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.
Click here for more information about hours and visitor policies.
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.
Members of the St. Mary’s community have an impact far beyond our Baltimore location. These are some of the latest examples.
Once again, the St. Mary’s community participated in the annual “Gift of the Magi” program. The Peace and Justice Committee, who coordinated the program, gathered 84 gifts. An additional 20 gifts were brought by the OLPH Edgewater Youth Group, who came on Saturday to assist with gift wrapping. The gifts were collected to support 84 underprivileged children who attend Mother Seton Academy, operated by the School Sisters of Notre Dame. This is a program that St. Mary’s has supported for around 10 years, and this year’s drive was a great success.
Pictured: (top) the gifts are wrapped and ready for transport; (bottom) seminarians deliver the gifts to Mother Seton Academy: (left-right) Sr. Margaret [Peggy] Juskelis, SSND (the President of Mother Seton Academy), John Enemuo (Diocese of Wilmington), Michael Boris (Diocese of Scranton), and Javier Fuentes (Archdiocese of Baltimore).
Saint Meinrad Institute of Sacred Music (Saint Meinrad, Indiana) will present an afternoon workshop on “Understanding Liturgical Manuscripts” on Saturday, January 8, 2022. The free event will be held in the Saint Meinrad Archabbey Library from 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. Central Time. It is open to the public.
Among the group of leading scholars who will present: St. Mary’s own Associate Professor of Homiletics, Rev. Innocent Smith, O.P.
According to the Institute, presentations will be on the liturgical manuscripts in the Archabbey Library collection, ranging from 11th-century southern Germany to 18th-century Ethiopia. None of the manuscripts has previously been studied, and many are new acquisitions with fascinating histories. The workshop will explore what can be learned from the manuscripts and how to study them.
Though the speakers are among the top in their field, the event is geared toward the general public and is an opportunity to shine a light on the riches of the collection with the scholars most expert at uncovering those riches.
St. Mary’s Seminary & University is hosting a comprehensive evaluation visit for reaffirmation of accreditation by the Association of Theological Schools (ATS) Commission on Accrediting on January 24 – January 27, 2022. The purpose of this visit is to verify that the school meets all applicable Commission Standards of Accreditation. Comments regarding how well the school meets those standards and/or generally demonstrates educational quality may be sent to the ATS Director of Commission Information Services at least two weeks before the visit. Comments may also or instead be sent in writing to Pat LeNoir, Special Assistant to the President for Institutional Excellence ([email protected]). All comments will be shared with the onsite evaluation committee.
Please Join Us for
Lessons & Carols
Thursday, December 9, 2021 5:00 PM (organ preludes at 4:50 PM)
Sung by the St. Mary’s Seminary Schola Cantorum
in St. Mary’s Chapel of St. Mary’s Seminary & University
Download as PDF
For Release: November 29, 2021
Contact Bruce Baumgarten [email protected]
(Baltimore, MD) – St. Mary’s Seminary & University–the nation’s first Roman Catholic seminary established for the formation of priests in the United States–has been awarded a grant in the amount of $1 million from Lilly Endowment Inc. to support the design and implementation of St. Mary’s Institute for Pastoral Leadership. The mission of the Institute will be to strengthen St. Mary’s recognized leadership in forming 21st century pastors equipped to minister collaboratively with lay ministers and parish leaders to address the spiritual and pastoral needs of those served through the wide variety of ministries and outreach programs in Catholic parishes.
The initiation of the Institute is being funded through Lilly Endowment’s “Pathways for Tomorrow” Initiative, a three‐phase initiative designed to help theological schools across the United States and Canada prioritize and respond to their most pressing challenges as they prepare pastoral leaders for Christian congregations both now and into the future.
“We could not be more grateful to Lilly Endowment for its recognition of St. Mary’s commitment to forming authentic and effective pastors, equipped in every way for the rigors of pastoral ministry in the 21st century,” said St. Mary’s Seminary & University President‐Rector Revered Phillip J. Brown, P.S.S. “With this significant grant, we will be able to accelerate and expand programs to provide model human and pastoral formation, not only for those seminarians currently in formation, but continuing education and essential resources for priests already in parish ministry addressing the varied pastoral needs of those who depend on them and their pastoral teams each and every day. St. Mary’s mission is to provide the people of God with the kind of priests and pastors they truly deserve.”
St. Mary’s Seminary & University is the birthplace of priestly formation in the United States. At the invitation of Bishop John Carroll, first Roman Catholic Bishop in the United States, Father François Nagot, S.S., led a group of Sulpician priests and seminarians to Baltimore to begin priestly formation here on October 3, 1791. Since then, St. Mary’s has been operated by the Sulpician Fathers, a community of diocesan priests dedicated to the formation of parish priests. Currently, 76 seminarians are in formation at St. Mary’s from 13 dioceses throughout the United States, as well as Hamilton, Ontario and Zhao Xian China, in addition to 4 graduate student priests, for a total enrollment of 80. Among them are also 2 religious seminarians from the Trinitarian Order, one Cistercian, and one seminarian from the Société des Missions Étrangères de Paris.
St. Mary’s already provides a holistic curriculum focused on the human, spiritual, pastoral and intellectual dimensions necessary for effective priestly ministry. The changing landscape of the Church in America demands ongoing assessment of the way seminaries prepare men to serve the needs of parishioners in the present day, however. These changing dynamics call for enhanced ongoing formation opportunities for enhanced ministerial skills to support clergy in their ministries. As part of the Institute for Pastoral Leadership initiative St. Mary’s will utilize the Lilly Endowment grant to upgrade and expand its existing Center for Continuing Formation.
Inspired by Pope Francis and his insistence that ordained ministry be understood first and foremost as a call and commitment to service, St. Mary’s Institute for Pastoral Leadership will focus on three key areas: seminary formation, ongoing formation, and faculty development. The upgrading of formation programs will include academic courses on philosophy of pastoral leadership and communication skills; workshops on essential and foundational communication skills and collaboration skills; experiential learning opportunities to build collaboration skills; and facilitated learning sessions to more effectively integrate pastoral field experiences. Ongoing formation programs will focus on the critical first five years of priestly ministry, in addition to courses on preaching, parish administration, clergy/lay collaboration, guiding volunteers and enabling lay leadership. These areas of concentration were identified based on feedback from interviews conducted for developing ongoing formation programs that can be offered as distance learning modules, along with continued onsite programs. Faculty Development will be designed to ensure that faculty members, supervisors and mentors are able to effectively help seminarians implement and integrate what they learn in formation into their lived experience.
In developing the Institute for Pastoral Leadership, St. Mary’s will create a nationally accessible innovative formation program as a resource for other seminarians and priests across the country. It is envisioned that the impact of the Institute will reach far beyond St. Mary’s seminarians and alumni and the parishes they serve.
St. Mary’s Seminary & University is one of 84 theological schools designated to receive a total of more than $82 million in grants through the second phase of the Pathways initiative. Together, the schools represent evangelical, mainline Protestant, nondenominational, Pentecostal, Roman Catholic and Black church and historic peace church traditions (e.g., Church of the Brethren, Mennonite, Quakers). Many schools also serve students and pastors from Black, Latino, Korean American, Chinese American and recent immigrant Christian communities.
“Theological schools have long played a pivotal role in preparing pastoral leaders for churches,” said Christopher L. Coble, the Endowment’s vice president for religion. “Today, these schools find themselves in a period of rapid and profound change. Through the Pathways Initiative, theological schools will take deliberate steps to address the challenges they have identified in ways that make the most sense to them. We believe that their efforts are critical to ensuring that Christian congregations continue to have a steady stream of pastoral leaders who are well‐prepared to lead the churches of tomorrow.”
Lilly Endowment launched the Pathways initiative in January 2021 because of its longstanding interest in supporting efforts to enhance and sustain the vitality of Christian congregations by strengthening the leadership capacities of pastors and congregational lay leaders.
About St. Mary’s Seminary & University America’s first Catholic seminary, St. Mary’s Seminary & University continues its tradition of excellence since 1791 in preparing candidates for the Roman Catholic diocesan priesthood. Following the Sulpician Tradition of priestly formation, which takes place within a single community of formators and seminarians sharing one rule of life with strong mentoring relationships, 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.
Through its Center for Continuing Formation and Ecumenical Institute, St. Mary’s also provides for advanced theological study, the ongoing formation of those in ministry, and a center of preparation for missionary discipleship.
About Lilly Endowment Inc. Lilly Endowment Inc. is an Indianapolis‐based private philanthropic foundation created in 1937 by J.K. Lilly, Sr. and his sons Eli and J.K. Jr. through gifts of stock in their pharmaceutical business, Eli Lilly and Company. Although the gifts of stock remain a financial bedrock of the Endowment, it is a separate entity from the company, with a distinct governing board, staff and location. In keeping with the founders’ wishes, the Endowment supports the causes of community development, education and religion and maintains a special commitment to its founders’ hometown, Indianapolis, and home state, Indiana. The primary aim of its grantmaking in religion, which is national in scope, focuses on strengthening the leadership and vitality of Christian congregations in the United States. The Endowment also seeks to foster public understanding about religion and lift up in fair, accurate and balanced ways the contributions that people of all faiths and religious communities make to our greater civic well‐being.
Drs. Eric Mabry and Innocent Smith, O.P. were presenters at Villanova University’s 46th International Patristic, Medieval, and Renaissance Conference (PMR). The conference was held October 15-17, 2021 on the theme “Cum Dilatasti Cor Meum: Knowledge, Affect, and the Dilation of the Heart.”
Fr. Innocent presented on “Beauty, Devotion, and the Medieval Liturgy” during the session on Beauty and Emotion in Christian Material Culture.
Dr. Eric Mabry presented on “Paratum cor meum, Deus: Christological Affectivity in Medieval Exegesis of the Psalms” during a session on Medieval Exegesis. He also chaired the session on the Theology of Bonaventure.
Fr. William Burton, O.F.M., S.T.D. is presenting an adult formation series on “Paul & the Early Church” at the Cathedral of Mary Our Queen, Charles Street, Baltimore. The 4-part series takes place on the first four Tuesday evenings of November.
St. Mary’s own music director, Samuel Rowe, directed the Schola Cantorum at First Vespers of All Saints at the Baltimore Basilica on Sunday, October 31. See fb.me/e/KvakrABu.
On November 15, St. Mary’s Seminary & University collaborated with Saint Luke Institute to host an evening for Bishops during their November meeting in Baltimore. St. Mary’s President Rector, Rev. Phillip Brown, P.S.S. and Saint Luke’s CEO, Rev. David Songy, O.F.M. Cap. gave brief presentations during the dinner. St. Mary’s was also represented by six seminarians.
St. Mary’s already partners with Saint Luke Institute on a number of initiatives including candidate assessments, counseling, and human formation. Several Saint Luke staff members have done workshops in pastoral skills for seminarians and resourcing for faculty and formators.
Dr. Michael Gorman, Raymond E. Brown Professor of Biblical Studies and Theology, attended the Society of Biblical Literature annual meeting in San Antonio, TX from November 20-23. He was a respondent in a session devoted to Pauline Theology, specifically the meaning of justice in the letters of Paul.
See last month’s “On the Road”…
On Tuesday, November 16, Bishop Robert Barron of Los Angeles visited St. Mary’s seminarians for a question-and-answer dialogue. He answered questions about discernment, preaching, and how to evangelize in our modern world.
This past summer, Mary Pat Seurkamp, Ph.D. was named chair of the Maryland Higher Education Commission (MHEC) by Maryland Governor Larry Hogan. Dr. Seurkamp, who is the president emerita of Notre Dame of Maryland University, is a former member of the Board of Trustees of St. Mary’s Seminary & University who continues to serve on the Education & Formation Committee of the Board. She brings more than 40 years of experience in higher education administration and governance to these roles.
MHEC is Maryland’s higher education coordinating board which establishes statewide policies for the state’s public and private colleges and universities and for-profit career schools. MHEC also administers state financial aid programs for students
Dr. Seurkamp chaired the board of the Council for Independent Colleges (CIC) from 2003 through 2005 and is a senior advisor for the New Presidents Program. She led the Maryland Independent College and University Association Board (MICUA) from 2008 to 2011, served on the board and executive committee of the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities and was chair of the Maryland Hospital Association Board. She is a founding partner of MPK&D, a higher education consulting firm.
Dr. Seurkamp, a magna cum laude graduate of Webster University (’68) with a B.A. in psychology, holds a M.A. in counseling from Washington University, and a Ph.D. in higher education from the State University of New York at Buffalo. She is a graduate of Maryland Leadership ’99 and was recognized as one of Maryland’s Top 100 Women, Circle of Excellence, by The Daily Record. She lives on the Chesapeake Bay, Maryland, with her husband, Bob.
Members of the Saint Mary’s community have an impact far beyond our Baltimore location. Recent examples include:
St. Mary’s Raymond E. Brown Professor of Biblical Studies and Theology, Dr. Michael J. Gorman, was selected by Northern Seminary to give the 2021 Brady Theology and Mission Lectures on September 23 and 24 at the seminary in Lisle, IL (Chicago). The event was livestreamed. More on the Northern Seminary website…
On October 4, St. Mary’s Robert F. Leavitt Distinguished Service Professor of Theology, Rev. Dennis J. Billy, C.Ss.R., traveled to Long Island, NY to record two upcoming programs for the Catholic Faith Network. The programs will discuss the relationship between Catholic Spirituality and Catholic Moral Teaching. They are part of the series, Encounter, featuring Bishop John Barres of the Diocese of Rockville Centre.
On Thursday, October 14 the Thomistic Institute at Rutgers University presented a lecture by Prof. Matthew Dugandzic on “The Thomistic Understanding of the Soul.” The lecture was given on the campus of Rutgers in New Brunswick, NJ.
On October 18, St. Mary’s President Rector, Rev. Phillip J. Brown, P.S.S., and four seminarians attended the Annual Saint Luke Institute Benefit at the Apostolic Nunciature in Washington D.C.
In the photo: [from left to right] Mr. Andrew McCarroll (Diocese of Scranton, 2nd year), Mr. Michael Boris (Diocese of Scranton, 3rd year), Archbishop Christophe Pierre (Apostolic Nuncio), Rev. David Songy, O.F.M. Cap., S.T.D., Psy.D. (President and CEO, Saint Luke Institute), Rev. Phillip J. Brown, P.S.S., J.D., J.C.L. (President Rector, St. Mary’s), Rev. Mr. Brian Norris (Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown, 4th year), Rev. Msgr. John J. Enzler (President and CEO, Catholic Charities, Archdiocese of Washington and Recipient of the 2021 Saint Luke Award), Mr. C.J. Wild (Diocese of Buffalo, 1st year), and Wilton Cardinal Gregory (Archbishop of Washington).
ST. MARY’S SEMINARY & UNIVERSITY invites you to a piano recital by Rev. Paul Maillet, P.S.S.
Bach: Selected Chorale Preludes Schubert: Sonata in A Major, D. 664 Rachmaninov: Moments Musicaux, Op. 16
Sunday, November 14, 2021 • 3:00 pm St. Mary’s Chapel at St. Mary’s Seminary & University Light reception to follow
Free and open to the public, but we encourage you to RSVP: [email protected]
Before discerning a call to the priesthood, Paul Maillet received critical acclaim and international recognition for his performances with orchestra and in recital. He studied under full scholarship with Cécile Genhart at the Eastman School of Music. An alumnus of the Peabody Conservatory, he studied with Leon Fleisher and received the prestigious Artist’s Diploma.
“Maillet remains a fluent technician who boasts a particularly lovely quality of sound and who excels in subtlety of voicing. Most of all he has something to say, feelings to express and thoughts to communicate….Maillet’s playing is about his spirit, about his beliefs, about his experience of life…” The Boston Globe
“One of the best of the many brilliant students who have emerged from Leon Fleisher’s studio. He’s a pianist with an abundance of technique, a beautiful tone, and a deep streak of poetry.” The Baltimore Sun
On September 1, 2021 St. Mary’s opened its academic year with a “Mass of the Holy Spirit” (sometimes called a “Red Mass” after the liturgical color for the Holy Spirit and the vestments worn). The Most Rev. William E. Lori, Archbishop of Baltimore, was the presider and homilist. The principal concelebrants were Rev. Phillip Brown, P.S.S., President-Rector of St. Mary’s Seminary & University, Rev. Paul Maillet, P.S.S., Vice-Rector of St. Mary’s, and Rev. Gladstone Stevens, P.S.S., St. Mary’s Academic Dean. Deacons for the liturgy were Rev. Mr. Kenneth Lukong, Archdiocese of Baltimore, and Rev. Mr. Brian Norris, Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown.
Included in the celebration was a special rite after Communion in which new members of the St. Mary’s community–seventeen new seminarians, four priests from Cameroon studying for the Licentiate in Sacred Theology (STL), and two new faculty members–inscribed their names in the St. Mary’s Covenant Book. After the inscriptions, al faculty and students recited “The St. Mary’s Covenant” dedicating themselves to their studies and a life of community in formation as practiced in the tradition of the Society of Saint Sulpice.
Following the conclusion of the Mass, all faculty, students, and seminarians gathered with Archbishop Lori for the annual community photo.