The community meets for five hybrid research seminars per year and joins the rest of the Cambridge Theological Federation for the annual research conference.

Retreats may be facilitated for a parish team or health care professionals, or they may offer presentations on aging and the spiritual life, living gratefully, and spiritual transitions at end of life. Retreatants may belong to religious or faith communities, identify as spiritual, or identify as neither spiritual nor religious.

Customized retreats are created and facilitated, and 1:1 spiritual accompaniment is offered. The majority of courses and events have an online facility, giving access to students and participants from all over the world.

Sacraments and pastoral care

The institute supplies schools, parishes, hospitals, prisons and other institutions with expertise, training and pastoral support. The institute is a member of the Cambridge Theological Federation (CTF), is associated with the University of Cambridge and Anglia Ruskin University, and with other CTF houses provides ecumenical and inter-faith encounters.

Teaching and learning facilitate exchange with art, culture and social justice initiatives. Teaching staff, research fellows, associates and students contribute to the academy, the church and wider society. The MA in Pastoral Care and Chaplaincy treats Pastoral Theology as it relates to the goals of chaplaincy and pastoral care.