Saint Vincent Seminary is a

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 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

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 ...

Latrobe, Pennsylvania Latrobe ( ) is a city in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 8,060 as of the 2020 census. A part of the Pittsburgh metropolitan area, it is located near Pennsylvania's scenic Chestnut Ridge. Latrobe was incorpo ...

. It was founded by

Boniface Wimmer Boniface Wimmer, (1809–1887) was a German archabbot who in 1846 founded the first Benedictine monastery in the United States, Saint Vincent Archabbey in Latrobe, Pennsylvania. In 1855, Wimmer founded the American-Cassinese Congregation of ...

in 1846, who came from Saint Michael's Abbey in Metten,

Bavaria Bavaria, officially the Free State of Bavaria, is a States of Germany, state in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the list of German states by area, largest German state by land area, comprising approximately 1/5 of the total l ...

, to establish

Saint Vincent Archabbey Saint Vincent Archabbey is a Benedictine monastery in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania in the city of Latrobe. A member of the American-Cassinese Congregation, it is the oldest Benedictine monastery in the United States and the largest in th ...

as the first Benedictine monastery in North America. It is the fourth oldest Catholic seminary in the United States. The seminary was officially established on August 24, 1855, through an Apostolic Brief of

Pope Pius IX Pope Pius IX (; born Giovanni Maria Battista Pietro Pellegrino Isidoro Mastai-Ferretti; 13 May 1792 – 7 February 1878) was head of the Catholic Church from 1846 to 1878. His reign of nearly 32 years is the longest verified of any pope in hist ...

. Civil degrees are conferred by virtue of a charter granted by an act of the Pennsylvania State Legislature on April 18, 1870. Since 1870, over 300 students have earned the Master of Arts degree and 400 Master of Divinity degrees. More than 2,400 diocesan and religious students have been ordained priests.

Notable alumni

* James Renshaw Cox (1886–1951), priest of the Diocese of Pittsburgh, called the city's "Pastor of the Poor" and 1932 Jobless Party candidate for

President of the United States The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president directs the Federal government of the United States#Executive branch, executive branch of the Federal government of t ...

* Carl P. Hensler (1898–1984), priest of the Diocese of Pittsburgh, labor activist, co-founder of the Catholic Radical Alliance *

George Mundelein George William Mundelein (July 2, 1872 – October 2, 1939) was an Catholic Church in the United States, American Catholic who served as Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago, Archbishop of Chicago from 1915 until his death in 1939. He was elevat ...

(1872–1939), Archbishop of Chicago (1916–1939) * Rembert Weakland, (1927–2022), Archbishop Emeritus of

Milwaukee Milwaukee is the List of cities in Wisconsin, most populous city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Located on the western shore of Lake Michigan, it is the List of United States cities by population, 31st-most populous city in the United States ...

* René Henry Gracida (1923- ), Bishop of Corpus Christi (1983–1997) * Charles Owen Rice, priest of the Diocese of Pittsburgh, social activist, co-founder of the Catholic Radical Alliance * Douglas Robert Nowicki, (1945-2024), Archabbot of St. Vincent Archabbey

References

External sources

External links

{{authority control Latrobe, Pennsylvania Universities and colleges in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania Catholic seminaries in the United States Universities and colleges established in 1846 1846 establishments in Pennsylvania