The Boston College School of Theology and Ministry (STM) is being renamed the Gloria L. and Charles I. Clough School of Theology and Ministry after benefactors Gloria and Chuck Clough, who donated $25 million to the STM, according to a University release.
“The School of Theology and Ministry is providing the highest quality talent for the Catholic Church for the next 50 years,” Chuck Clough said in the release. “It attracts terrific young people who really want to serve the Church. That is a tremendous promise for the future, one that will help us to fulfill Pope John XXIII’s understanding of the Church as the people of God.”
The Cloughs’ $25 million donation is the largest in the STM’s history, according to University Spokesman Jack Dunn.
“We are really excited about the news,” Dunn wrote in an email to The Heights.
Chuck Clough, BC ’64, is the chair and chief investment officer of Clough Capital Partners. He is also an ordained permanent deacon in the Archdiocese of Boston and joined BC’s Board of Trustees in 1994, serving as its chair from 1999–2002, according to the release. Chuck Clough also co-chaired BC’s “Light the World” campaign, which raised $1.6 billion for University advancement.
Gloria Clough, BC ’90 and ’96, is a psychiatric clinical nurse specialist. She established the chaplaincy program at Emerson Hospital in Concord, Mass., serving as the hospital’s first Catholic chaplain, according to the release. She serves as chair of the hospital’s board of directors, as well as a board member and former chair of Bridge Over Troubled Waters, a nonprofit organization serving homeless and high-risk youth.
“The STM is a place where Jesuits, religious, and laypeople are formed side by side in a vibrant, loving community,” Gloria Clough said in the release. “The School of Theology and Ministry gives me such hope for the Church and its future because of the critical work that goes on here.”
STM Dean Michael C. McCarthy, S.J., said in the release that having the STM named after the Cloughs is a blessing.
“In so many ways, Gloria and Chuck Clough represent everything the [STM] stands for: a deep faith; a commitment to the Catholic Church over so many years of change, crisis, and renewal; an understanding of the importance of theological education; and a personal experience of ecclesial ministry,” McCarthy said.
The Cloughs also established the Clough Center for the Study of Constitutional Democracy at BC in 2008, which aims to reflect on and reimagine the study of constitutional democracy in the 21st century, according to its website.
The couple established the Clough Colloquium in the Carroll School of Management as well, which hosts speakers from different fields and backgrounds to share their insights in a biannual forum, according to its website.
“I got so much out of Boston College; I am happy to be able to give back,” Chuck Clough said in the release.
Hosffman Ospino, chair of the STM’s department of religious education and pastoral ministry, said in the release that the Cloughs’ donation affirms the vital role of the STM in Catholic theological and ministerial formation.
“As a professor and researcher focused on preparing the next generation of ecclesial ministers that truly understand what it means to serve in a diverse church and a complex world, I am grateful for this support and the trust to forge ahead with pioneering spirit,” Ospino said in the release.
Margaret Eletta Guider, O.S.F., an associate professor of missiology and professora ordinaria at the STM, said the Cloughs embody what it means to be “persons for others.”
“In countless ways they have modeled what it means to be of service to the people of God—in the Church and in the world,” Guider said in the release. “Through their gift, the generosity, self-giving, and leadership that have characterized their lives now takes the form of a legacy of inspiration and support for the future of theology and ministry here in the United States and throughout the world.”
Gloria Clough said in the release that the two are honored to support the University and the STM through their donation.
“Boston College has played a special role in the life of our family,” she said. “We are honored to support BC and its outstanding School of Theology and Ministry.”
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