+A TRADITION OF CHRISTIAN EDUCATION
From the Rule of our holy Father St. Columbanus:
“What is best in the world? To do the will of the Maker. What is this will? That we should do what He has ordered—that is, that we should live in righteousness and seek devotedly what is eternal. How do we arrive at this? By study. We must therefore study devotedly and righteously. What is our best help in maintaining this study? The Intellect, which probes everything and, finding none of the world’s goods in which it can permanently rest, is converted by reason into the one good which is eternal.”
This ancient wisdom lies at the heart of the Coworkers of Christ Institute and Seminary (CWCIS).
From the earliest Celtic monasteries, where prayer and study were inseparably bound, to the modern world’s need for spiritual depth and social compassion, CWCIS stands as a continuation of the sacred tradition of Christian learning as formation for the soul.
Rooted in the Celtic Christian Spirit
The early Celtic saints, Ninian, Columba, Brigid, and Columbanus, wove together contemplation, hospitality, and service to create schools that were not only places of learning but communities of transformation. St. Ninian’s monastery at Whithorn in Scotland became one of the most respected centers of sacred study in its age, a place where worship, wisdom, and communal life shaped disciples of Christ.
CWCIS carries that same light into the present age. As an educational ministry of the Sacramental Community of the Coworkers of Christ, the Institute stands in the Free Catholic and Independent Sacramental tradition, drawing inspiration from Celtic Christianity, the Catholic Worker Movement, the Red Letter Christians, and the New Monasticism.
In this spirit, learning is not a luxury, it is an act of devotion, a way of loving God with one’s mind, heart, and strength.
Accessible, Affordable, and Formational
The Coworkers of Christ Institute and Seminary was founded upon the conviction that theological education should be accessible to all who feel called to serve Christ. For that reason, all of our programs are offered at exceptionally affordable rates, ensuring that financial limitations never stand in the way of genuine formation and study.
We recognize that many of our students are already deeply engaged in ministry, family, and community life. To serve them, CWCIS provides flexible distance and online learning options that allow students to study at their own pace, wherever they live. Each student is guided through their program by a dedicated academic mentor, ensuring that education is personal, relational, and attuned to the individual’s vocation and spiritual path.
At CWCIS, education is not about amassing credits, it is about cultivating wisdom, compassion, and a servant’s heart.
Learning in the Light of the Gospel
Our curriculum reflects the depth of the Christian intellectual and spiritual heritage, while also engaging the great Social Teachings of the Church, justice, peace, human dignity, and stewardship of creation. Students are encouraged to integrate theology with life, prayer with action, and contemplation with social responsibility.
Whether studying Scripture, theology, liturgy, or pastoral care, our students are formed to live out the Gospel in daily life, bearing witness to the truth that faith and love must become flesh in acts of mercy and reconciliation.
Open to All Who Seek
The Coworkers of Christ Institute and Seminary is open to all who wish to avail themselves of its educational ministry. We do not discriminate on the basis of age, gender, race, sexual orientation, national origin, socioeconomic status, religion, or theological perspective. What unites our students is not uniformity, but a shared desire to seek God through study, prayer, and service.
In the Spirit of the Coworkers
CWCIS continues the ancient and living tradition of Christian education that began in the Celtic monasteries: a way of life that unites faith and intellect, prayer and action, contemplation and compassion. It is our joy and vocation to walk beside all who feel the call to study, to serve, and to be formed as coworkers of Christ for the blessing of the world.