San Francisco Vocations
Seminary Life
Theological Seminaries
St. Patrick's Seminary: Menlo Park, California
http://www.stpatricksseminary.org/
The mission of St. Patrick's Seminary is to prepare priests according to the mind of Christ and the needs of the Church in our present day. There are many aspects to this formation: personal, social, spiritual, intellectual, and pastoral. The priest must ever see himself dependent on God for his life and existence, for his vocation and his priestly ministry in Christ. The Latin phrase of Fr. Olier, founder of the Society of St. Sulpice, expresses what must be an essential part of the priest's life: Vivere summe Deo in Christo Iesu, "To live fully to God in Christ Jesus."
St. Patrick's Seminary is located in Menlo Park, California, where it prepares men for priesthood in the Roman Catholic Church.
St. Patrick's Seminary was founded on a vision over one hundred years ago. Throughout its history it has been staffed by the priests of the Society of Saint Sulpice and by others who share their vision of priestly formation. St. Patrick's Seminary has prepared more than 2,000 priests who have served the people of God in the western United States and Pacific Rim.
Through the guidance of the Archdiocese of San Francisco - in association with its other sponsoring Bishops, St. Patrick's Seminary provides a program of priestly formation with a particular emphasis on preparing seminarians for pastoral service in parishes and other diocesan ministries. Religious communities also enroll candidates for education and training.
St. Patrick's Seminary is fully accredited as a graduate educational institution by the Association of Theological Schools, the Western Association of Schools and Colleges, and the Congregation for Catholic Education in Rome.
The North American College: Rome
Back in 1855, Pope Pius IX asked the bishops of the United States to open a seminary in Rome, where young men from far away America could prepare for the priesthood. On December 8, 1859, the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, twelve seminarians from the United States entered the "North American College," located in a renovated 250-year-old former convent on the Via dell' Umiltá, right down the hill from the papal residence on the Quirinale, and the College officially opened. There the seminary flourished until World War II, when the crisis forced it to close temporarily. After the war, the bishops of the United States decided to build a new seminary, located on the Janiculum Hill overlooking the Vatican. This spacious, modern, attractive facility was dedicated by Pope Pius XII on October 14, 1953. There the College prospers to this day.
Actually, the North American College comprises a variety of programs. First is the seminary on the Janiculum, where men from the United States prepare for the diocesan priesthood back home. Secondly is the Casa Santa Maria, located in the original College building on the Via dell' Umiltá in downtown Rome, where about seventy American priests reside while doing graduate work in theology and other fields of ecclesiastical study. A third component of the College is the Institute for Continuing Theological Education, a three-month sabbatical program for priests offered twice a year, located as well on the Janiculum. Finally, the college administers the Bishops' Office for U.S. Visitors to the Vatican, located at the Casa Santa Maria, which assists pilgrims to make their journey to Rome as spiritually fruitful as possible, especially by seeing the Holy Father.
An essential part of the College as well is the generous support system of bishops, vocation directors, alumni, and benefactors, and a development office which promotes all the facets of College life.
Theological College at Catholic University
http://theologicalcollege.org/
Theological College is a national diocesan seminary of the Catholic Church in the United States. It is affiliated with The Catholic University of America, and is owned and administered by the priests of the Society of St. Sulpice. More than 30 bishops and 1,500 priests have received their priestly formation in the tradition of the Sulpician Fathers of Theological College since the seminary was founded in 1917.
Blessed John XXIII National Seminary
http://www.blessedjohnxxiii.edu/
Blessed John XXIII National Seminary is a Roman Catholic professional and graduate theological institution dedicated uniquely to the preparation of seminarians thirty years of age and older responding to a call to priestly ministry. Its program is based on the Ratio Fundamentalis of the Holy See, the Program of Priestly Formation of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops and the Post Synodal Exhortation of Pope John Paul II, Pastores Dabo Vobis. It fosters the human, spiritual, academic and pastoral formation of its seminarians. The program especially respects and utilizes the life experiences of its seminarians as it prepares them for ordained ministry.
College Seminaries
Mount Angel Seminary
http://www.mountangelabbey.org/seminary/index.html
Mount Angel Seminary comprises a Graduate School of Theology and a College of Liberal Arts in the Benedictine tradition whose primary purpose is the education and formation of men for the Roman Catholic priesthood. The School of Theology also admits qualified lay men and women who are interested in pursuing a theological education. The seminary is committed to academic excellence, to holistic formation, and to providing a solid foundation for growth in the spiritual life.
For over one hundred years Mount Angel Seminary has served the needs of dioceses and religious communities throughout the United States, Canada, and the nations of the Pacific.
Mount Angel Seminary is a fully accredited academic institution, and its policies and mission are written in conformity with The Program of Priestly Formation of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops.
Bishop White Seminary
http://www.bishopwhiteseminary.com/
Bishop White Seminary is a Roman Catholic college seminary which provides information to college age seminarians, those in pre-theology, and seminarians learning English as a Second Language. The operation of the seminary is a collaborative effort between the Catholic Diocese of Spokane and Gonzaga University. Students take classes at the university while receiving their formation at the seminary.