Saint Francis de Sales Seminary is a

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 ...

for the

Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Milwaukee The Archdiocese of Milwaukee () is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory, or archdiocese, of the Catholic Church in southeast Wisconsin in the United States. The Archdiocese of Milwaukee is the metropolitan see of the ecclesiastical province of ...

, located in the

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 ...

suburb of St. Francis, Wisconsin. Its main building, called Henni Hall, is listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

Dedication

The seminary was dedicated to

Francis de Sales Francis de Sales, Congregation of the Oratory, C.O., Order of Minims, O.M. (; ; 21 August 156728 December 1622) was a Savoyard state, Savoyard Catholic prelate who served as Bishop of Geneva and is a saint of the Catholic Church. He became n ...

, seventeenth-century

Bishop A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of Episcopal polity, authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of di ...

and saint of the

Roman Catholic Church 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 ...

History

The seminary was founded in 1845 in the home of Archbishop

John Henni John Martin Henni (June 15, 1805 – September 7, 1881) was a Swiss-born Catholic prelate who served as the first Archbishop of Milwaukee from 1843 until his death in 1881. Biography Early life and education John Henni was born on June 15, 1805 ...

, two years after the Archdiocese was established in Milwaukee. It is one of the original Roman Catholic seminaries in the United States and the oldest in continuous existence. It was founded to meet the demand for German-speaking priests in the Wisconsin Territory. Henni Hall was dedicated on January 29, 1856 after a new location was chosen for the seminary along the south shore of Lake Township. The building was 4.5 stories tall, Italianate-styled, with a U-shaped floor plan. The gingerbread ornamentation was added at a later date. It was expanded in 1868 and again in 1875, and later renovated in 1989. Christ King Chapel within Henni Hall was consecrated in June 1861 by Archbishop Henni. Archbishop

Michael Heiss Michael Heiss (April 12, 1818 – March 26, 1890) was a Germany, German-born Catholic Church in the United States, American Catholic prelate who served as Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Milwaukee, Archbishop of Milwaukee from 1881 to 1890. He prev ...

and Fr. Joseph Salzmann, the first two rectors, are buried beneath the chapel. The seminary's Salzmann Library was erected in 1908 and now contains more than 89,000 volumes. The Miller Gymnasium, a gift from the estate of Ernest G. Miller, was dedicated in 1927. Over the past 170 years, Saint Francis de Sales Seminary has graduated over 4,000 priests and over 400 deacons and lay ministers. Until 1941, it had included a

minor seminary 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 Priesthood (Catholic Church), Catholic priests. They are generally ...

component, but in that year those students were merged with the students at Pio Nino High School to form the new St. Francis de Sales Preparatory Seminary. Since 2006, the seminary once again focuses solely on priestly formation. Church land accounts for a significant portion of the City of St. Francis. On the grounds of Saint Francis de Sales Seminary is a large undeveloped area known as the '' Seminary Woods'' which hosts a small cemetery and grotto honoring

Our Lady of Lourdes Our Lady of Lourdes (; ) is one the Marian devotions, devotional names or titles under which the Catholic Church venerates the Mary, mother of Jesus, Virgin Mary. The name commemorates a series of Lourdes apparitions, 18 apparitions reported by ...

. Archbishop Frederick Xavier Katzer is also buried here. Forty-nine tall maple trees line the long road that leads up to Saint Francis de Sales Seminary. Planted by

Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...

n immigrant Siegfried Wegerbauer in the 1930s, their canopy now forms cathedral arches shading the path.Cathedral of maple boughs is an immigrant's legacy
''Milwaukee Journal Sentinel,'' August 9, 2005.

Our Lady of Lourdes Grotto

The Our Lady of Lourdes Grotto was built by

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

born

Paul Dobberstein Paul Matthias Dobberstein (September 21, 1872 – July 24, 1954) was a German American priest and architect. Dobberstein was born in Rosenfeld, Germany to Francis "Frank" Dobberstein and Julia Froehlich. Father Dobberstein was educated at t ...

while training at the seminary in 1894. During his studies he contracted double pneumonia and promised the

Blessed Virgin Mary Mary was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Saint Joseph, Joseph and the mother of Jesus. She is an important figure of Christianity, venerated under titles of Mary, mother of Jesus, various titles such as Perpetual virginity ...

he would build a grotto in her honor, once he recovered. This monument can be found in Saint Francis de Sales Seminary's wooded area. It is free for anyone to view. Standing a mere ten feet tall, this grotto was Dobberstein's first attempt at grotto building. He used the knowledge and skills gained during its construction to build other grottos in

Wisconsin Wisconsin ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest of the United States. It borders Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michig ...

and

Iowa Iowa ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the upper Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west; Wisconsin to the northeast, Ill ...

, including the massive

Grotto of the Redemption A grotto or grot is a natural or artificial cave or covered recess. Naturally occurring grottoes are often small caves near water that are usually flooded or often flooded at high tide. Sometimes, artificial grottoes are used as garden featu ...

found in

West Bend, Iowa West Bend is a village in Kossuth and Palo Alto (originally) counties in the U.S. state of Iowa. The population was 791 at the time of the 2020 census. History West Bend got its start in the early 1880s, following the construction of the Burl ...

. It is believed to have inspired Mathias Wernerus (who also attended Saint Francis de Sales Seminary) to build the Dickeyville Grotto in

Dickeyville, Wisconsin Dickeyville is a village in Grant County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 1,015 at the 2020 census. The Dickeyville Grotto is located in the heart of the village. History Dickeyville was not formally platted. The village was nam ...

in 1930 and started the grotto building movement in America.

Notable alumni

* Dismas Becker – Wisconsin legislator and civil rights activist *

Fabian Bruskewitz Fabian Wendelin Bruskewitz (born September 6, 1935) is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church who served as bishop of the Diocese of Lincoln in Nebraska, from 1992 to 2012. A 2021 report by the Nebraska Attorney General cited sever ...

– Bishop of the

Roman Catholic Diocese of Lincoln The Diocese of Lincoln () is a Latin Church diocese in Nebraska, United States, and comprises the majority of the eastern and central portions of the state south of the Platte River. It is a suffragan see to the archdiocese of Omaha. The episcopa ...

Solanus Casey Solanus Casey, OFM Cap (born Bernard Francis Casey; November 25, 1870 – July 31, 1957) was an American Catholic priest of the Order of Friars Minor Capuchin. He was known as a healer and for his abilities as a spiritual counselor, but especial ...

– beatified priest *

Edward Joseph Dunne Edward Joseph Dunne (April 23, 1848 – August 5, 1910) was an Irish-born prelate of the Catholic Church. He served as Bishop of Dallas from 1894 until his death in 1910. Biography Early life Edward Dunne was born in Gortnahoe, County ...

– Bishop of the

Roman Catholic Diocese of Dallas The Diocese of Dallas () is a Latin Church ecclesiastical jurisdiction of the Catholic Church in North Texas in the United States. It is a suffragan diocese of the Archdiocese of San Antonio. The diocese was founded on July 15, 1890. The mother ...

* Mariano Simon Garriga – Bishop of the

Roman Catholic Diocese of Corpus Christi The Diocese of Corpus Christi () is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory, or diocese, of the Catholic Church in southern Texas in the United States. The Diocese of Corpus Christi is a suffragan diocese in the ecclesiastical province of the met ...

* Augustus F. Gearhard – Deputy Chief of Chaplains of the

U.S. Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is one of the six United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Tracing its origins to 1 ...

* Daniel Mary Gorman – Bishop of the

Roman Catholic Diocese of Boise The Diocese of Boise () is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory, or diocese, of the Roman Catholicism in the United States, Catholic Church in Idaho in the United States. The Diocese of Boise is led by Bishop Peter F. Christensen, whose seat i ...

James Groppi James Edmund Groppi (November 16, 1930 – November 4, 1985) was an American Catholic former priest and noted civil rights activist in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He became well known for leading numerous protests, many times being arrested during ...

– Civil rights leader,

* Francis J. Haas – Bishop of the

Roman Catholic Diocese of Grand Rapids The Diocese of Grand Rapids () is a Latin Church diocese of the Catholic Church in western Michigan in the United States. It comprises 80 parishes in 11 counties. It is a suffragan see to the Archdiocese of Detroit. The mother church of the dioces ...

* Jeffrey Haines – Auxiliary Bishop of the

* James Michael Harvey –

Cardinal Cardinal or The Cardinal most commonly refers to * Cardinalidae, a family of North and South American birds **''Cardinalis'', genus of three species in the family Cardinalidae ***Northern cardinal, ''Cardinalis cardinalis'', the common cardinal of ...

* John Joseph Hennessy – Bishop of the

Roman Catholic Diocese of Wichita The Diocese of Wichita () is a Latin Catholic ecclesiastical territory, or diocese, of the Catholic Church in Kansas in the United States. It is a suffragan diocese in the ecclesiastical province of the metropolitan Archdiocese of Kansas City i ...

Donald J. Hying Donald Joseph Hying (born August 18, 1963) is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic, Roman Catholic Church, serving as the bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Madison, Diocese of Madison in Wisconsin since 2019. Hying previously serve ...

– Bishop of the

Roman Catholic Diocese of Madison The Diocese of Madison () is a Latin Church diocese in the southwestern part of Wisconsin in the United States. The diocese has approximately 167,000 Catholics in 102 parishes with 98 priests in active ministry. As of 2025, the bishop of Madison ...

* Francis Johannes – Bishop of the

Roman Catholic Diocese of Leavenworth The Diocese of Leavenworth () was a Latin Church former diocese and present titular see originally in and around Kansas, in the midwestern United States. History * The future diocese was created on 19 July 1850 as Apostolic Vicariate of Indian T ...

Frederick Katzer Frederick Xavier Katzer (February 7, 1844 – July 20, 1903) was an Austrians, Austrian-born Catholic Church in the United States, American Catholic prelate who served as Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Milwaukee, Archbishop of Milwaukee from 1891 t ...

– Bishop of the

Roman Catholic Diocese of Green Bay The Roman Catholic Diocese of Green Bay () is a Latin church diocese in the northeast region of Wisconsin in the United States. It is a suffragan diocese of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Milwaukee, Archdiocese of Milwaukee. Its mother church i ...

* Bernard B. Kroenke – Wisconsin legislator *

John Jeremiah Lawler John Jeremiah Lawler (August 4, 1862 – March 11, 1948) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as bishop of the Diocese of Lead (later changed to Diocese of Rapid City) in South Dakota from 1916 until his death in 1948. ...

– Bishop of the

Roman Catholic Diocese of Rapid City The Diocese of Rapid City () is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory, or diocese, of the Catholic Church in western South Dakota in the United States It is a suffragan diocese of the metropolitan Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis. Th ...

* Francis Peter Leipzig – Bishop of the

Roman Catholic Diocese of Baker 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 Roman civilization * Epistle to the Romans, shortened to Romans, a letter ...

Thomas Mathias Lenihan Thomas Mathias Lenihan (August 12, 1844 – December 15, 1901) was an Irish-born American prelate of the Catholic Church who served as bishop of the Diocese of Cheyenne in Wyoming from 1896 until his death in 1901. He was the brother of Bisho ...

– Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Cheyenne * Joseph Patrick Lynch – Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Dallas *

Aloisius Joseph Muench Aloisius Joseph Muench (February 18, 1889 – February 15, 1962) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Bishop of Fargo from 1935 to 1959, and as Apostolic Nuncio to Germany from 1951 to 1959. He was elevated to the ...

–

* Thomas Lawrence Noa – Bishop of the

Roman Catholic Diocese of Marquette The Roman Catholic Diocese of Marquette () is an ecclesiastical territory of the Catholic Church, encompassing the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, Upper Peninsula region of Michigan in the United States. The diocese is a suffragan diocese in the ecc ...

Joseph Perry Joe or Joseph Perry may refer to: *Joseph Perry (cinematographer) (1863–1943), English-Australian pioneer filmmaker * Joseph Sam Perry (1896–1984), American district court judge *Joe Perry (American football) (1927–2011), American fullback * ...

– Auxiliary Bishop of

Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago The Archdiocese of Chicago () is a Latin Church ecclesiastical jurisdiction, an archdiocese of the Roman Catholic Church located in Northeast Illinois, Northeastern Illinois, in the United States. The Vatican erected it as a diocese in 1843 and e ...

Paul Peter Rhode Paul Peter Rhode (; September 18, 1871 – March 3, 1945) was a prelate of Western Slavic (German Empire, German) origin of the Roman Catholic Church in USA. He served as bishop (Catholic Church), bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Gree ...

– Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Green Bay * Vincent James Ryan – Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Bismarck * James T. Schuerman – Auxiliary Bishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Milwaukee. * Augustine Francis Schinner – Bishop of the

Roman Catholic Diocese of Superior The Diocese of Superior () is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory, or diocese, of the Catholic Church in northwest Wisconsin in the United States. Its episcopal see is Superior, and the Cathedral of Christ the King (Superior, Wisconsin), Cathe ...

* Thomas Seery – Wisconsin legislator * Richard J. Sklba – Auxiliary Bishop of the

* Paul Francis Tanner – Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of St. Augustine *

John Henry Tihen John Henry Tihen (July 14, 1861 – January 14, 1940) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as bishop of the Diocese of Lincoln in Nebraska (1911–1917) and as bishop of the Diocese of Denver in Colorado (1917–193 ...

– Bishop of the

Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Denver The Archdiocese of Denver () is a Latin Church ecclesiastical jurisdiction, or diocese, of the Catholic Church in northern Colorado in the United States. It is part of the XIII Conference Region and includes 113 parishes, 307 priests, and an est ...

* Charles Daniel White – Bishop of the

Roman Catholic Diocese of Spokane The Diocese of Spokane () is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in Washington State in the United States. It is a suffragan diocese in the ecclesiastical province of the metropolitan Archdiocese of Seattle. ...

* Paul Ssemogerere - Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Kasana-Luweero, in Uganda

Notes

External links

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Francis Seminary Buildings and structures in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin Educational institutions established in 1845 Education in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin Grottoes Churches on the National Register of Historic Places in Wisconsin Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Milwaukee Catholic Church in Wisconsin Catholic seminaries in the United States Seminaries and theological colleges in Wisconsin Catholic universities and colleges in Wisconsin Tourist attractions in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin National Register of Historic Places in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin 1845 establishments in Wisconsin Territory