Saint Philip's Seminary is an apostolate of the Toronto Oratory, 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 ...

society of apostolic life A society of apostolic life is a group of men or women within the Catholic Church who have come together for a specific purpose and live fraternally. It is regarded as a form of consecrated (or "religious") life. This type of organization ...

. It has been authorized to grant degrees by the province of Ontario. It accepts students for the priesthood who are sponsored by their diocese or by their religious order.

History

The Philosophy Division of Saint Philip's Seminary was founded in 1986, Gerald Emmett Cardinal Carter requested Fr. Jonathan Robinson, C.O. to provide a place for the philosophical preparation of seminarians for the

Archdiocese of Toronto The Metropolitan Archdiocese of Toronto () is a Roman Catholic archdiocese that includes part of the province of Ontario. Its archbishop is also the ecclesiastical provincial for the dioceses of Hamilton, London, Saint Catharines, and Thunder Bay ...

, especially those in residence at Serra House, the archdiocesan house of discernment. In the fall of 1988, a residential program providing intellectual training, spiritual and personal formation was made available to seminarians from Dioceses and Religious Communities. In 2007, a three-year course of studies with an expanded set of degrees was provided at the request of the

and St. Augustine's Seminary. The Congregation for Education in January 2011 instituted the three-year course of philosophical studies as the norm for seminarians.Seminary Catalogue
St. Philip's Seminary website, retrieved July 25, 2014 From its beginning, St. Philip's Seminary was staffed by the Oratorians from the next door Toronto Oratory; they continues to operate the seminary.

Principles

* Seminarians need a program of philosophy of a high intellectual calibre, explicitly directed towards the subsequent study of theology; * Seminarians need a program of formation focussing upon the development of a clear understanding of and a deep love for the priestly vocation.

Status

The seminary has trained men for Roman Catholic priesthood and provided continuing education courses for adults in matters relating to the Roman Catholic faith since its inception. However, the

Ontario legislature The Legislative Assembly of Ontario (OLA; ) is the legislative chamber of the Canadian province of Ontario. Its elected members are known as Members of Provincial Parliament (MPPs). Bills passed by the Legislative Assembly are given royal as ...

officially recognized the seminary as a degree-granting institution through the passage "An Act respecting The Oratory of Saint Philip Neri, 1990".Enabling Legislation
An Act respecting The Oratory of Saint Philip Neri, 1990, retrieved July 25, 2014

Academic programs

* Bachelor of Catholic Thought (2 years) * Bachelor of Thomistic Thought (3 or 4 years) * Master of Theology (3 years)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Philips Seminary Seminaries and theological colleges in Canada Education in Toronto Educational institutions established in 1986 Catholic seminaries in North America Catholic Church in Ontario Universities and colleges in Toronto 1986 establishments in Ontario