St Patrick’s Theological College is located at the Cathedral Complex in Toliara town. We prepare men and women for ordained and lay leadership ministry.

Vision:

Our vision is to be a training center producing leaders who glorify God by making Christ known in planting, renewing and growing the Church in Madagascar.

About the College:

St Patrick’s started as a place for training evangelists for ministry, evangelism and church planting in the Diocese of Toliara, as part of the ministry of Bishop Todd and Patsy McGregor, to whom we are grateful and for whom we give thanks to God.

Today St Patrick’s is a theological college offering high quality theological education, preparing future evangelists and ordained clergy from the Dioceses of Madagascar.

Here at St Patrick’s Theological College:

• We train future church leaders

We believe in theological training. The church has no future unless it has a solid and sound theological foundation, and so we invest in theological training of the future church leaders of Madagascar. Our goal is to equip students with the necessary knowledge and skills that will be useful for them in their ministry. 

The church in Madagascar is growing. The Diocese of Toliara, for example, has grown at an extraordinary rate over the last two decades. In the Androy region around 30 new churches have been planted within only a year. Such success has led to a need for more clergy and full-time evangelists. Therefore, training new and future generations of leaders is vital for the long term sustainability of the Diocese of Toliara as well as the church in Madagascar.

Our training is aimed at helping our students grow in the knowledge of God. Gaining skills and being prepared for work are important and necessary but must always flow from a solid Biblical foundation, this is why at the core of our course is helping students to know God better, in order that they will be able to make Him known better by those they teach and lead.

• We are Biblical

Our training is Biblical. If we want to help students know God, then we need to help them to read, understand and apply the teaching of the Bible. We believe that the Bible is the inspired Word of God and contains God’s Revelation of Himself, His plans and His purposes.  What the Bible says is what God says to us. The Bible is for us the ultimate authority in matter of Doctrine and lives.  For this reason, we use course materials that take the Bible seriously and help us to understand it better.

• We are Christ-Centred

Our training is Christ- centered. We believe that Jesus Christ is God’s revelation to us, as well as the author and interpreter of Scripture. Therefore, we study theology by interpreting the Scripture through the life and ministry of Jesus Christ. Christ is our hermeneutical principle. We also strive to follow the life and ministry of Jesus Christ as the best example for us.

• We are a community

Our training is in community. St Patrick’s Theological College is a community of students living together on campus. The campus is located in the Cathedral complex. Students study together, worship together, live together, cook together and eat together. The Principal, Vice-Principal, Archdeacon of the Cathedral and the Bishop also live in the same complex. We believe that, by living and studying in community, we can support one another, not only in knowledge, but also in our spiritual life and ministry. 

• We are contextual

Our training is contextual and relevant. Our teaching equips students to be able to respond to the needs of their contexts. It helps students to apply Biblical principles in dealing with issues of poverty, corruption and all the socio-economic and political challenges of the Country. 

However, it is impossible to pursue our goals without you supporting us with prayer and financial support.

Library and teaching resources

The College is blessed with a number of people who can teach the courses. When Bishop Todd and Rev Patsy McGregor left Toliara, they donated their collection of theological books to the College’s library. There is a dedicated library space with book cases, desks, and other basic educational resources.

This library can be used by the students training for lay and ordained positions, as well as being a resource for existing church leaders and clergy.

There is also a computer lab for online learning, research and studies:

Ongoing training for existing church leaders

Many of the existing church leaders need to deepen their knowledge and understanding, through refreshing existing skills and new training.

Additional training is also needed when church leaders seek new roles in the church, as well as for training senior clergy in their new roles and responsibilities. The Diocese is huge and church leaders value the chance to get together and share experiences, so there is also a need to organize and run symposiums and retreats to renew their learning and deepen their faith.

The Rector/Principal

He is married to Sandria and they are blessed with two children.

The Vice-Principal

Two Academic Programs

Our vision is to be a training center that produces leaders who glorify God by making Christ known in planting, renewing and growing the church in Madagascar.

In the service of this vision, we offer the License in Theology diploma for those who want to exercise ordained ministries (Deacon, Priest or Pastor).

We also offer distance learning courses for both the License in Theology candidates and for others interested in deepening their faith and knowledge.  You can find out more about these here.

How can you help the College

You can support us by praying for the College.

You can support us by donating to the College.

The College values your financial support and partnership with us. Without it, we wouldn’t be able to support faculty, run the College or provide scholarship for our students. If you’d like to discuss areas of current need, please contact the Principal on +261 346 878 773 or by email at lainirina@yahoo.fr