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.
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.
All stages of priestly formation involve four dimensions: human, spiritual, intellectual, and pastoral. The pathway of formation through the Propaedeutic Stage can be traced through the aims, benchmarks, and programs of each of these four dimensions.
On this page:
Human Formation
Spiritual Formation
Intellectual Formation
Pastoral Formation
While The McGivney House program addresses all four dimensions, it places particular emphasis on human and spiritual formation (PPF § 120). In its human formation dimension, the McGivney program seeks to help the seminarians move from “self-knowledge” to “self-possession” to “self-gift.” (PPF § 188) Their “human personality” becomes “a bridge and not an obstacle for others in their meeting with Jesus Christ.” (PPF § 182) “Following St. Thomas Aquinas,” the program is designed to be an “education in the human virtues perfected by charity.” (PPF § 204)
Upon completion of the propaedeutic stage, the PPF indicates that the seminarian should:
To help the seminarian achieve these goals, the program includes:
As grace perfects nature, so “human formation leads to and finds its completion in spiritual formation.” (PPF § 225) The aim of the Christian spiritual life is “to live in intimate and unceasing union with God the Father through His Son Jesus Christ, in the Holy Spirit.” (PPF § 226; PDV 45) In a statement that could have been taken from Olier’s own works, the PPF specifies that spiritual formation in a seminary promotes this union by helping the seminarian to “interiorize the sentiments and ways of acting of Jesus Christ.” (PPF § 228; cf. Catéchisme Chrétien 1) This formation is grounded in participation in the liturgy, particularly the Eucharist, which “is itself a participation in the heavenly Liturgy offered by Christ, our great High Priest.” (PPF § 229; Sacrosanctum Concilium 8)
By the end of the propaedeutic stage, the PPF (§ 235) indicates that the seminarian should:
The McGivney House program aims to help seminarians achieve these benchmarks by:
As we cannot love that which we do not know, and we seek to know more about those we love, so “there is a reciprocal relationship between spiritual and intellectual formation.” (PPF 261) The seminarian’s study is aimed at enabling the seminarian both to have “personal knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ” and to aim to use that knowledge for the good of the Church, particularly in “the teaching office of the priesthood.” (PPF §§ 263, 265)
During the propaedeutic stage, the seminarian is expected to acquire and demonstrate:
Seminarians in The McGivney House programs will achieve these goals by participating in three courses over the span of the program, each meeting for two hours per week: The Catechism of the Catholic Church, Introduction to the Bible, and Introduction to the Catholic Spiritual Life. These courses will be pass/fail.
These classes will be supplemented by presentations on Catholic art, architecture, literature, and music, with experiences designed to promote the seminarian’s appreciation of the sacred patrimony of the Church.
The program will seek to accommodate and assist those seminarians whose educational background indicates a need for further language study or other course work. (PPF § 271)
From among the many feasts honoring the Blessed Virgin Mary, Fr. Olier chose the feast of her Presentation in the Temple (Nov. 21) as the patronal feast of the Society of St. Sulpice and the Seminary. He saw in the Virgin’s willing offering of herself to the service of God in the temple a most fitting image of that self-gift that he sought to imitate h imself and foster in those preparing to serve as priests. Pastoral formation offers seminarians opportunities to practice this self-gift, particularly in charitable works (PPF § 373), together with guidance as to how to integrate those experiences theologically. Enabled by grace to give of themselves to the service of God and the Church, they become more prepared for the later stages that will form them to be “true shepherds of souls after the example of our Lord Jesus Christ, teacher, priest, and shepherd.” (PPF § 369, PDV 57)
The PPF (§ 373) indicates that seminarians in the propaedeutic stage should:
The McGivney House program helps seminarians meet these goals by using the many opportunities available in the Baltimore area for service to the poor and others in need. Seminarians will have opportunities to engage in weekly, supervised apostolates to those in need of food, to the elderly, to inner-city students, and others. Seminarians will also serve the McGivney community in their weekly house jobs.