Women in Ministry Scholarship Fund

Watch the video or read the story below to learn how McMaster Divinity College is continuing Susan Moulton McMaster’s legacy of advocating for the theological education of women.

Susan Moulton, circa 1860

While the origins of the McMaster story often focus on Senator William McMaster, we want to highlight another story, that of Susan Moulton McMaster, wife to William McMaster and an early advocate for the theological education of women.

Susan Moulton was born in 1819 to a family of five girls and three boys. Her father was one of the first to practice Baptist principles in Canada. At eight years old she accepted Christ as her Saviour and through her studies at Ipswich Seminary in Massachusetts, she caught the vision of what Christian education at a high level of study could contribute to families throughout the nation. Susan married Senator McMaster in 1871 and moved to Toronto where she made her home the centre of support for worthy causes and hospitality to many Baptist ministers and students over the years. Her interest in church-sponsored education influenced Senator McMaster in his relationships with the Toronto Baptist Theological College (now McMaster Divinity College) and its’ future.

Moulton College, circa 1900

When Senator McMaster suddenly died in 1887, Susan was given a life interest in their home on Bloor Street and donated the property to the creation of a new school named Moulton Ladies’ College. As told in Per Adua: The Story of Moulton College, “Mrs. McMaster’s imprint was on the new school from the first…She showed such true caring that girls loved her dearly. They said her presence was like sunshine and her words a benediction.

Susan Moulton McMaster with students, circa 1905

Mrs. McMaster’s support of the College was evident until her final years. In the year prior to her death in 1916, she wrote, “During the past twenty-three years young women have occupied so much of my thinking that my interests are concentrated on them now.”

Moulton College students in Ottawa, circa 1936

Alfreda Carlotta Natalie Hall, alumna and faculty of Moulton College, writes, “The life of the College from 1888 to 1954 covered sixty-six years of cataclysmic change in the social, economic and educational life of the Province of Ontario and City of Toronto…Through all, the College continued to stand for the principles of Christian education that its founder Susan Moulton McMaster cherished. The spirit of love and charity towards others that she stressed was challenged fiercely in 1954 but scores of girls came to understand its power to heal.”

Skating at Moulton College, circa 1939

After the closing of Moulton College in 1954, supporters of the College shifted their emphasis to assistance for women desiring higher education in commemoration of Moulton College, a tradition we are proud to be continuing today with the gift of funds towards the new Women in Ministry Scholarship Fund.

Dr. Cynthia Long Westfall, Associate Professor of New Testament, shares about her experience embracing her calling to ministry. 

Natasha Crozier, a 2024 Master of Divinity graduate, shares her journey and experiences in ministry.