This is a list of
Catholicseminaries in the world, including those that have been closed. According to the 2012
Pontifical Yearbook, the total number of candidates for the
priesthood in the world was 118,990 at the end of the year 2010. These students were in 6,974 seminaries around the world: 3,194
diocesan seminaries and 3,780
religious seminaries.
St. John Vianney Seminary, Barkin Ladi – Established in January 1958 by the late Right Rev. Dr. John Reddington for the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Jos.
By the 'Organización de Seminarios Latinoamericanos' (OSLAM), there are 429 seminaries in Brazil. The following list is by leading Ecclesiastical Provinces.
Serra House – Archdiocesan house of formation of the
Archdiocese of Toronto where pre-theology seminarians reside; established in 1984 as a House of Discernment to the Priesthood
Regional Seminary of St John Vianney and the Ugandan Martyrs in
Tunapuna,
Trinidad – founded in 1943, became a regional seminary for the
Antilles Episcopal Conference in 1970. Jamaican seminarians formerly at St. Michael's Theological College were moved to Trinidad in 1996.[8][9]
United States
According to the 2010 Official Catholic Directory, as of 2009 there are 189 seminaries with 5,131 students in the United States; 3,319 diocesan seminarians and 1,812 religious seminarians. By the official 2011 statistics, there are 5,247 seminarians (3,394 diocesan and 1,853 religious) in the United States.
St. Joseph's Seminary – major seminary run by the
Josephites, founded in 1888; later an independent academic seminary, but residential-only beginning in the early 1970s
Society of the Divine Savior (Salvatorians) Father Jordan Formation House, [Amadeo, Cavite]
Society of the Divine Savior (Salvatorians) Mater Salvatoris Theologate House, [New Manila, Quezon City]
Pastor Bonus Seminary (Archdiocese of Zamboanga) Tetuan, Zamboanga City
Solomon Islands
Holy Name of Mary Seminary, Tenaru, Guadalcanal Province. Inter-diocesan seminary founded in 1995.[18]
Singapore
St Francis Xavier Major Seminary,[19] – founded in 1983
South Korea
At the end of the year 2011, there are 7 major seminaries in Korea; and the number of seminarians in these seven seminaries is 1,587 – from diocesan 1,317, religious & missionary 270.
College of Theology,
Catholic University of Korea – founded in 1855, currently located on the Songsin campus of
Seoul; 'Songsin' means Holy Spirit in Korean.
Bessborough House Oblates Our Lady's Scholasticate in
Piltown, County Kilkenny, from 1941 to 1971. Building now used as Kildalton Agricultural College.[67]
Dalgan House,
Shrule, County Mayo.[74] Built in 1801, bought by the
Duke of Bedford in 1853, a seminary for the
Columbans from 1918 to 1941.[75] Now demolished.
St Columbans College, Dalgan Park, Navan, was the seminary of the
Columbans after 1941.[75][76]
Kilshane,
County Tipperary. Novitiate of
Holy Ghost Fathers (the Spiritians),[79] was purchased in August 1933 and opened as a Novitiate for both clerics and brothers.[80]
Legion of Christ Novitiate, Leopardstown Road,
Foxrock, Dublin. In April 1960, it opened in
Bundoran, County Donegal. On 3 June 1962, it moved to Hazelbrook House, Malahide, to Foxrock in 1968 and closed in September 2011.[82][83]
Cloghballymore House, Ballinderreen,
Kilcolgan, County Galway, was a tower house, then a country estate. In 1906, Count Llewellyn Blake gave it to the Society of the African Missions. It was their novitiate from 1924 until the mid 1970s. Been a nursing home since 1981.[85][86]
Ballinafad Minor Seminary was also given by Count Llewellyn Blake to the Society of the African Missions, operated until 1975 and was linked to Cloghballymore House.
St Joseph's Seminary, Blackrock Rd, Cork. The original seminary of the Society of the African Missions, later transferred to Dromantine House.[87]
Dromantine House,
Newry, County Down, was a seminary of the Society of the African Missions from 1926 until 1972.[88]
The Abbey,
Loughrea, County Galway. Since 1645, a
Discalced Carmelites community, trained novices since 1664. In 1882, a new novitiate was constructed, and extended in 1934. The novitiate is closed, but a community remains.[89]
Castlemartyr, County Cork, in 1930, had a Discalced Carmelite juniorate. It closed in 1996 and is now a hotel.[90]
Loughrea, County Galway, contained a novitiate of the
De La Salle Brothers, which was active into the 1980s.[89]
St Patrick's, Esker,
Athenry, County Galway. Established on 18 August 1901 was the
Redemptorist Irish Province major seminary until 1836. From 1948 until 1969 it was the novitiate. In 1971, it became a retreat house.
Cluain Mhuire, Galway, was a Redemptorist seminary, closed in the 1970s.[92] It is now the GMIT Art College.
Pallotine College Thurles, County Tipperary. Founded by the
Pallotines in 1907, from 1909 to 1986 priests from the college studied at nearby
St. Patrick's College, Thurles.
St Gabriel's, The Graan,
Enniskillen, County Fermanagh. Novitiate of the Passionists, 1909–1976, is now a nursing home, with the community remaining.
Tobar Mhuire,
Crossgar, County Down, (formerly Crossgar House). From 1950 until 1976, was the Passionist Juniorate, then a novitiate and a Retreat and Conference Centre as of February 2010.
St Paul's Retreat,
Mount Argus, Dublin, was the Irish Passionist headquarters, and provided the final two years of formation for Passionist seminarians.
Mount St Marys,
Milltown, Dublin. Seminary of the Marist Fathers. The site is now a Montessori College and the Irish Marist administrative headquarters.
Orlagh,
Knocklyon, County Dublin. Opened as a novitiate for the Augustinians, was a student house until the late 1980s, when it became a retreat centre, closed in 2016[93]
Carmelite Friary,
Kinsale, County Cork. Became a novitiate for the Irish Province of the Carmelites in 1917, moving to the existing Friary from Dublin in 1917. In 2003, due to dwindling numbers of novices, it was re-purposed as a Retreat and Spirituality Centre.[94]
Carmelite Centre, Gort Mhuire,
Ballinteer, County Dublin. From 1949, Gort Mhuire was the
novitiate and the theologate for the Carmelites, in 1968 Carmelites began studying theology in Milltown Park as the Institute was being set up there.[95] Now the
Carmelite Institute of Britain and Ireland is based here.
St. Joseph's,
Blackrock, was the seminary for the Vincentians, was founded in 1930, St. Kevins, House of Studies/Seminary, Glenart, Arklow, operated from 1948 to 1968, when students were transferred back to Blackrock in 1977, until the setting up of DePaul House, Celbridge operated from 1977 to 1988.
Myross Woods,
Leap, County Cork, was the novitate of the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart. Converted to a retreat centre in the 1970s, it closed in 2021.[96]
English College, Valladolid (Real y Pontifico Colegio de los Nobles Ingleses de San Albano) – for the Church in
England and
Wales, currently providing propadeutic formation
St Mary's College, Aberystwyth, originally in Holywell, moved to Aberystwyth in 1936, closed in 1970, for Welsh-speaking training, run by the Carmelites
^Models of Priestly Formation: Assessing the Past, Reflecting on the Present, and Imagining the Future ed. Declan Marmion, Michael Mullaney, Salvador Ryan, Minnesota: Liturgical Press, 2019, p. 135.
This is a list of
Catholicseminaries in the world, including those that have been closed. According to the 2012
Pontifical Yearbook, the total number of candidates for the
priesthood in the world was 118,990 at the end of the year 2010. These students were in 6,974 seminaries around the world: 3,194
diocesan seminaries and 3,780
religious seminaries.
St. John Vianney Seminary, Barkin Ladi – Established in January 1958 by the late Right Rev. Dr. John Reddington for the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Jos.
By the 'Organización de Seminarios Latinoamericanos' (OSLAM), there are 429 seminaries in Brazil. The following list is by leading Ecclesiastical Provinces.
Serra House – Archdiocesan house of formation of the
Archdiocese of Toronto where pre-theology seminarians reside; established in 1984 as a House of Discernment to the Priesthood
Regional Seminary of St John Vianney and the Ugandan Martyrs in
Tunapuna,
Trinidad – founded in 1943, became a regional seminary for the
Antilles Episcopal Conference in 1970. Jamaican seminarians formerly at St. Michael's Theological College were moved to Trinidad in 1996.[8][9]
United States
According to the 2010 Official Catholic Directory, as of 2009 there are 189 seminaries with 5,131 students in the United States; 3,319 diocesan seminarians and 1,812 religious seminarians. By the official 2011 statistics, there are 5,247 seminarians (3,394 diocesan and 1,853 religious) in the United States.
St. Joseph's Seminary – major seminary run by the
Josephites, founded in 1888; later an independent academic seminary, but residential-only beginning in the early 1970s
Society of the Divine Savior (Salvatorians) Father Jordan Formation House, [Amadeo, Cavite]
Society of the Divine Savior (Salvatorians) Mater Salvatoris Theologate House, [New Manila, Quezon City]
Pastor Bonus Seminary (Archdiocese of Zamboanga) Tetuan, Zamboanga City
Solomon Islands
Holy Name of Mary Seminary, Tenaru, Guadalcanal Province. Inter-diocesan seminary founded in 1995.[18]
Singapore
St Francis Xavier Major Seminary,[19] – founded in 1983
South Korea
At the end of the year 2011, there are 7 major seminaries in Korea; and the number of seminarians in these seven seminaries is 1,587 – from diocesan 1,317, religious & missionary 270.
College of Theology,
Catholic University of Korea – founded in 1855, currently located on the Songsin campus of
Seoul; 'Songsin' means Holy Spirit in Korean.
Bessborough House Oblates Our Lady's Scholasticate in
Piltown, County Kilkenny, from 1941 to 1971. Building now used as Kildalton Agricultural College.[67]
Dalgan House,
Shrule, County Mayo.[74] Built in 1801, bought by the
Duke of Bedford in 1853, a seminary for the
Columbans from 1918 to 1941.[75] Now demolished.
St Columbans College, Dalgan Park, Navan, was the seminary of the
Columbans after 1941.[75][76]
Kilshane,
County Tipperary. Novitiate of
Holy Ghost Fathers (the Spiritians),[79] was purchased in August 1933 and opened as a Novitiate for both clerics and brothers.[80]
Legion of Christ Novitiate, Leopardstown Road,
Foxrock, Dublin. In April 1960, it opened in
Bundoran, County Donegal. On 3 June 1962, it moved to Hazelbrook House, Malahide, to Foxrock in 1968 and closed in September 2011.[82][83]
Cloghballymore House, Ballinderreen,
Kilcolgan, County Galway, was a tower house, then a country estate. In 1906, Count Llewellyn Blake gave it to the Society of the African Missions. It was their novitiate from 1924 until the mid 1970s. Been a nursing home since 1981.[85][86]
Ballinafad Minor Seminary was also given by Count Llewellyn Blake to the Society of the African Missions, operated until 1975 and was linked to Cloghballymore House.
St Joseph's Seminary, Blackrock Rd, Cork. The original seminary of the Society of the African Missions, later transferred to Dromantine House.[87]
Dromantine House,
Newry, County Down, was a seminary of the Society of the African Missions from 1926 until 1972.[88]
The Abbey,
Loughrea, County Galway. Since 1645, a
Discalced Carmelites community, trained novices since 1664. In 1882, a new novitiate was constructed, and extended in 1934. The novitiate is closed, but a community remains.[89]
Castlemartyr, County Cork, in 1930, had a Discalced Carmelite juniorate. It closed in 1996 and is now a hotel.[90]
Loughrea, County Galway, contained a novitiate of the
De La Salle Brothers, which was active into the 1980s.[89]
St Patrick's, Esker,
Athenry, County Galway. Established on 18 August 1901 was the
Redemptorist Irish Province major seminary until 1836. From 1948 until 1969 it was the novitiate. In 1971, it became a retreat house.
Cluain Mhuire, Galway, was a Redemptorist seminary, closed in the 1970s.[92] It is now the GMIT Art College.
Pallotine College Thurles, County Tipperary. Founded by the
Pallotines in 1907, from 1909 to 1986 priests from the college studied at nearby
St. Patrick's College, Thurles.
St Gabriel's, The Graan,
Enniskillen, County Fermanagh. Novitiate of the Passionists, 1909–1976, is now a nursing home, with the community remaining.
Tobar Mhuire,
Crossgar, County Down, (formerly Crossgar House). From 1950 until 1976, was the Passionist Juniorate, then a novitiate and a Retreat and Conference Centre as of February 2010.
St Paul's Retreat,
Mount Argus, Dublin, was the Irish Passionist headquarters, and provided the final two years of formation for Passionist seminarians.
Mount St Marys,
Milltown, Dublin. Seminary of the Marist Fathers. The site is now a Montessori College and the Irish Marist administrative headquarters.
Orlagh,
Knocklyon, County Dublin. Opened as a novitiate for the Augustinians, was a student house until the late 1980s, when it became a retreat centre, closed in 2016[93]
Carmelite Friary,
Kinsale, County Cork. Became a novitiate for the Irish Province of the Carmelites in 1917, moving to the existing Friary from Dublin in 1917. In 2003, due to dwindling numbers of novices, it was re-purposed as a Retreat and Spirituality Centre.[94]
Carmelite Centre, Gort Mhuire,
Ballinteer, County Dublin. From 1949, Gort Mhuire was the
novitiate and the theologate for the Carmelites, in 1968 Carmelites began studying theology in Milltown Park as the Institute was being set up there.[95] Now the
Carmelite Institute of Britain and Ireland is based here.
St. Joseph's,
Blackrock, was the seminary for the Vincentians, was founded in 1930, St. Kevins, House of Studies/Seminary, Glenart, Arklow, operated from 1948 to 1968, when students were transferred back to Blackrock in 1977, until the setting up of DePaul House, Celbridge operated from 1977 to 1988.
Myross Woods,
Leap, County Cork, was the novitate of the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart. Converted to a retreat centre in the 1970s, it closed in 2021.[96]
English College, Valladolid (Real y Pontifico Colegio de los Nobles Ingleses de San Albano) – for the Church in
England and
Wales, currently providing propadeutic formation
St Mary's College, Aberystwyth, originally in Holywell, moved to Aberystwyth in 1936, closed in 1970, for Welsh-speaking training, run by the Carmelites
^Models of Priestly Formation: Assessing the Past, Reflecting on the Present, and Imagining the Future ed. Declan Marmion, Michael Mullaney, Salvador Ryan, Minnesota: Liturgical Press, 2019, p. 135.