St. Mary's Seminary and University

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
Not to be confused with Saint Mary Seminary and Graduate School of Theology.
St. Mary's Seminary and University
The seal of St. Mary's College and University
Motto Latin: Apostolica civilisque
(Apostolic and public)
Established 1791 (222 years ago)
Type Roman Catholic seminary
Religious affiliation Roman Catholic Church
(Sulpician Fathers)
President Rector Rev. Thomas R. Hurst, S.S., S.T.L., Ph.D.
Students 294
Location Baltimore, Maryland,
 United States
Coordinates: 39°21′44″N 76°38′17″W / 39.3623°N 76.6381°W / 39.3623; -76.6381
Campus 40 acres (16 ha)
Website www.stmarys.edu

St. Mary's Seminary and University is a Roman Catholic seminary in Baltimore, Maryland; it was the first seminary founded in the United States of America.

Contents

History [edit]

Founded in 1791 as a Catholic seminary, St. Mary's was chartered as a civil college by the state of Maryland in 1805 (1806?). It was established as a seminary in 1822 by Pope Pius VII, when it was authorized as the first ecclesiastical faculty in the United States with the right to grant degrees in the name of the Holy See.[1] The seminary was founded by the French Sulpician Fathers, and continues to be operated by that community.

Designed in 1806 by Maximilian Godefroy, a renowned French architect, (who also designed the Battle Monument and the First Unitarian Church. The original chapel stands adjacent to the Mother Seton House. It is the only part of the original seminary buildings remaining on North Paca Street, and is now used as part of the seminary's Spiritual Center. St. Elizabeth Ann Seton lived at the house while she was in Baltimore; it was later named for her.[1] The seminary's influence increased in the late 19th century under the leadership of Alphonse Magnien, who served as superior from 1878 to 1902.

St. Mary's moved to a large 40-acre park-like campus at the southwest intersection of Roland and Belvedere (later Northern Parkway) Avenues in the Roland Park section of North Baltimore in 1929,[1] [2]

In 1968, reflecting a more ecumenical spirit from the Second Vatican Council and partnerships with neighboring Christian (Protestant and Eastern Orthodox) and having additional space and resources due to a decline in the number of priests in formation by the late 1960s, an "Ecumenical Institute of Theology" was established with a separate board and began offering courses, programs, events with library resources and religious training on a graduate-level to the laity and clergy of the central Maryland area.


In 1974, the seminary's name was changed to "St. Mary's Seminary and University" to reflect its expanded departments and graduate degree programs.[2]

During his famous visit to the "Premier See" of Baltimore in 20XX, the first by any "Bishop of Rome", Pope John Paul II, visited briefly at the Seminary Chapel and used the spacious front lawn to lift off in his papal helicopter ending his tour of the Arcdiocese and City.

Fr. Robert F. Leavitt retired as president/rector in spring 2007, having served at that position for 27 years—the longest tenure of any president/rector in the school's history. The seminary's alumni have gone on to reach bishop's positions in many cities of the United States.

Institutes and facilities [edit]

The Knott Library (endowed by Henry J. Knott) at St. Mary's Seminary and University houses the collected papers of Fr. Raymond E. Brown S.S. (S.T.B., 1951), an eminent Johannine scholar and St. Mary's graduate.[3]

The Ecumenical Institute of Theology at St. Mary's, founded in 1968, offers graduate degrees and certificates; it supports a diverse adult learning environment of different ethnicities and denominations. Dr. Brent Laytham, formerly of North Park University, is the EI's dean, succeeding Fr. Robert Leavitt.[4]

In May 2012, N. T. Wright was the keynote speaker for the graduating class at the EI and was himself awarded an honorary degree.

Notable alumni [edit]

Cardinal James Gibbons entered St. Mary's Seminary in 1857.

References [edit]

  1. ^ a b c "America's First Seminary". St. Mary's Seminary and University. Retrieved 6 July 2010. 
  2. ^ a b "St. Mary's Seminary & University". BrainTrack. Retrieved 6 July 2010. 
  3. ^ "Welcome to the Knott Library". St. Mary's Seminary and University. Retrieved 6 July 2010. 
  4. ^ "The Ecumenical Institute of Theology: An Invitation". St. Mary's University and Seminary. Retrieved 6 July 2010. 
  5. ^ "John Payne Todd". Find A Grave. Retrieved 5 July 2010. 

External links [edit]
Public institutions
Private institutions
Community colleges
Defunct institutions
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=St._Mary%27s_Seminary_and_University&oldid=544715401"