Divine Mercy University is moving home. Beginning Fall 2027, our classrooms, faculty offices, welcome center, and chapel will sit at the heart of one of the most vibrant Catholic intellectual communities in North America — the campus of The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C.
The move is a deliberate step into a larger story. DMU's mission — forming counselors, psychologists, and spiritual directors who carry the Catholic-Christian vision of the human person into their professions — has always been bigger than any single building. Settling alongside Catholic University deepens our partnership with the broader Catholic intellectual tradition while giving our students, faculty, and staff a richer academic environment to do that work in.
What's changing
| | | |---|---| | New address | O'Boyle Hall on the Catholic University of America campus, Washington, D.C. | | Target start | July 1, 2027 — aligned with the summer term for M.S. in Counseling and Ph.D. in Counselor Education and Supervision | | What lives there | Classrooms · faculty offices · a welcome center · DMU's chapel · counseling services |
Renovations to O'Boyle Hall are underway to prepare the space for DMU's use, including the restoration of a beautiful chapel that will keep the Eucharist at the center of our academic and community life.
What's staying the same
The things that make DMU what it is don't change with the address:
- Fully independent. DMU remains its own Catholic university with its own governance, mission, and identity. The relationship with Catholic University is a facilities partnership — not a merger.
- Same accreditation. SACSCOC institutional accreditation, APA accreditation for the Psy.D. in Clinical Psychology, and CACREP accreditation for the M.S. in Counseling all continue without interruption. See full accreditation details for contact information for each accrediting body.
- Same programs. Every degree, every concentration, every credential pathway continues unchanged. Students graduate with DMU degrees.
- Same online delivery. Online students keep their online courses. In-person residencies move to the new location once the transition is complete.
- Same model of integration. The Catholic Christian Meta-Model of the Person remains the lens through which DMU forms its students. The new home only widens the conversation.
Why the Catholic University of America
Catholic University is the only pontifically chartered university in North America — a place where the Church's intellectual life and the modern professions have lived under one roof since 1887. Its campus is woven into the largest Catholic neighborhood in the United States: the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, the Saint John Paul II National Shrine, and dozens of religious orders and Catholic institutions all sit within walking distance of O'Boyle Hall.
For DMU's faculty and students, the move means daily proximity to:
- A flourishing Catholic intellectual community with active researchers, doctoral candidates, and lecture series in philosophy, theology, and the social sciences
- Practicum and research collaboration opportunities at the Catholic University Counseling Center, which will share space in O'Boyle Hall
- A campus environment built around the Catholic liturgical and sacramental life
For prospective and current students, it means studying counseling and psychology in a setting where the questions of faith, reason, and the human person are part of the air.
How students and applicants will be supported
- Online students — online courses continue without change. Required residencies will take place at the new CUA location once the move is complete.
- On-site programs — DMU is working with Catholic University and neighboring institutions to provide parking, housing, and meal options for students attending in person.
- Transit-ready — O'Boyle Hall is steps from the Brookland-CUA Metro stop on the red line, with multiple bus routes also serving the campus.
- Safety — Catholic University maintains a dedicated campus police force, more than 700 security cameras, and shuttle/escort services. DMU will coordinate with CUA's safety office.
- Transitional financial support — DMU leadership is preparing transitional assistance for students whose situations are materially affected by the relocation. Details will be announced as plans are finalized.
Our chapel comes with us
The chapel that has anchored DMU's daily life in Sterling will be re-established at O'Boyle Hall. We plan to relocate the chapel's artwork — and the prayers enclosed behind it — to the new space, while carefully studying which statues, tabernacle, and sacred objects will translate to the new chapel. The goal is a chapel that reflects the reverence and beauty a place of worship deserves, at the new center of DMU's academic life.
The renovation will require at least $15 million to bring O'Boyle Hall to the standard our community deserves — classrooms reconfigured for clinical training, faculty and counseling-center offices built out, and the chapel restored as the spiritual heart of the new campus. This is a once-in-a-generation moment to invest in a Catholic university whose work has never been more needed.
Timeline
- 2026 — O'Boyle Hall renovation continues; DMU community engagement and feedback gathering.
- Spring 2027 — Logistics finalized for academics, residencies, housing, parking, and chaplaincy.
- Summer 2027 — Move-in begins; July 1, 2027 is the target start at CUA.
- Fall 2027 — First full semester operating from O'Boyle Hall.
Updates will be posted as milestones are confirmed.
Questions?
Current students, faculty, staff, and applicants are welcome to reach out directly:
Greg Shapero, Student Success studentsuccess@divinemercy.edu
For program-specific questions, request information and your message will reach the right admissions advisor.
