St. Mary's Seminary is the first Roman Catholic seminary in the nation: rich in tradition while focused on priestly preparation for the 21st-century.
These pages provide information on the history, personnel, environment, and formation (in the Sulpician tradition) at St. Mary's.
The three pages in this section of our site touch on the very basics of the formation process.
A major part of priestly formation is intellectual formation, accomplished through the pursuit of academic degrees.
Desiring to assist in the strengthening of Hispanic ministry and recognizing the need for well-prepared priests dedicated in-part or in-full to this ministry, St. Mary’s Seminary and University has established a specialized track in Hispanic ministry.
St. Mary’s Propaedeutic Stage implements the vision of the Program for Priestly Formation (6th edition). It takes place in a revitalized and expanded structure on the historic grounds of the original St. Mary’s Seminary in downtown Baltimore. The McGivney House welcomes candidates from all dioceses and is not limited to candidates destined to enter St. Mary’s Seminary & University, but is the recommended program for those who will come to St. Mary’s.
St. Mary’s Ecumenical Institute (EI) was founded in 1968 by St. Mary’s Seminary & University, America’s oldest Roman Catholic seminary, in cooperation with ecumenical leaders. St. Mary’s is accredited by the Association of Theological Schools and by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools. The Ecumenical Institute encourages people of all denominations to explore theological studies in a serious, open-minded, and supportive environment. All EI programs are available wherever you are - on campus in Baltimore, and on-line.
The Ecumenical Institute invites people of all denominations into theological study that pursues excellence and promotes ecumenical understanding and respect. All EI programs are available wherever you are - on campus in Baltimore, and on-line.
St. Mary's Ecumenical Institute has a rolling admissions policy. Students may apply at any time for admission by submitting the appropriate materials.
The Ecumenical Institute offers accredited graduate theological programs for two master’s degrees, several graduate certificates, and introductory explorations.
The post-master’s Certificate of Advanced Studies in Theology (CAS) is designed for individuals who possess a master’s degree in theology (e.g., MAT.), ministry (e.g., MACM), divinity (e.g., MDiv), or a related field and who desire to continue their theological education with a general or focused program of study.
The Doctor of Ministry program roots ministry in the mission of God, the ways God is working in your context, in your ministry, and in you.
Students have a host of resources available to support their theological education, from free parking and a great library to writing assistance and advising.
St. Mary's Ecumenical Institute offers accredited graduate theological education that is intellectually rigorous, personally enriching, and professionally empowering.
More than 750 alums of St. Mary's Ecumenical Institute are making a difference in Baltimore, in Maryland and D.C., West Virginia and Pennsylvania, and around the world.
General communication and individual contacts
It is the mission of the Center for Continuing Formation to encourage bishops, priests, deacons, and lay ecclesial ministers to engage in human, spiritual, intellectual, and pastoral growth and to enable processes of growth that are ongoing, complete, systemic, and personalized.
Forming Supervisors for Vocational Synthesis implements the vision of the Program for Priestly Formation (6th edition) for the final stage of preparation for the priesthood.
Conference space rentals include a large room that will seat as many as 58 and smaller rooms that will seat from 4 to 30.
St. Mary's Center for Continuing Formation offers and hosts a variety of continuing formation programs for priests in the spirit of the Bishops' new Basic Plan for the Ongoing Formation of Priests.
St. Mary’s Seminary & University’s Pinkard Scholars is the cornerstone of Youth Theological Studies at SMSU.
For more information about any of our conference facilities or space rentals, please contact our offices directly.
The Marion Burk Knott Library of St. Mary’s Seminary and University is the largest specialized theological library in the Baltimore area, with additional materials in the areas of philosophy, psychology, pastoral counseling and church history, among others. The library receives over 390 periodicals and maintains a collection of 20,000 volumes of bound periodicals. Other holdings include newspapers, microfilm, and audio-visual materials.
The Associated Archives at St. Mary’s Seminary & University opened in the spring of 2002. Located on the campus of the nation’s first Roman Catholic seminary, this program brings together the archives of the Archdiocese of Baltimore (est. 1789), St. Mary’s Seminary & University (est. 1791), and the Associated Sulpicians of the United States (U.S. Province est. 1903), making it one of the most significant repositories for records relating to the early history of the Catholic Church in the United States.
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This section was created to provide researchers with a brief description of the open collections in the archives of the Archdiocese of Baltimore, St. Mary's Seminary & University, and the Associated Sulpicians of the United States.
The Associated Archives at St. Mary’s Seminary & University has developed a genealogical policy responsive to individuals researching their Catholic roots.
We facilitate personal integration of the human, spiritual, intellectual, and pastoral dimensions necessary for authentic priestly witness and service in the image of Jesus Christ.
The Archdiocese has had sixteen Archbishops over the course of its history. Researchers are currently able to access the papers of the first archbishop, John Carroll (d. 1815), through the eleventh archbishop, Francis P. Keough (d. 1961). The papers of Cardinal Lawrence J. Shehan (d. 1984), Abp. W. Donald Borders (d. 2010), Cardinal William H. Keeler (d. 2017), and Cardinal Edwin F. O’Brien (resigned 2012) are closed. Biographies of the Archbishops are available on the website for the Archdiocese of Baltimore.
The correspondence of Abps. Carroll, Neale, Maréchal, Whitfield, Eccleston, Kenrick, Spalding, Bayley, Gibbons, and Curley has been arranged alphabetically by correspondent. Every document has been assigned a unique number and has a corresponding index card describing it. Researchers are able to access these collections through the existing card catalog system. A strictly chronological index is available only for the papers of Cardinal James Gibbons (d. 1921).
The Abp. Francis P. Keough Papers were opened in 2014 and arranged by record series. Researchers are able to access the collection through a finding aid.
The papers of Archbishops Carroll, Neale, Maréchal, Whitfield, Eccleston, Kenrick, Spalding, and Bayley have been microfilmed. A set of the microfilm is available at both the Associated Archives and the University of Notre Dame.
Abp. John Carroll Papers (Born: 1735, Upper Marlboro, MD; Prefect Apostolic of the U.S., 1785-1789; Bishop of Baltimore, 1789-1808; Archbishop of Baltimore, 1808-1815; Died: 1815, Baltimore, MD). Size: 11 document cases and 3 letterbooks; available on microfilm; date range: c. 1750-1815.
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Abp. Leonard Neale, S.J., Papers (Born: 1746, Port Tobacco, MD; Died: 1817, Washington, D.C.; Coadjutor Bishop of Baltimore, 1800-1815; Archbishop of Baltimore, 1815-1817). Size: 1 document case and 1 letterbook; available on microfilm; date range: c. 1792-1817.
Abp. Ambrose Maréchal, P.S.S., Papers (Born: 1768, Ingres, France; Archbishop of Baltimore, 1817-1828; Died: 1828, Baltimore, MD). Size: 9 document cases, 2 pamphlet boxes, and 1 letterbook; available on microfilm; date range: c. 1803-1827.
Abp. James Whitfield Papers. (Born: 1770, Liverpool, England; Archbishop of Baltimore, 1828-1834; Died: 1834, Baltimore, MD). Size: 1.5 document cases and 1 letterbook; available on microfilm; date range: c. 1807-1834.
Abp. Samuel Eccleston, P.S.S., Papers (Born: 1801, Chestertown, MD; Archbishop of Baltimore, 1834-1851; Died: 1851, Washington, D.C.). Size: 4.5 document cases; partially available on microfilm; date range: c. 1822-1851.
Abp. Francis P. Kenrick Papers (Born: 1797, Dublin, Ireland; Coadjutor Bishop of Philadelphia, 1830-1842; Bishop of Philadelphia, 1842-1851; Archbishop of Baltimore, 1851-1863; Died: 1863, Baltimore, MD). Size: 3 document cases, 1 diary, 1 letterbook, and 1 account book; available on microfilm; date range: c. 1811-1863.
Abp. Martin J. Spalding Papers (Born: 1810, Rolling Fork, KY; Auxiliary Bishop of Louisville, 1848-1850; Bishop of Louisville, 1850-1864; Archbishop of Baltimore, 1864-1872; Died: 1872, Baltimore, MD). Size: 6 document cases, 2 letterbooks, 1 letter register, and 1 photograph album; available on microfilm; date range: c. 1831-1872.
Abp. James Roosevelt Bayley Papers (Born: 1814, Harlem, NY; Bishop of Newark, 1853-1872; Archbishop of Baltimore, 1872-1877; Died: 1877, Newark, NJ). Size: 4.5 document cases; available on microfilm; date range: c. 1856-1877.
Card. Abp. James Gibbons Papers (Born: 1834, Baltimore, MD; Vicar Apostolic of North Carolina, 1868-1872; Bishop of Richmond, 1872-1877; Archbishop of Baltimore, 1877-1886; Cardinal Archbishop of Baltimore, 1886-1921; Died: 1921, Baltimore, MD). Size: 56.5 document cases and 1 letterbook; date range: c. 1861-1921.
Abp. Michael J. Curley Papers (Born: 1879, Athlone, Ireland; Bishop of St. Augustine, 1914-1921; Archbishop of Baltimore, 1921-1939; Archbishop of Baltimore and Washington, D.C., 1939-1947; Died: 1947, Baltimore, MD). Size: 56 document cases; date range: c. 1905-1947.
Abp. Francis P. Keough Papers (Born: 1889, New Britain, Connecticut; Bishop of Providence, 1934-1947; Archbishop of Baltimore, 1948-1961; Died: 1961, Baltimore, MD.) Size: 14 record storage boxes; 8 document cases; 2 pamphlet boxes; 2 flat storage boxes; date range: c. 1911-1970 [bulk dates: 1948-1961].
Collection Description
Box List
Archbishops – General. Size: 7 document cases, 4-.5 document cases, and 12 volumes; date range: c. 1783-1961.
Special A and C Collections – Significant Individuals. Size: 2-.5 document cases; typed finding aid; available on microfilm; date range: c. 1784-1947. Contains letters addressed to the Archbishops of Baltimore concerning matters deemed confidential or significant. Included are letters from noted clergy, U.S. political leaders (see Special D for correspondence from Presidents of the U.S.), and international leaders of the Catholic Church.
Special B Collection – Roman Curia – Size: 5 document cases, 4-.5 documents cases, and 1 bound volume; typed finding aid and index card file; partially available on microfilm; date range: c. 1783-1961. Correspondence from the Congregations of the Roman Curia to the Archbishops of Baltimore, c. 1784-1961, and a copybook of incoming documents and letters from various officials of the Roman Curia to the Archbishops of Baltimore, c. 1783-1863.
Special D Collection – U.S. Presidents. Size: 1.5 document cases; typed finding aid; partially available on microfilm; date range: c. 1790-1961. Contains letters addressed to the Archbishops of Baltimore from Presidents of the United States.
Synods and Councils of the Archdiocese of Baltimore Collection. Size: 2 document cases; typed finding aid; available on microfilm; date range: 1791-1884. Contains files pertaining to the three plenary and ten provincial councils and nine synods held in Baltimore over the course of the nineteenth century.
Scrapbooks of the Archbishops of Baltimore Collection. Size: 10 volumes; date range: 1892-1959. Contains a collection of the scrapbooks either presented to or created by the Archbishops of Baltimore, including ones for the Columbian Catholic Congress of 1892, Tercentenary Anniversary of the Founding of Maryland, 1934, erection of Archdiocese of Washington, D.C., in 1939, the dedication of the Cathedral of Mary Our Queen in 1959, and miscellaneous jubilee celebrations.
Register of seminarians ordained for the Archdiocese of Baltimore. Size: 1 vol.; arranged chronologically; no index; date range: 1830-1921.
Deeds Collection. Size: 1 document case; typed finding aid; available on microfilm date range: 1801-1891. Contains miscellaneous deeds that were found in the Archbishops’ papers.
Last Wills and Testaments Collection. Size: 1 document case; typed finding aid; available on microfilm; date range: 1787-1919. Contains authentic copies of miscellaneous last wills and testaments that were found in the Archbishops’ papers for priests that have served in the archdiocese, as well as for a number of U.S. bishops, including, Abp. John Hughes of New York and Bp. Richard V. Whelan of Wheeling.
U.S. Bishops’ Pastorals Collection. Size: 1 document case; no finding aid; date range: 1833-1897. Contains copies of miscellaneous pastorals issued by U.S. Bishops over the course of the nineteenth century, including Baltimore, Cincinnati, and New York.