Catholic Education Service Recognise St Mary’s University’s Contributions to Higher Education

St Mary’s University, Twickenham was delighted to recently receive a letter from the Rt Rev Marcus Stock, Bishop of Leeds, on behalf of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales celebrating the University’s 175^th anniversary and recognising our contributions to higher education and to the life of the Church in this country.

In the statement, Bishop Marcus recognised St Mary’s “success in promoting high-quality research, its engagement with the Catholic community and its support for the development of the Mater Ecclesiae College.”

Bishop Marcus also noted the University’s new School of Medicine development and how this “will continue the work of the university of providing a high-quality education in area of great social need.”

Speaking of the statement, Professor Anthony McClaran said, “We are honoured to receive this statement of support from the Bishops’ Conference. St Mary’s is proud of its place in UK higher education as one of four Catholic Universities who place the experience of our students at the heart of our mission.

“In 2025 we are celebrating 175 years of inspiring excellence and look forward to a future serving the Church and all who will be part of our community. This will include initiatives such as our new School of Medicine and Centenary Building projects which are integral parts of our future development.”

The full letter from Bishop Marcus can be read here.

About St Mary’s University

Founded in 1850 to train teachers for Catholic schools, St Mary’s University is one of the country’s oldest Higher Education Institutions and has been inspiring excellence for 175 years. Having achieved full university status in 2014, St Mary’s is also one of the top-rated modern universities nationally and has ambitious plans for the future to ensure it continues to make a positive impact locally, nationally and globally. St Mary’s proudly hosts Mater Ecclesiae College, a pontifical institute awarding ecclesiastical degrees under the authority of the Holy See.

Through St Mary’s academic programmes, the University seeks to develop the whole person and empower our community to have a positive impact on the world, aligned to Saint John Henry Newman’s vision for Catholic universities.

Allied to this the University is deeply conscious of its social responsibilities, and continues to respond to the challenges and opportunities that the 21^st Century presents. St Mary’s undertakes research and makes impactful contributions to public debate and policy in diverse fields spanning, modern slavery and human trafficking, pedagogy, theology and health sciences - even developing equipment for astronauts to use on the International Space Station.

A key development for the University is the launch of the School of Medicine, which will begin training doctors in 2026. Graduates from this new school will be equipped to be compassionate contributors to the global medical community.

At its heart, St Mary’s remains a university committed to delivering outstanding outcomes for its students and is rated in the top 10 nationally for teaching quality for the 2025 Sunday Times Good University Guide.