AST's History

Faint glimmers of the unusual, even unique collaboration which is AST’s contribution to ecumenical education, could be detected in the increasing cooperation among the founding institutions in the late nineteen sixties. During those years, students of King’s College, Holy Heart Seminary and Pine Hill Divinity Hall shared some classes and benefited on a limited basis from a sharing of faculty from the other institutions. Limited though this cooperation was, it was a beginning.

Circumstances and challenges of the day suggested new ways in which the theological institutions could cooperate in the days ahead. Deliberations subsequently led to the recommendation that one school of theology be founded, a resolution agreed to by King’s, Holy Heart and Pine Hill. Articles of Agreement were signed on March 29, 1971; the School admitted its first students in September of 1971.

AST Act—1974

An Act to Incorporate Atlantic School of Theology
Signed: 28 June 1974
into force: 1 May 1974
IN FORCE

Three years after the Founding Agreement, government of the Province of Nova Scotia passed An Act to Incorporate Atlantic School of Theology establishing the Board of Governors as a body corporate: an autonomous university with power to confer degrees in its own right under the name of “Atlantic School of Theology.” Before that, degrees had to be conferred by the Founding Parties.

To view the Act, as approved by the Legislature of Nova Scotia, please open NS Legislature Statues 1973-74 (PDF) and scroll to page 291.

The Story of AST

The Story of AST is a celebration of the past, present and future, written in honour of AST's 40th Anniversary.