Holy Trinity Seminary is a

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

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

residence in

Irving, Texas Irving is a city in Dallas County, Texas, United States. It is part of the Mid-Cities region of the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex and is an Inner suburb, inner city suburb of Dallas. Irving is noted for its #Demographics, racial and ethnic diver ...

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, in the Diocese of Dallas, Texas that is located within the

University of Dallas The University of Dallas is a Private university, private Catholic church, Catholic university in Irving, Texas, United States. Established in 1956, it is Higher education accreditation in the United States, accredited by the Southern Associat ...

campus, founded in 1964. It is headed by Fr. Vincent Anyama. Seminarians at Holy Trinity Seminary attend classes at the

. The

is an independent

Catholic university Catholic higher education includes universities, colleges, and other institutions of higher education privately run by the Catholic Church, typically by religious institutes. Those tied to the Holy See are specifically called pontifical univers ...

with strong ties to the Diocese of Dallas. As a non-degree-granting academic residence, Holy Trinity Seminary is not separately accredited by any accrediting organization, but is approved by the Diocese of Dallas and the

Holy See The Holy See (, ; ), also called the See of Rome, the Petrine See or the Apostolic See, is the central governing body of the Catholic Church and Vatican City. It encompasses the office of the pope as the Bishops in the Catholic Church, bishop ...

for the formation of candidates for the priesthood prior to receiving the

sacrament A sacrament is a Christian rite which is recognized as being particularly important and significant. There are various views on the existence, number and meaning of such rites. Many Christians consider the sacraments to be a visible symbol ...

holy orders In certain Christian denominations, holy orders are the ordination, ordained ministries of bishop, priest (presbyter), and deacon, and the sacrament or rite by which candidates are ordained to those orders. Churches recognizing these orders inclu ...

Intellectual formation

As a part of their intellectual formation, seminarians of Holy Trinity Seminary attend classes at the

. During their time at the university, seminarians undergo studies in

philosophy Philosophy ('love of wisdom' in Ancient Greek) is a systematic study of general and fundamental questions concerning topics like existence, reason, knowledge, Value (ethics and social sciences), value, mind, and language. It is a rational an ...

and letters. This degree was designed specifically for seminarians, as it seeks to prepare them for their later priestly duties—particularly such that they gain a robust knowledge of first principles, which will in turn help their preaching, intellectual life, and ability to tend to the spiritual needs of parishioners. Seminarians who have not already earned a bachelor's degree prior to their entry into seminary graduate with a degree. Those seminarians who have already earned a bachelor's degree prior to their entry into seminary do not graduate with a degree, but rather are given a Certificate of Propaedeutic Studies. Holy Trinity Seminary does not itself grant degrees, but rather serves as a residence for seminarians as they take classes at the

, which neighbors the seminary.

Human formation

In addition to their coursework at the University of Dallas, seminarians preparing for the priesthood at Holy Trinity Seminary are assigned house jobs and a weekly, communal work order so they learn to think of the seminary as their house and to accept responsibility for its maintenance.

Alleged involvement in sexual scandals

In the 1970s Holy Trinity Seminary is accused of having ignored and lied about seminarians who were sexually abusive towards others, especially those who showed signs of homosexuality. One of the most infamous cases is of Rudolph (Rudy) Kos who entered the seminary at the age of 30 despite the fact that he had an abusive record from his previous marriage and having failed the psychological evaluation, and was later revealed to be a pathological liar and to have sexually abused his two brothers growing up. Kos was eventually ordained for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Dallas in 1990 and has been accused of abusing multiple boys before he was removed from the ministry in 1992.

References

External links

Official academic-residence websiteOfficial university website
{{authority control Catholic seminaries in the United States University of Dallas Educational institutions established in 1964 1964 establishments in Texas Roman Catholic Ecclesiastical Province of San Antonio