Saint Paul Seminary School of Divinity

Infobox_nrhp | name =St. Paul Seminary Historic District
nrhp_type = hd


caption = St. Mary's Chapel
location=2260 Summit Avenue Saint Paul, Minnesota
lat_degrees = 44
lat_minutes = 56
lat_seconds = 26
lat_direction = N
long_degrees = 93
long_minutes = 11
long_seconds = 44
long_direction = W
locmapin = Minnesota
area =
architect= Cass Gilbert
architecture= Other
added = March 11, 1986
governing_body = Private
refnum=86003818cite web|url=http://www.nr.nps.gov/|title=National Register Information System|date=2007-01-23|work=National Register of Historic Places|publisher=National Park Service]

The Saint Paul Seminary School of Divinity located in Saint Paul, Minnesota was founded by Archbishop John Ireland in 1894 to provide ordained priests for the ever increasing Catholic population of the Upper Midwest. The seminary now sits on the south campus of the University of St. Thomas allowing the seminarians and lay students to be part of the St. Thomas community. Since its creation over 3,000 priests have been ordained from Saint Paul Seminary, with thirty-three them being consecrated bishops, two archbishops, and one, Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen, with his cause open for canonization.

History

The primary financier to bring about Ireland's vision was a Methodist, James J. Hill. Despite being Protestant, Hill's wife, Mary, was a devout Roman Catholic and the half million dollar gift and endowment to start the seminary were in honor of her. Being overly dedicated to even the smallest aspects of the new seminary project, Hill's influence over the completed project could be seen on a larger scale in that the six initial buildings were made to look like a train depot (the seminary administration building), a steam engine (gymnasium and physical plant), box cars (Cretin, Grace (though constructed in 1913), and Loras halls), a refectory, and a roundhouse (school building). The seminary complex was designed by architect Cass Gilbert, who also designed the Minnesota State Capitol. When the seminary was final completed, Archbishop John Ireland shared his inspiration and desires for the new seminary in his address at the seminary's dedication on September 4, 1895 saying,

May rich blessings come to the Northwest from Saint Paul Seminary! The influence radiating from the seminary will reach more immediately the people of its own religious faith. They are a large part of the general population of the Northwest. Beyond them, however, must its influence go. Its spirit will be to work for the whole people, offering its strength to uphold every noble cause, and willing to cooperate with all men who labor to serve God, humanity, and country. [Waters, Noreen "Saint Mary's Chapel of the Saint Paul Seminary School of Divinity" quoting from "Saint Paul Seminary Register 1896"]

The dedication was attended by apostolic delegate Archbishop Francesco Satolli, four other archbishops, ten bishops, and over four hundred priests. The Pontifical Mass celebrated to dedicated the new seminary was attended by 20,000 people all told. Initially, in 1894, the seminary had sixty-five seminarians, by 1900 there were a hundred and ten seminarians from all over the Midwest and even from as far away as San Francisco. With the seminary buildings completed and students arriving, Archbishop John Ireland began the second phase of his building plans, the erection of what was to be come the main chapel, St. Mary's Chapel. [Sr. Mary Christine Athans, BVM "To Work for the Whole People: John Ireland's Seminary in St. Paul"]

St. Mary's Chapel

The center of, Ireland's vision for the Saint Paul Seminary, was the chapel dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary. The corner stone of the chapel was laid during a Pontifical Mass on July 2, 1901, the fiftieth anniversary of Bishop Joseph Crétin's arrival in the new diocese. [Sr. Mary Christine Athans, BVM "To Work for the Whole People: John Ireland's Seminary in St. Paul"] Though envisioned in 1891, the chapel was only completed by architect Clarence Johnston, who completed the last of Hill's ambitious building project, in an Italian Romanesque style. St. Mary's chapel was officially consecrated by Bishop Cotter on May 24, 1905 in another Pontifical High Mass celebrated by Bishop McGolrick. Under Archbishop Austin Dowling, the interior of the chapel was finished in the 1920s. The chapel was renovated in 1988, as part of the construction of the new seminary building, with a new design by Frank Kacmarcik which included reversing the interior of the chapel, removing the statues from the side altars, and whitewashing the interior decoration. Archbishop Roach intervened before the stained glass windows and the mural in the apse (now the entrance) could be destroyed, though too late to preserve the original high altar. The dramatic simplification of the chapel was done inorder to capture the original look of the chapel's starkness before Archbishop Dowling had the interior finished. [Sr. Mary Christine Athans, BVM "To Work for the Whole People: John Ireland's Seminary in St. Paul"]

Presently, The interior of the chapel has begun to be redecorated when the original Stations of the Cross were restored to the chapel, a statue of Our Lady of Confidence (Madonna della Fiducia) was installed and dedicated in a side-altar niche, and a relic of Blessed Mother Theresa of Calcutta was placed for veneration in the chapel. All of the new additions were done under the direction of rector Monsignor Callaghan.

Alumni

Notable seminary students include: Servant of God Archbishop Fulton Sheen, Archbishop John Roach, Bishop Frederick F. Campbell, Bishop Robert J. Carlson, Bishop Richard Pates, Bishop John F. Kinney, Bishop Stephen S. Woznicki, Bishop Joseph John Annabring, Bishop William Henry Bullock, Bishop James J. Byrne STD, Bishop Paul V. Dudley D.D., Bishop Lawrence A. Glenn, Bishop Thomas G. Gorman, Bishop Hilary B. Hacker, Bishop Lambert A. Hoch, Bishop Leonard Cowley, Bishop Raymond W. Lessard, Bishop Raymond A. Lucker, Bishop Lawrence J. McNamara, Bishop John J. McRaith, Bishop Gerald F. O'Keefe D.D., Bishop Francis Joseph Schenk, Bishop Alphonse J. Schladweiler, Bishop George H. Speltz, Bishop Sylvester W. Treinen, Bishop Nicolas E. Walsh, and Bishop Peter F. Christensen.

Since its opening in 1894 over 3,000 priests have been ordained through Saint Paul Seminary.

Currently

In 1987 the Saint Paul Seminary and the then College of St. Thomas, under the supervision of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis, formalized ties and the seminary became the Saint Paul Seminary School of Divinity. This agreement has allowed the seminary to expand its programs to support both the formation of seminarians to become priests and the laity to become leaders in their parishes. Students of the Saint Paul Seminary School of Divinity can earn degrees in Masters of Arts in Theology, Masters of Arts in Religious Education, Master of Divinity, and Masters of Divinity for Laity.

There are currently over sixty seminarians studying for ten different dioceses or archdioceses with students from nine different nations living in house.

Faculty

Rector: Monsignor Aloysius R. Callaghan, J.C.D.

Vice-Rector: Rev. Peter Laird, J.D., S.T.D. (Director of Seminarians & Moral Theology )

Priests:
*Rev. Christopher Beaudet, J.C.L. (Canon Law)
*Rev. Michael Byron, S.T.D. (Systematic Theology)
*Rev. Scott Carl, M.Div. (Studying at the Pontifical Biblical Institute)
*Rev. Andrew Cozzens, S.T.D. (Systematic Theology)
*Rev. Jerome Dittberner, S.T.D. (Systematic Theology)
*Rev. Thomas Kessler, M.Div. (Director of Pastoral Formation)
*Rev. Thomas Margevicius, S.T.L. (Liturgical Theology)
*Rev. Paul Sirba, M.Div., M.A. (Director of Spiritual Formation & Spiritual Director)Lay Faculty:
*Thomas Fisch, Ph.D. (Sacramental Theology and Liturgy)
*David P. Jenkins, D.M.A. (Liturgical Music Director)
*Curtis Le May, M.L.S. (Theological Librarian)
*Jeanne McLean, Ph.D. (Philosophy)
*Deborah A. Organ, D.Min. (Multicultural Ministry Formation)
*Sr. Paul Therese Saiko, SSND (Sacred Scripture)
*Kenneth D. Snyder, Ph.D. (Church History)
*Christopher J. Thompson Ph.D.(Academic Dean, Catholic Studies & Moral Theology)
*Janet M. Viktora, Ed.D. (Pastoral)
*Seung Ai Yang, Ph.D. (Sacred Scripture)
*Charlotte Berres, CSJ, D.Min.Endowed Chairs:
*Sr. Katarina Schuth, OSF, S.T.L., Ph.D. - Social Scientific Study of Religion Visiting Scholar:
*Janet E. Smith PhD

External links

* [http://www.stthomas.edu/spssod/ Official website] of the Saint Paul Seminary School of Divinity
* [http://stream.stthomas.edu/view.htm?id=spssod1 Official video] of the Saint Paul Seminary School of Divinity
* [http://www.archspm.org/ Website for the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis]

References