cappie Posted September 6, 2014 Share Posted September 6, 2014 (edited) Not that long ago, Mount St. Mary’s Seminary of the West in Mount Washington/Cincinnati was practically a ghost town. Now it’s bursting at the seams. With a “freshman†class of 25 (including men from several other dioceses studying in Cincinnati) Mount St. Mary’s began classes last week with 66 men — leaving only a two vacant rooms out of the building’s newly renovated suites. Add to that the 17 men studying for the Archdiocese in college seminaries in Indianapolis and Columbus, and you have a vocation boom that would have seemed unimaginable less than 20 years ago, when the seminary reached a low of 27 seminarians studying at all levels. Many of those were “late vocations,†or men discerning a call to the priesthood later in life, after years following a variety of professions. While late vocations remain welcome, today’s seminarians tend to be younger as well as more numerous. “The average age of all our men in formation right now is just over 26,†says Wayne Topp, Associate Vocations Director for the Archdiocese of Cincinnati. That’s less than the national average of 30, and means that a considerable number of Cincinnati’s seminarians are completing their undergraduate work at a college, or “minor,†seminary (a bachelor’s degree is required to enter the “major,†or graduate level, seminary). see more: http://thecatholicbeat.sacredheartradio.com/2014/09/03/seminary-bursting-at-seams/ Edited September 6, 2014 by cappie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luigi Posted September 6, 2014 Share Posted September 6, 2014 Cappie - What's the normal course of study for a seminarian? Four years of minor seminary (college classes leading to a bachelor's degree) plus three years of major seminary (two years of college classes leading to a master's degree + one year of field experience/diaconate)? So these 66 men (plus the 17 men at other locations) are distributed over 7 years of study? Do I have the distinction between minor seminary and major seminary correct? Or am I missing a year somewhere? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CatherineM Posted September 6, 2014 Share Posted September 6, 2014 Ours is bursting too, seminarians and lay students. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhuturePriest Posted September 7, 2014 Share Posted September 7, 2014 Cappie - What's the normal course of study for a seminarian? Four years of minor seminary (college classes leading to a bachelor's degree) plus three years of major seminary (two years of college classes leading to a master's degree + one year of field experience/diaconate)? So these 66 men (plus the 17 men at other locations) are distributed over 7 years of study? Do I have the distinction between minor seminary and major seminary correct? Or am I missing a year somewhere? Bachelors in philosophy, masters in theology, ordination to the diaconate immediately followed by a year of experience working in a parish with a priest, then ordination to the priesthood. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CatherineM Posted September 7, 2014 Share Posted September 7, 2014 Here they do MDivs, and get ordained to the deaconate a year before they graduate. They get ordained priests pretty soon after graduating. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gabriela Posted September 7, 2014 Share Posted September 7, 2014 Praise Jesus! :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cappie Posted September 7, 2014 Author Share Posted September 7, 2014 Cappie - What's the normal course of study for a seminarian? Four years of minor seminary (college classes leading to a bachelor's degree) plus three years of major seminary (two years of college classes leading to a master's degree + one year of field experience/diaconate)? So these 66 men (plus the 17 men at other locations) are distributed over 7 years of study? Do I have the distinction between minor seminary and major seminary correct? Or am I missing a year somewhere? In Australia it is different as we have a slightly different education system.In some seminaries there are 3 years of Philosophy followed by 4 years Theology. During the final year of theology you are ordained to the diaconate. In some seminaries you are Ordained to the priesthood during your last year and return to the seminary to complete your studies. Some dioceses' add a"pastoral year" ito the mix as well. Sounds confusing? Well to complicate it more, if you are in a religious order you also add Postulancy and Noviciate as well! In Australia minor seminary meant students still at school, there are no minor seminaries in Australia Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brandelynmarie Posted September 7, 2014 Share Posted September 7, 2014 I've met two of the seminarians & I know one of the recently ordained. :priest: This is just so awesome. :) Thanks be to God! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheresaThoma Posted September 10, 2014 Share Posted September 10, 2014 I just looked up the numbers for the archdiocese of Denver (my former diocese) they have 64 seminarians for Denver and the seminary has about 120 men in formation. CRAZY! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marigold Posted September 10, 2014 Share Posted September 10, 2014 I just looked up the numbers for the archdiocese of Denver (my former diocese) they have 64 seminarians for Denver and the seminary has about 120 men in formation. CRAZY! Can we have some of them? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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