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.
St. Mary’s celebrates October 3 as “Founder’s Day.” When Bishop John Carroll sent a request to the Society of Saint Sulpice in France, to establish the first Roman Catholic seminary in the new United States of America, the Sulpicians sent Fr. François Charles Nagot along with some companions and seminarians to begin St. Mary’s.
When Fr. Nagot and his companions arrived in Baltimore, they took possession of Baltimore’s old One-Mile Tavern on the edge of the city. There, on October 3, 1791, they began the first classes with the five seminarians they brought with them from France. Since then, St. Mary’s marks October 3rd as “Founders Day.”
On this Founders’ Day, the daily Mass was celebrated in honor of the occasion. The presider was Fr. Maximilian Maria Jaskowak, O.P., Instructor of Moral Theology. Below is Fr. Maximilian’s homily for the celebration:
In 1791, when then-Bishop Carroll wrote the Society of Saint-Sulpice, requesting its immediate assistance in founding the first seminary for the United States of America, these beautiful words doubtless came to mind:
“The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few; so, ask the master of the harvest to send out laborers for his harvest.”
Happily, the Society of Saint-Sulpice responded to the Bishop of Baltimore in the affirmative. Four men set out, and in July 1791, they arrived on American soil for the first time. After purchasing an old tavern on the edge of Baltimore City, they repurposed the place, and dedicated it anew. And so, it happened. The One Mile Tavern became a seminary, and the Sulpician Fathers, the first formators of diocesan priests in the United States of America.
Classes commenced for the first time on October 3, 1791—that is, 233 years ago today. Since its foundation, tens of thousands of men (perhaps hundreds of thousands) have attended this great and historic institution. These same men—principally, though not exclusively immigrants themselves—have been formed by the Sulpician Fathers under the mantle of Mary, to whom this seminary is dedicated. From the very beginning, Mary has played a vital role in the formation of every man who has studied at this, her seminary. She once walked the halls of the old tavern; she still graces the house on Paca Street. She is here even now, admiring her seminarians and instructing her sons in the ways of God. And to those who complete their studies, to those who receive a call to orders, Mary speaks to them thus:
“Go on your way; behold, I am sending you like lambs among wolves. Carry no money bag, no sack, no sandals; and greet no one along the way. […] Whatever town you enter and they welcome you, eat what is set before you, cure the sick in it and say to them, ‘The Kingdom of God is at hand for you.’”
Whatever we might think or believe about St. Mary’s Seminary, whatever we might critique or lament from the past century (whatever we might complain or contest in the present moment), we cannot dispute the reason for our founding, nor can we evade the generosity of God in the face of a depleted and seemingly faithless generation. Did he not say himself: “The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few?” We must not forget that the Sulpician Fathers came to the United States at the invitation of Bishop Carroll, but even more to the point: they came at the invitation of Jesus and Mary. This seminary—St. Mary’s Seminary & University—would be nothing without the Lord’s invitation. The very existence of this seminary is a sign of God’s providential care for his people. It is a promise of his fidelity to the Church. It is a token of his love for the world.
The world has, of course, changed since 1791. At that time, the sitting president was George Washington, and the see of Baltimore was not yet an archdiocese. Two centuries may separate us from the founding of this seminary, but its mission—our mission—has never wavered; it has never changed. The Sulpician Fathers founded this place to form priests of Jesus Christ. And they founded it because of a need, a need for priests to serve the United States of America.
Today, in the year of Our Lord 2024, this very same need remains. We need priests to serve the Church in the United States. Now, as then, we need men who do not live for themselves, but live for others. We need men who will fight against mediocrity and settle for nothing less than a life of holiness. We need men who pray, and from that prayer, unabashedly proclaim their love for God in a godless world. We need men who preach against the encroaching lies of secular society, who defend the liberties upon which this great nation is founded, including the right to life, to religious freedom, to freedom of speech. We need men who promote the good of marriage and the integrity of parental rights. We need men who are willing to die to themselves, so that only Jesus may live within.
On this Founder’s Day, in which we celebrate the humble beginnings and historical patrimony of St. Mary’s Seminary & University, let us ask the master of the harvest to look favorably upon his laborers, so that this institution may carry out its mission for several centuries more.
St. Mary, Seat and Mother of All Wisdom, pray for this, your seminary.
November 1, 2024 | St. Mary's News
The Holy Father, Pope Francis, has appointed our own Msgr. Fredrik Hansen as the Coadjutor Bishop of Oslo, Norway, the diocese of which Msgr. Hansen is a priest. ...
October 7, 2024 | St. Mary's News
At the Knights of Columbus international conference this year, St. Mary's Knights of Columbus Council received awards for Recruitment Efforts and Outstanding College Councils....