Saint Vincent Seminary
Encyclopedia
Saint Vincent Seminary is the fourth oldest Roman Catholic seminary
in the United States
and is located in Latrobe, Pennsylvania
, forty miles southeast of Pittsburgh
.
It was founded by Father Boniface Wimmer
in 1846, who came from Saint Michael’s Abbey
in Metten, Bavaria
, to establish Saint Vincent Archabbey
as the first Benedictine monastery in North America
.
The seminary was officially established on August 24, 1855 through an Apostolic Brief of Pope Pius IX
. 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. Also more than 2,400 diocesan and religious students have been ordained priests.
Seminary
A seminary, theological college, or divinity school is an institution of secondary or post-secondary education for educating students in theology, generally to prepare them for ordination as clergy or for other ministry...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and is located in Latrobe, Pennsylvania
Latrobe, Pennsylvania
Latrobe is a city in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania in the United States, approximately southeast of Pittsburgh.The city population was 7,634 as of the 2000 census . It is located near the Pennsylvania's scenic Chestnut Ridge. Latrobe was incorporated as a borough in 1854, and as a city in 1999...
, forty miles southeast of Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh is the second-largest city in the US Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Allegheny County. Regionally, it anchors the largest urban area of Appalachia and the Ohio River Valley, and nationally, it is the 22nd-largest urban area in the United States...
.
It was founded by Father Boniface Wimmer
Boniface Wimmer
Archabbot Boniface Wimmer, O.S.B. was a German monk who in 1846 founded the first Benedictine monastery in the United States, Saint Vincent Archabbey, in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, forty miles southeast of Pittsburgh...
in 1846, who came from Saint Michael’s Abbey
Abbey
An abbey is a Catholic monastery or convent, under the authority of an Abbot or an Abbess, who serves as the spiritual father or mother of the community.The term can also refer to an establishment which has long ceased to function as an abbey,...
in Metten, Bavaria
Bavaria
Bavaria, formally the Free State of Bavaria is a state of Germany, located in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the largest state by area, forming almost 20% of the total land area of Germany...
, to establish Saint Vincent Archabbey
Saint Vincent Archabbey
Saint Vincent Archabbey, was founded in 1846 by Father Boniface Wimmer, OSB, and is the oldest Benedictine monastery in the United States.The Benedictine monks of Saint Vincent Archabbey operate and teach at Saint Vincent College and Saint Vincent Seminary in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, located ...
as the first Benedictine monastery in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
.
The seminary was officially established on August 24, 1855 through an Apostolic Brief of Pope Pius IX
Pope Pius IX
Blessed Pope Pius IX , born Giovanni Maria Mastai-Ferretti, was the longest-reigning elected Pope in the history of the Catholic Church, serving from 16 June 1846 until his death, a period of nearly 32 years. During his pontificate, he convened the First Vatican Council in 1869, which decreed papal...
. Civil degrees are conferred by virtue of a charter granted by an act of the Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
State Legislature
Legislature
A legislature is a kind of deliberative assembly with the power to pass, amend, and repeal laws. The law created by a legislature is called legislation or statutory law. In addition to enacting laws, legislatures usually have exclusive authority to raise or lower taxes and adopt the budget and...
on April 18, 1870.
Since 1870 over 300 students have earned the Master of Arts degree and 400 Master of Divinity degrees. Also more than 2,400 diocesan and religious students have been ordained priests.
Notable alumni
- Father James Renshaw Cox 1932 Jobless Party candidate for President of the U.S.
- Bishop René Henry GracidaRené Henry GracidaBishop René Henry Gracida was the Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Miami , the first Bishop of the Diocese of Pensacola-Tallahassee and Bishop of the Diocese of Corpus Christi...
bishop of the Diocese of Corpus Christi - Monsignor Carl Peter HenslerCarl Hensler (priest)Carl Hensler was an American Roman Catholic priest of the Diocese of Pittsburgh. He was trained at St. Vincent Seminary in Latrobe, Pennsylvania and at the North American College in Rome. He was a pupil of minimum wage proponent, John A. Ryan. After an initial spell in Braddock, Pennsylvania, he...
, labor priest - Monsignor Paul Lenz (1925-), director (1975-2007), Bureau of Catholic Indian MissionsBureau of Catholic Indian MissionsThe Bureau of Catholic Indian Missions was a Roman Catholic institution created in 1874 by J. Roosevelt Bayley, Archbishop of Baltimore, for the protection and promotion of Catholic mission interests among Native Americans in the United States.-History:...