Hellenic College, Brookline, United States

Historical Details

Build - Founding Year:

1968

History:

Holy Cross was founded at Pomfret, Connecticut, in 1937 to educate men for priestly vocation. A decade later, Holy Cross relocated to Brookline, Massachusetts. By the 1950s, it was evident that the clergy of the Greek Orthodox Church in America needed to hold accredited educational credentials equivalent to those held by their counter-parts serving other sectarian denominations or religious traditions. A new institutional vision thus emerged that advocated the establishment of an accredited undergraduate college and the transformation of Holy Cross into an accredited graduate school of theology. Accordingly, Holy Cross began to move toward offering a three year graduate program of theological studies leading to the degree of Master of Divinity (M. Div.). Holy Cross also began to convert its three-year pre-theology course of study, which granted only a certificate, into a four-year program leading to the degree of Bachelor of Arts (B.A.). These curricula changes and necessary staffing were in place by the late 1960s. So, in 1968, Hellenic College, Inc., was launched. The newly incorporated institution of higher learning, known as Hellenic College, Inc., consisted of a four-year undergraduate college, Hellenic College, and a three-year professional graduate school of theology, Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology.