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St. Joseph's Seminary and College, sometimes referred to as Dunwoodie after the Dunwoodie neighborhood of

Yonkers, New York Yonkers () is the List of municipalities in New York, third-most populous city in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York and the most-populous City (New York), city in Westchester County, New York, Westchester County. A centrally locate ...

in which it is located, is the major

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 ...

of the

Archdiocese of New York The Archdiocese of New York () is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or archdiocese of the Catholic Church located in the New York (state), State of New York. It encompasses the boroughs of Manhattan, the Bronx and Staten Island in New York ...

.Remigius Lafort, S.T.D., Censor,
The Catholic Church in the United States of America: Undertaken to Celebrate the Golden Jubilee of His Holiness, Pope Pius X. Volume 3: The Province of Baltimore and the Province of New York, Section 1: Comprising the Archdiocese of New York and the Diocese of Brooklyn, Buffalo and Ogdensburg Together with some Supplementary Articles on Religious Communities of Women.
'. (New York City: The Catholic Editing Company, 1914), p.294. Since 2012, it has also been the major seminary for the

Diocese of Brooklyn The Diocese of Brooklyn () is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory, or diocese, of the Catholic Church in the State of New York. It is headquartered in Brooklyn and its territory encompasses the New York City boroughs of Brooklyn and Queens, co ...

and the

Diocese of Rockville Centre The Diocese of Rockville Centre () is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory, or diocese, of the Catholic Church in the Long Island region of New York State in the United States. It is a suffragan diocese in the ecclesiastical province of the me ...

. The seminary is about 16 miles north of the Cathedral of Saint Patrick in

midtown Manhattan Midtown Manhattan is the central portion of the New York City borough of Manhattan, serving as the city's primary central business district. Midtown is home to some of the city's most prominent buildings, including the Empire State Building, the ...

, the seat of the

Archbishop of New York The Archbishop of New York is the head of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York, who is responsible for looking after its spiritual and administrative needs. As the archdiocese is the metropolitan see of the ecclesiastical province encomp ...

. Its primary mission is to form men for the priesthood in the

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, whether in dioceses in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

or abroad. The seminary also serves as the major seminary for the Community of the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal, who study alongside the diocesan seminarians, but live off campus at a

friary A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in communities or alone (hermits). A monastery generally includes a place reserved for prayer which may ...

in Yonkers. It is

accredited Accreditation is the independent, third-party evaluation of a conformity assessment body (such as certification body, inspection body or laboratory) against recognised standards, conveying formal demonstration of its impartiality and competence to ...

as a college through the

Middle States Commission on Higher Education The Middle States Commission on Higher Education, abbreviated as MSCHE and legally incorporated as the Mid-Atlantic Region Commission on Higher Education, is a voluntary, peer-based, non-profit membership organization that performs peer evalua ...

and as a seminary by the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas, also known as the Angelicum, in Rome. It offers the degrees of

Bachelor of Sacred Theology The Bachelor of Sacred Theology (abbreviated STB) is the first of three ecclesiastical degrees in theology (the second being the Licentiate in Sacred Theology and the third being the Doctorate in Sacred Theology) which are conferred by a number o ...

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 ...

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 ...

History

The

had operated a seminary at

Fordham Fordham may refer to: Education * Fordham Preparatory School, an all-male, Jesuit high school in New York City * Fordham University, a Jesuit university in New York City ** Fordham Rams, athletic teams of the above university ** Fordham University ...

, once affiliated with what is now

Fordham University Fordham University is a Private university, private Society of Jesus, Jesuit research university in New York City, United States. Established in 1841, it is named after the Fordham, Bronx, Fordham neighborhood of the Bronx in which its origina ...

, staffed by diocesan and, later,

Jesuit The Society of Jesus (; abbreviation: S.J. or SJ), also known as the Jesuit Order or the Jesuits ( ; ), is a religious order (Catholic), religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rom ...

priests.

In 1864 Archbishop

McCloskey McCloskey () is an Irish surname. The MacCloskeys were the foremost sept of the O'Cahan, O'Cahans, Lords of Keenaght (barony), Keenaght, one of the leading clans of Cenél nEógain before the Plantation of Ulster, 16th century Scottish plantation. ...

established St. Joseph's Provincial Seminary in

Troy Troy (/; ; ) or Ilion (; ) was an ancient city located in present-day Hisarlik, Turkey. It is best known as the setting for the Greek mythology, Greek myth of the Trojan War. The archaeological site is open to the public as a tourist destina ...

, New York. In 1896, under Archbishop

Michael Corrigan Michael Augustine Corrigan (August 13, 1839May 5, 1902) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church who served as the third archbishop of New York from 1885 to 1902. Early life Michael Augustine Corrigan was born August 13, 1839, in N ...

, the seminary was transferred to

Yonkers Yonkers () is the List of municipalities in New York, third-most populous city in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York and the most-populous City (New York), city in Westchester County, New York, Westchester County. A centrally locate ...

under the charge of the

Sulpicians The Society of Priests of Saint-Sulpice (; 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, where it was founded. The members of the Society add the ...

. Originally it was staffed by

and diocesan priests. The Seminary hosted

Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II (born Karol Józef Wojtyła; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 16 October 1978 until Death and funeral of Pope John Paul II, his death in 2005. In his you ...

in 1995 and

Pope Benedict XVI Pope BenedictXVI (born Joseph Alois Ratzinger; 16 April 1927 – 31 December 2022) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 19 April 2005 until his resignation on 28 February 2013. Benedict's election as p ...

on April 19, 2008. They each led an afternoon prayer service and visited with the seminarians. Pope Benedict also held a rally for youth in the Archdiocese. On April 4, 2019, the Seminary hosted the incorruptible heart relic of St. Jean Vianney, the patron saint of parish priests. The relic was venerated by more than 2,000 people while it was at the seminary.

Seminary formation and intellectual life

The seminary's primary mission is to educate men studying for the priesthood. Besides four years of academic work, students are required to take part in charitable activities. Seminarians pray together three times a day, at morning and evening prayers and at Mass. In addition to offering the degrees of M.Div., S.T.B., and M.A., the seminary, through its various chairs, hosts visiting scholars throughout the academic year. Seminarians are given the opportunity to take part in interreligious discussions with students of non-Catholic seminaries of the metropolitan area. The ''Dunwoodie Review'' was published by the seminary bi-annually from 1961 until 1974.

Other archdiocesan functions

The seminary's main building also hosts monthly

pre-Cana Pre-Cana is a course or consultation for couples preparing to be married in a Catholic church. The name is derived from John 2:1–12, the Wedding at Cana in Galilee, where Jesus performed the miracle of turning water into wine. Description App ...

conferences for those preparing for the sacrament of Matrimony. One of the archdiocesan

tribunal A tribunal, generally, is any person or institution with authority to judge, adjudicate on, or determine claims or disputes—whether or not it is called a tribunal in its title. For example, an advocate who appears before a court with a singl ...

s and the studio of

ITV ITV or iTV may refer to: Television TV stations/networks/channels ITV *Independent Television (ITV), a British television network and company, including: **ITV (TV network), a free-to-air national commercial television network in the United Kingd ...

for schools is also located on the campus. Throughout the year, both days of prayer and days of further education are scheduled for the clergy of the archdiocese.

Faculty

Rectors

* Edward R. Dyer, S.S. 1896–1902 * James F. Driscoll, S.S 1902–1909 * John P. Chidwick 1909–1922 * James T. McEntyre 1922–1930 * Arthur J. Scanlan 1931–1940 *

John Michael Fearns John Michael Fearns (June 25, 1897 – July 4, 1977) was an American clergyman of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as an auxiliary bishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York, Archdiocese of New York from 1957 to 1972. Biography E ...

1940–1956 * Charles O'C. Sloane 1956–1958 *

Francis Frederick Reh Francis Frederick Reh (January 9, 1911 – November 14, 1994) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as bishop of the Diocese of Charleston in South Carolina from 1962 to 1964. Reh previously served as rector of the ...

1958–1962 * Thomas A. Donnellan 1962–1964 * Edwin B. Broderick 1964–1968 * Edward J. Montano 1968–1973 * Austin B. Vaughan 1973–1979 * John J. Mescall 1979–1982 *

Edward M. Connors Edward is an English male name. It is derived from the Anglo-Saxon name ''Ēadweard'', composed of the elements '' ēad'' "wealth, fortunate; prosperous" and '' weard'' "guardian, protector”. History The name Edward was very popular in Anglo-Sa ...

1982–1985 * Edwin F. O'Brien 1985–1989 * Raymond T. Powers 1990–1994 * Edwin F. O'Brien * Francis J. McAree 1997–2001 * Peter G. Finn 2001–2007 * Gerald Thomas Walsh 2007–2012 * Peter Ignatius Vaccari 2012–2019 * James Massa 2020–Present

Notable faculty

Lorenzo Albacete Lorenzo Albacete Cintrón (January 7, 1941 – October 24, 2014) was a Puerto Rican theologian, Roman Catholic priest, scientist and author. A New York Times Magazine contributor, Albacete was one of the leaders in the United States for the interna ...

* Sara Butler, M.S.B.T. (2001–2009) *

Joseph Augustine Di Noia Joseph Augustine Di Noia (born July 10, 1943) is an American member of the Dominican Order who is a Roman Catholic archbishop and theologian. Since 2013 he has been adjunct secretary of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. He has h ...

, O.P. (2004–2005) *

Francis P. Duffy Francis Patrick Duffy (May 2, 1871 – June 27, 1932) was a Canadian American soldier, Catholic priest and military chaplain. Duffy served as chaplain for the 69th Infantry Regiment (known as the "Fighting 69th"), a unit of the New York Army N ...

Benedict Groeschel Benedict Joseph Groeschel, C.F.R. (July 23, 1933 – October 3, 2014) was an American Franciscan friar, Catholic priest, retreat master, author, psychologist, activist, and television host. He hosted the television talk program ''Sunday Night P ...

, C.F.R. * J. M. Lelen * William Bartley Smith (1971–2009)

Notable alumni

Charles John Brown Charles John Brown (born 13 October 1959) is an American prelate of the Catholic Church who has been serving as an apostolic nuncio since 2012. He is currently the apostolic nuncio to the Philippines. Before entering the diplomatic service of ...

— Archbishop, Papal Nuncio to the

Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...

(2020–present) *

Terence Cooke Terence James Cooke (March 1, 1921 – October 6, 1983) was an American Catholic prelate who served as Archbishop of New York from 1968 until his death, quietly battling leukemia throughout his tenure. He was named a cardinal in 1969. Cooke pre ...

— Cardinal (from 1969), Archbishop of New York (1968–1983) * Stan Fortuna — priest of the Community of Franciscan Friars of the Renewal, musician * Philip Joseph Furlong — Auxiliary Bishop of the United States Military Vicariate (1956–1971) *

William Lombardy William James Joseph Lombardy (December 4, 1937 – October 13, 2017) was an American chess grandmaster, chess writer, teacher, and former Catholic priest. He was one of the leading American chess players during the 1950s and 1960s, and a conte ...

— World Junior Chess Champion (1957), tutor to World Chess Champion Bobby Fischer, priest (1967–1980) * Henry J. Mansell — Archbishop of Hartford, Connecticut (2003–2013) *

Theodore Edgar McCarrick Theodore Edgar McCarrick (July 7, 1930 – April 3, 2025) was an American Roman Catholic bishop and cardinal who was Archbishop of Newark from 1986 to 2000 and Archbishop of Washington from 2001 to 2006. In 2019, McCarrick was defrocked by Po ...

— Cardinal (2001–2018), Archbishop of Washington (2001–2006) * Timothy A. McDonnell — Bishop of Springfield, Massachusetts (2004–2014) *

James Francis McIntyre James Francis Aloysius McIntyre (June 25, 1886 – July 16, 1979) was an American prelate of the Catholic Church. He served as Archbishop of Los Angeles from 1948 to 1970, and was created a cardinal in 1953. He was a highly successful builder ...

— Cardinal (from 1953), Archbishop of Los Angeles (1948–1970) *

John P. Meier John Paul Meier (August 8, 1942 – October 18, 2022) was an American biblical scholar and Roman Catholic priest. He was author of the series ''A Marginal Jew: Rethinking the Historical Jesus'' (5 v.), six other books, and more than 70 articles ...

— priest of New York, professor of Scripture at the

University of Notre Dame The University of Notre Dame du Lac (known simply as Notre Dame; ; ND) is a Private university, private Catholic research university in Notre Dame, Indiana, United States. Founded in 1842 by members of the Congregation of Holy Cross, a Cathol ...

John Joseph Mitty John Joseph Mitty (January 20, 1884 – October 15, 1961) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as the third Bishop of Salt Lake City (1926–1932) and the fourth Archbishop of San Francisco (1935–1961). E ...

— Archbishop of San Francisco (1935–1961) *

Patrick Aloysius O'Boyle Patrick Aloysius O'Boyle (July 18, 1896 – August 10, 1987) was an American Catholic prelate who served as the first resident Archbishop of Washington from 1948 to 1973. He was elevated to the cardinalate in 1967. Early life and education Pa ...

— Cardinal (from 1967), Archbishop of Washington (1947–1973) *

Edwin Frederick O'Brien Edwin Frederick O'Brien (born April 8, 1939) is an American Catholic who headed the Order of the Holy Sepulchre from 2011 to 2019. He previously served as Archbishop of Baltimore from 2007 to 2011 and as Archbishop of the Military Services ...

— Cardinal (from 2012), Archbishop of Baltimore (2007–2011) *

Frank Pavone Frank Anthony Pavone (born February 4, 1959) is an American anti-abortion movement, anti-abortion activist and a Loss of clerical state (Catholic Church), laicised Roman Catholic Church, Roman Catholic priest. He is the national director of Pries ...

— priest (until December 2022), Director of

Priests for Life Priests for Life (PFL) is an anti-abortion organization based in Titusville, Florida. PFL functions as a network to promote and coordinate anti-abortion movements, anti-abortion activism, especially among Roman Catholic priests and laymen, with t ...

, founder of Missionaries of the Gospel of Life *

Dennis Joseph Sullivan Dennis Joseph Sullivan (born March 17, 1945) is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church who was bishop of the Diocese of Camden in New Jersey from 2013 to 2025. He was vicar general and auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of New York fro ...

— Bishop of the Diocese of Camden, New Jersey (2013–2025) *

David Tracy David William Tracy (January 6, 1939 – April 29, 2025) was an American Catholic theologian and priest. He was the Andrew Thomas Greeley and Grace McNichols Greeley Distinguished Service Professor Emeritus of Catholic Studies at the University o ...

— Catholic theologian, University of Chicago Divinity School professor (1969–2008)

Notes

Sources

* Shelley, Thomas J. ''Dunwoodie''. Christian Classics Inc.: Westminster, Maryland, 1993.

External links

* *
The Dunwoodie Review
(St. Joseph's Seminary Theological Journal) official website {{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Joseph's Seminary, Dunwoodie Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York Catholic seminaries in the United States Universities and colleges in Westchester County, New York Education in Yonkers, New York Educational institutions established in 1896 Schickel & Ditmars buildings 1896 establishments in New York (state)