About

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A Catholic college of theology and formation, rooted in a historic home of the faith.

Who we are

A place of Catholic learning at Oscott, where faith and reason are taught together.

 Maryvale Institute sits at Oscott, a few miles north of Birmingham, on grounds that have been a home of Catholic life and learning for generations. Since its beginning, its aim has stayed the same: to help lay people, clergy and religious reach a deeper understanding of the faith and see what it means for everyday life. Maryvale stands within the Catholic theological tradition and teaches in the conviction that faith and reason belong together, each giving ground to the other.

Vision and Mission

Maryvale's vision and mission have stayed steady since the start: to teach the Catholic faith in full, form people for the life of the Church, and make that formation reachable wherever they are. The three commitments below run through everything the Institute does.

Faith presented whole

Maryvale lives and presents the Catholic faith, and brings it to bear on the moral and ethical questions of the day. Scripture and Tradition, read with the Church, sit at the centre of all it teaches.

Formation for the Church

Its courses form lay people, clergy and religious for a fuller part in the life and mission of the Church, with particular care for catechists and those in lay ministry. Evangelisation, catechetics, theology, philosophy and religious education run through the whole programme.

Learning wherever you are

Maryvale built its method on distance learning, modelled on the Open University. Students follow serious courses to recognised awards while keeping their work, family and vocational commitments, guided by specialist tutors and coursebooks at every step.

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I appreciated the distinctly Catholic character that was evident in the prayers during residentials, the lectures and online meetings, the feedback on our essays, and even in the books and topics we engaged with. It is really important to continue this mission.

Maryvale alum

St John Henry Newman

Maryvale was Newman's first home as a Catholic, and he gave it its name.

When John Henry Newman was received into the Catholic Church in 1845, Bishop Wiseman offered him and his companions Old Oscott house. Newman moved in early in 1846 and renamed it Maryvale. He wrote of the blessing of having Christ's presence in the chapel within his own walls, and the room he used, with its window looking down into that chapel, is still kept for students and guests today. His conviction that education is "the true enlargement of the mind" still shapes the Institute that grew up in his old home.