In September 2025, Saint Louis University (SLU) formalized two significant Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs) with key Catholic educational and ecclesiastical institutions in Indonesia—the Archdiocese of Makassar and Sekolah Tinggi Kateketik dan Pastoral Rantepao (STIKPAR) in Toraja.
Signed on 12 September 2025, the MOU between SLU with STIKPAR–Toraja, otherwise known as the Catechetical and Pastoral College of Rentepao, focuses on promoting the quality of education in Catholic institutions through academic and non-academic collaboration inspired by over 80 years of missionary work by the CICM Fathers in the region.
The agreement was signed by SLU President Rev. Fr. Gilbert B. Sales, CICM, PhD and Rev. Dr. Agustinus Sem P. T. S. S., MHum, Rector of STIKPAR–Toraja, and witnessed by SLU Vice President for Mission and Identity, Rev. Fr. Emery E. Mwako, CICM, MBA.
Among the key areas of cooperation are:
- Academic exchanges of professors and students for seminars, immersion, and internships;
- Collaborative research efforts with involvement in peer-reviewed journals and mentoring programs;
- Administrative cooperation sharing knowledge in Catholic education management; and
- Scholarship programs enabling lay and priest personnel from STIKPAR to pursue graduate studies at SLU, with the objective of preparing future faculty and expanding STIKPAR’s academic reach in Psychology, Guidance Counseling, Language Education, and other fields.
Meanwhile, on 13 September 2025, SLU and the Archdiocese of Makassar inked an MOU emphasizing collaboration in academic and research activities such as short-term programs, student exchanges, staff mobility, and joint supervision of doctoral theses. Both parties agree to exchange academic publications and resources to mutually benefit and grow their educational offerings. The signatories for this MOU were Fr. Sales and The Most Reverend Fransiskus Nipa, DD, Archbishop of Makassar, which was also witnessed by Fr. Mwako.
Aligned with United Nations Sustainable Development Goals 4 (Quality Education) and 17 (Partnership for the Goals), these partnerships further SLU’s mission to provide quality Catholic education through international academic cooperation and shared spiritual values, contributing to the growth and development of the Church and society in Southeast Asia. (Photos by Rev. Fr. Yohanis “John” Salama)
