SS. Cyril and Methodius Seminary was a four-year private

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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 ...

in Orchard Lake, Michigan, United States. The seminary, taking its name from

Saints Cyril and Methodius Cyril (; born Constantine, 826–869) and Methodius (; born Michael, 815–885) were brothers, Byzantine Christian theologians and missionaries. For their work evangelizing the Slavs, they are known as the "Apostles to the Slavs". They are ...

, was founded in 1885 in

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Michigan Michigan ( ) is a peninsular U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, Upper Midwestern United States. It shares water and land boundaries with Minnesota to the northwest, Wisconsin to the west, ...

, to prepare candidates for the

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 ...

priesthood primarily to serve

Polish American Polish Americans () are Americans who either have total or partial Polish ancestry, or are citizens of the Republic of Poland. There are an estimated 8.81 million self-identified Polish Americans, representing about 2.67% of the U.S. population, ...

immigrant communities. It closed in 2022.

Early history

Approval for founding such a seminary was granted on January 14, 1879, by

Pope Leo XIII Pope Leo XIII (; born Gioacchino Vincenzo Raffaele Luigi Pecci; 2March 181020July 1903) was head of the Catholic Church from 20 February 1878 until his death in July 1903. He had the fourth-longest reign of any pope, behind those of Peter the Ap ...

upon the petition of Father Leopold Moczygemba, a

Conventual Franciscan The Order of Friars Minor Conventual (O.F.M. Conv.) is a male religious fraternity in the Catholic Church and a branch of the Franciscan Order. Conventual Franciscan Friars are identified by the affix O.F.M. Conv. after their names. They are ...

, founder of the Polish settlement in Panna Maria,

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, in 1854. The establishment of the seminary was realized by Father Joseph Dabrowski, the first rector, who obtained approval from Bishop Caspar Borgess of Detroit for constructing a building on St. Aubin Avenue between Forest Avenue and Garfield Street and organizing the seminary program.

The move to Orchard Lake

Increasing enrollment and the need for additional space led the second rector, Father Witold Buchaczkowski, to transfer the seminary in 1909 from Detroit to the site of the former

Michigan Military Academy The Michigan Military Academy, also known as M.M.A., was an all-boys military prep school in Orchard Lake Village, Oakland County, Michigan. It was founded in 1877 by J. Sumner Rogers and closed in 1908 due to bankruptcy. Some journalists ...

in the rural village of Orchard Lake, northwest of Detroit.

The early program

The original academic program of the seminary consisted of ten years of studies: five in the preparatory classical department and five in the upper division, namely, two in philosophy and three in theology. In 1927, three four-year administratively independent schools were established: SS. Cyril and Methodius Seminary, St. Mary's College, and St. Mary's Preparatory, known collectively at present as the Orchard Lake Schools.

Current academic programs

In 1968, the Seminary began to provide a training program for

permanent deacons 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 denominations, such as the Catholi ...

, field education for seminarians, and continuing education for adults. In the ensuing years, the following degree programs were introduced:

Master of Divinity For graduate-level theological institutions, the Master of Divinity (MDiv, ''magister divinitatis'' in Latin) is the first professional degree of the pastoral profession in North America. It is the most common academic degree in seminaries and ...

(1973) for priesthood candidates, religious, and lay women and men; Master of Religious Education (1977), later designated as Master of Arts in Religious Education (1989); and

Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA or AM) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Those admitted to the degree have ...

in Pastoral Ministry (1989), an upgrading of the Certificate in Pastoral Ministry, which had been in existence since 1975.

Accreditation

In 1971, SS. Cyril and Methodius Seminary became an associate member of 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, United States. History The ATS was found ...

(ATS). In 1992 the seminary was granted candidacy for accredited status in the association and undertook a two-year self-study as part of the process leading toward accreditation. SS. Cyril and Methodius Seminary was granted initial accreditation by ATS in January, 1995.

References

External links

SS. Cyril and Methodius Seminary
{{DEFAULTSORT:Saints Cyril and Methodius Seminary Defunct Catholic seminaries in the United States Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Detroit Polish-American culture in Metro Detroit Properties of religious function on the National Register of Historic Places in Michigan Saints Cyril Buildings and structures in Oakland County, Michigan Education in Oakland County, Michigan Historic district contributing properties in Michigan 1910 establishments in Michigan National Register of Historic Places in Oakland County, Michigan