A minor seminary or high school seminary is a secondary day or boarding school created for the specific purpose of enrolling teenage boys who have expressed interest in becoming Catholic priests. They are generally

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwide . It is am ...

institutions, and designed to prepare boys both academically and spiritually for vocations to the priesthood and religious life. They emerged in cultures and societies where literacy was not universal, and the minor seminary was seen as a means to prepare younger boys in literacy for later entry into the major

seminary A seminary, school of theology, theological seminary, or divinity school is an educational institution for educating students (sometimes called ''seminarians'') in scripture, theology, generally to prepare them for ordination to serve as clergy ...

. The minor seminary is no longer very familiar in the developed world. The 1917 Code of Canon Law described the purpose of minor seminaries as: "to take care especially to protect from the contagion of the world, to train in piety, to imbue with the rudiments of literary studies, and to foster in them the seed of a divine vocation". Suitable boys were encouraged to graduate to a major seminary, where they would continue their tertiary studies for the priesthood. The program of priestly formation of the USCCB refers to them as "high school seminaries" rather than minor seminaries. Today, college seminaries, where philosophy is studied, are often called minor seminaries even though they are for those who have completed

high school A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...

Currently Operating Minor Seminaries

Canada

Seminary of Christ the King
( Mission,

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include ...

)

East Timor

* Seminary of Our Lady of Fatima – minor seminary, located in Dare * Seminary of SS Peter and Paul – major seminary, located in Fatumeta *

Good Shepherd Minor Seminary In most contexts, the concept of good denotes the conduct that should be preferred when posed with a choice between possible actions. Good is generally considered to be the opposite of evil and is of interest in the study of ethics, morality, ph ...

, Pala, India *

St Paul's Minor Seminary, Akalpur, Jammu ST, St, or St. may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Stanza, in poetry * Suicidal Tendencies, an American heavy metal/hardcore punk band * Star Trek, a science-fiction media franchise * Summa Theologica, a compendium of Catholic philosophy ...

Ghana

* St Teresa's Minor Seminary

India

* St.Joseph Minor Seminary, Kalamassery – Minor Seminary for the Archdiocese of Verapoly, Kerala. * St. Aloysius Seminary, Trivandrum – minor seminary for the Syro-Malankara Archeparchy of Trivandrum *

St. Agnes Minor Seminary ST, St, or St. may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Stanza, in poetry * Suicidal Tendencies, an American heavy metal/hardcore punk band * Star Trek, a science-fiction media franchise * Summa Theologica, a compendium of Catholic philosophy ...

, Cuddalore, Tamil Nadu

Indonesia

Minor seminary of Saint Paul Palembang St. Paul Seminary (St. Paul) is a high school level education institutions for prospective clergy (monks, priests) Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy * Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th c ...

* Peter Canisius Minor Seminary Mertoyudan * Wacana Bhakti Minor Seminary

Pakistan

St. Mary's Minor Seminary, Lahore St. Mary's Minor Seminary, Lahore, is the preparatory seminary in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Lahore. It is the first minor seminary in the country, st ...

* Our Lady of Lourdes Minor Seminary, Islamabad–Rawalpindi, founded in 1995 *

St. Pius X Minor Seminary St. Pius X Minor Seminary is the preparatory seminary in the Archdiocese of Karachi. It is located in North Nazimabad, Sindh, Pakistan. It had 21 seminarians in April 2008. Father Benjamin Shehzad was the seminary's rector from 2005 to 2012. I ...

– Karachi, founded in 1958 *

St. Thomas the Apostle Minor Seminary St. Thomas the Apostle Minor Seminary is the preparatory seminary of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Faisalabad in Pakistan. It was started in 1981 at the initiative of Bishop Paul Andreotti OP in a rented property at Nalka Kohala on Sargodha Road ...

, Faisalabad, founded in 1981

Philippines

* St. Augustine Minor Seminary-Minor Seminary of Iba, Zambales, Luzon covering Olongapo City and Zambales Province * San Jacinto Seminary ( Penablanca, Cagayan) –Minor Seminary of the Archdiocese of Tuguegarao * Diocesan Seminary of the Heart of Jesus ( San Fernando La Union) –minor seminary * Immaculate Conception Minor Seminary ( Vigan, Ilocos Sur) * St. Mary's Seminary ( Laoag, Ilocos Norte) - minor seminary * Immaculate Conception Minor Seminary ( Guiguinto, Bulacan) – Minor seminary of the Diocese of Malolos *

John Paul II Minor Seminary John Paul II Minor Seminary (abbreviated "JPIIMS") is the high school seminary of the Diocese of Antipolo located along Maguey Road, Barangay San Luis, Antipolo, Rizal, Philippines. The seminary was established in 2007, with a pioneer of forty-ei ...

( Antipolo, Rizal) – high school seminary of the Diocese of Antipolo * Oblates of St. Joseph Minor Seminary ( San Jose, Batangas) – high school seminary * Our Lady of Guadalupe Minor Seminary (

Makati Makati ( ), officially the City of Makati ( fil, Lungsod ng Makati), is a 1st class highly urbanized city in the National Capital Region of the Philippines. Makati is the financial center of the Philippines; it has the highest concentratio ...

) – high school seminary of the Archdiocese of Manila * Our Lady of Mount Carmel Seminary ( Sariaya, Quezon) - Minor Seminary, Diocese of Lucena * Pope John XXIII Seminary (Cebu City), Minor Seminary of the Archdiocese of Cebu * Pope Paul VI Minor Seminary ( Maasin City, Southern Leyte) * Saint Francis de Sales Minor Seminary ( Lipa City, Batangas) - Minor(High School) Seminary of the Archdiocese of Lipa * Holy Rosary Minor Seminary ( Naga City, Camarines Sur)

Archdiocese of Caceres In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associat ...

* St. Gregory the Great Seminary (Panal, Tabaco City); Celebrating 50 years in Panal 2–3 September 2010. Minor Seminary for the Diocese of Legazpi * Our Lady of Peñafrancia Seminary Sorsogon City),

Diocese of Sorsogon The 'Roman Catholic Diocese of Sorsogon'' (Latin: ''Dioecesis Sorsogonensis'') is a diocese of the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic Church in the Philippines. The diocese was established in 1951 by the Archdiocese of Caceres, and in 1968, the di ...

* St. Anthony High School Seminary (Kinamaligan, Masbate City) (Will celebrate 50 years of foundation in 2021) Under the supervision of the Diocese of Masbate * Sto. Nino Seminary ( Numancia, Aklan) - minor and college *

St. Pius X Seminary The Seminary of St. Pius X (''Latin:'' ''Seminarium Sancti Pii Decimi''), or St. Pius X Seminary (SPXS), is a Filipino Roman Catholic secondary school and seminary in the Lawaan hills, Roxas City, Capiz, in the Philippines, run by the Catholic p ...

(Lawaan, Roxas City, Capiz) - minor seminary of the

Archdiocese of Capiz The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Capiz is an ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in the Philippines. The archdiocese covers the entire province of Capiz on the island of Panay in the Visayas, central Philippines, and has ...

Saint Vincent Ferrer Seminary The Seminario de San Vicente Ferrer (Saint Vincent Ferrer Seminary), also known as San Vicente Ferrer, Seminario or Saint Vincent, is a college-seminary of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Jaro located in Iloilo City. It was founded in 1869 an ...

- ( Jaro, Iloilo City) - Minor Seminary of the Archdiocese of Jaro * Seminario de San Jose ( Puerto Princesa City, Palawan) - minor and major seminary

Poland

Minor Seminary of the Archdiocese of Częstochowa Minor may refer to: * Minor (law), a person under the age of certain legal activities. ** A person who has not reached the age of majority * Academic minor, a secondary field of study in undergraduate education Music theory *Minor chord ** Barb ...

- high school seminary of the Archdiocese of Częstochowa * Minor Seminary of the Diocese of Płock - minor seminary of the Diocese of Płock

United States

The following minor seminaries operate in the USA today. * Blessed Jose Sanchez del Rio Minor Seminary ( Mankato,

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the List of U.S. states and territories by population, 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minne ...

), high school seminary run by the Institute of the Incarnate Word; opened in 2008. * Sacred Heart Apostolic School ( Rolling Prairie,

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th ...

) run by the Legionaries of Christ, opened in 2005 * St. Lawrence High School Seminary (

Mount Calvary Calvary ( la, Calvariae or ) or Golgotha ( grc-gre, Γολγοθᾶ, ''Golgothâ'') was a site immediately outside Jerusalem in Christianity, Jerusalem's walls where Jesus in Christianity, Jesus was said to have been crucifixion of Jesus, cruci ...

Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

) run by the Capuchin Friars, opened in 1860 *St. Joseph Seminary ( Rathdrum,

Idaho Idaho ( ) is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. To the north, it shares a small portion of the Canada–United States border with the province of British Columbia. It borders the states of Montana and W ...

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( Sedevacantism, Sedevacantist) * Servants of the Holy Family ( Colorado Springs,

Colorado Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the wes ...

)
St. Joseph House of Formation
(Under Construction) ( Wichita,

Kansas Kansas () is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its capital is Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to ...

Wichita Diocese
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Uganda

*Bukalasa Minor Seminary * Christ the King Seminary, Kisubi, St. Joseph's Seminary, Nyenga, Christ the King Seminary, Kisubi, * St. Joseph's Seminary, Nyenga – minor seminary * Mubende Seminary – in Nandele and Nyenga; minor seminary * Nadiket seminary – for the dioceses of Kotido and Moroto * Saint Charles seminary – minor seminary *

Saints Joseph's and Gabriel's Junior Seminary Nswanjere In religious belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of holiness, likeness, or closeness to God. However, the use of the term ''saint'' depends on the context and denomination. In Catholic, Eastern Ortho ...

– located in Nswanjere, Mpigi District. * St. Pius X Seminary – Nagongera – Located in Tororo district; West Budama County; Junior and Minor Seminary * St. Paul's Seminary – Rushoroza – in Kabale for Kabale Diocese; minor seminary * Kitabi Seminary in Bushenyi for Mbarara Arch diocese; minor seminary * Sacred Heart Mission for the Brothers of Divine Mercy; Missionary preparation * Sacred Heart Seminary Lacor – Gulu archdiocese * St Peter's Seminary-Madera) – in Soroti for Soroti Diocese; minor seminary

Vietnam

Sacred Heart Seminary of Thai Binh Sacred describes something that is dedicated or set apart for the service or worship of a deity; is considered worthy of spiritual respect or devotion; or inspires awe or reverence among believers. The property is often ascribed to objects ( ...

– Minor Seminary of the Diocese of Thái Bình * Saint Nicolas Seminary of Phan Thiet – Minor Seminary of the Diocese of Phan Thiết

External links

Code of Canon Law (1983), IntraText edition with referenced concordance, hosted by the Vatican
* Congregation of Mary Immaculate Queen ( sedevacantist)
Blessed Jose Sanchez del Rio Minor SeminarySacred Heart Apostolic School

References

{{reflist School types