Saint Patrick's Seminary and University in

Menlo Park, California Menlo Park is a city at the eastern edge of San Mateo County within the San Francisco Bay Area of California in the United States. It is bordered by San Francisco Bay on the north and east; East Palo Alto, Palo Alto, and Stanford to the south ...

is a

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: * Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD * Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a let ...

post-graduate

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 ...

whose primary mission is the formation of

clergy Clergy are formal leaders within established religions. Their roles and functions vary in different religious traditions, but usually involve presiding over specific rituals and teaching their religion's doctrines and practices. Some of the ter ...

for Western and

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dioceses 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 associate ...

. It is located on a historic, beautifully landscaped 40 acre campus in Menlo Park, California, 35 miles south of San Francisco, in the heart of

Silicon Valley Silicon Valley is a region in Northern California that serves as a global center for high technology and innovation. Located in the southern part of the San Francisco Bay Area, it corresponds roughly to the geographical areas San Mateo Cou ...

. Since its founding, on September 20, 1898, by San Francisco Archbishop Patrick William Riordan, with a faculty from the

Sulpician order The Society of Priests of Saint-Sulpice (french: Compagnie des Prêtres de Saint-Sulpice), abbreviated PSS also known as the Sulpicians is a society of apostolic life of Pontifical Right for men, named after the Church of Saint-Sulpice, Paris ...

and thirty-four young men, the seminary and university has grown considerably. In over 100-years, it has formed more than 2,000 priests. This school is governed by the

Archdiocese of San Francisco The Archdiocese of San Francisco (Latin: ''Archdiœcesis Sancti Francisci''; Spanish: ''Archidiócesis de San Francisco'') is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in the northern California region of the Unite ...

in association with its other sponsoring western and Pacific Rim dioceses. The Archbishop of San Francisco, Most Reverend Salvatore J. Cordileone, serves as the President and Chancellor of the Seminary and University. The President-Rector is Very Rev. Mark D. Doherty. The seminary and university is fully accredited as a graduate educational institution by the

Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada The Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada (ATS) is an organization of seminaries and other graduate schools of theology. ATS has its headquarters in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. History It was founded in 1918. The assoc ...

, the

Western Association of Schools and Colleges The Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) was an organization providing accreditation of public and private universities, colleges, secondary and elementary schools in California and Hawaii, the territories of Guam, American Sam ...

, and the

Congregation for Catholic Education , type = Congregation , seal = Coat of arms Holy See.svg , seal_size = 100px , seal_caption = Coat of arms of the Holy See , logo = , picture =Via della Conciliazione din Roma1.jpg , picture_caption = Palazzo delle Congregazioni in Piazza ...

in Rome. In the Spring 2022 semester, the seminary had an enrollment of 62 men, representing 11 dioceses and religious orders.

History

The second Archbishop of San Francisco, Archbishop Patrick William Riordan established St Patrick's Seminary in Menlo Park in 1898, in cooperation with the Society of Saint Sulpice—a French-based order of priests dedicated to educating (forming) future priests. To thank the generous Irish laypersons and clergy who helped to fund and support the Seminary, Riordan named it in honor of Saint Patrick of Armagh, the Apostle of Ireland. By this time, the Sulpician order had committed five priests, three Frenchmen and two Americans to staff the seminary. The first rector was Rev. Father Jean-Baptiste Vuibert, S.S. On August 24, 1898, the seminary was solemnly dedicated by Riordan, joined by Bishops George Montgomery of Los Angeles and Thomas Grace of Sacramento, along with more than 100 clergy. On September 20, 1898 the seminary received 31 high school students and 3 college-level students. The first annual commencement exercises took place on May 31, 1899 and were presided over by Riordan. As the seminary continued to develop, a Department of Philosophy was established with six students. In 1903, the Little Sisters of the Holy Family arrived from

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Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirte ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by to ...

, to take care of the domestic services such as cooking, laundry and cleaning. They have since returned to Canada due to a lack of religious vocations, but currently working in their stead are the Oblates of Jesus the Priest. The Society of Saint Sulpice withdrew completely from St. Patrick's Seminary & University on June 30, 2017.

Clerical formation

Students are admitted to Saint Patrick Seminary on the recommendation of their diocesan

bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ...

after intensive

psychological testing Psychological testing is the administration of psychological tests. Psychological tests are administered by trained evaluators. A person's responses are evaluated according to carefully prescribed guidelines. Scores are thought to reflect individ ...

and rigorous interviews. The program consists of four years of spiritual, academic and pastoral formation in residence. Following the second year of studies, a candidate undergoes a year of intensively supervised pastoral experience. Normally, a candidate is called to the

diaconate A deacon is a member of the diaconate, an office in Christian churches that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions. Major Christian churches, such as the Catholic Chu ...

by his bishop in the fall semester of his last year, to serve in a local parish for the remainder of that year before being called to the

presbyterate Presbyterium is a modern term used in the Catholic Church and Eastern Catholic Churches after the Second Vatican Council in reference to a college of priests, in active ministry, of an individual particular church such as a diocese or eparch ...

. All candidates undergo formation which includes daily participation in the

Liturgy of the Hours The Liturgy of the Hours (Latin: ''Liturgia Horarum'') or Divine Office (Latin: ''Officium Divinum'') or ''Opus Dei'' ("Work of God") are a set of Catholic prayers comprising the canonical hours, often also referred to as the breviary, of the ...

and the

Eucharist The Eucharist (; from Greek , , ), also known as Holy Communion and the Lord's Supper, is a Christian rite that is considered a sacrament in most churches, and as an ordinance in others. According to the New Testament, the rite was institu ...

, as well as spiritual exercises and special devotions. For continued studies at Saint Patrick's, all candidates must conform to the standards of

moral A moral (from Latin ''morālis'') is a message that is conveyed or a lesson to be learned from a story or event. The moral may be left to the hearer, reader, or viewer to determine for themselves, or may be explicitly encapsulated in a maxim. ...

and academic fitness required by the seminary in accordance with its directives and prescriptions for its program of priestly formation. Candidates deemed unsuitable for seminary life or for the priesthood are either put on probation or dismissed outright from the seminary community.

Notable alumni or staff

Notable alumni and staff include:Burns, Jeffrey M. ''St Patrick's Seminary, A Centenary History (1898–1998)'' Available at St Patrick's Seminary Archives

References

External links

Seminary rector wants priests who can dialogue, evangelize
(February 3, 2005).
St. Patrick Seminary
official website {{authority control Roman Catholic Archdiocese of San Francisco Catholic seminaries in the United States Seminaries and theological colleges in California Universities and colleges in San Mateo County, California Educational institutions established in 1898 1898 establishments in California Menlo Park, California Society of the Priests of Saint Sulpice