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.
Fr. Shawn Gould, P.S.S., is a priest of the Archdiocese of Chicago and a member of the Priests of the Society of St. Sulpice. Raised as a Presbyterian in Grand Haven, Michigan, Fr. Gould entered the Catholic Church while practicing law in Milwaukee. After moving to a large firm in Chicago, Fr. Gould discerned a call to the diocesan priesthood and entered Mundelein Seminary in 2005.
After ordination in 2010, Fr. Gould first served as Associate Pastor and Temporary Administrator of St. Alphonsus Parish in Chicago, particularly working with its large young adult population. He then served as Pastor of St. Bede Parish, Ingleside, strengthening the parish school’s finances, and shepherding the parish through a capital campaign and the Archdiocese’s “Renew My Church” re-organization of parishes. Released to the Society of St. Sulpice as a candidate in 2018, Fr. Gould served on the faculty of St. Mary’s Seminary and University, Baltimore, where he taught courses in the systematics and pre-theology departments, provided spiritual direction, and was a formator. After becoming a member of the Society in 2021, he was assigned to doctoral studies at the Angelicum and is presently completing a dissertation under the direction of Fr. Thomas Joseph White, O.P., comparing a dimension of St. Thomas Aquinas’s Christology to that of Fr. Jean-Jacques Olier, the founder of the Sulpicians.
B.A., University of Notre Dame J.D., University of California at Berkeley School of Law M.Div., S.T.B., S.T.L., University of St. Mary of the Lake, Mundelein, IL S.T.D. (cand.), Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas (Angelicum), Rome
Fr. James Yeakel, O.S.F.S., Ph.D. is a priest, an Oblate of St. Francis de Sales, and a licensed clinical social worker. After professing final vows in 1977, he was ordained a priest in 1979. He completed his formal education at Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia, earning a Ph.D. in clinical social work.
Fr. Yeakel has ministered in a variety of pastoral settings. He was the Director of Pastoral Studies at the De Sales School of Theology and taught as an adjunct professor at the Washington Theological Union and at Catholic University of America. As a licensed clinical social worker, he ministered on the staff of Catholic Charities in Allentown, Pennsylvania, and in Washington, D.C. He later served as an inpatient and outpatient therapist at St. Luke Institute. He was Director of Pastoral Care at St. Mary’s Hospital, Richmond, Virginia, and later, at St. Vincent’s Hospital, a psychiatric facility in Harrison, New York. He served as a certified supervisor, member, and past chair of The National Association of Catholic Chaplains Certification Commission. He has served as the Director of Formation for the Wilmington/ Philadelphia Province of the Oblates, as an Associate Pastor in Vienna, Virginia, and Philadelphia, and most recently, as Pastor of Immaculate Conception/ St. Jude parish in Elkton, Maryland.
B.A, De Sales University M.A., De Sales School of Theology, Washington, D.C. M.S.W., Catholic University of America Ph.D., Virginia Commonwealth University
An administration/registration contact will be designated soon.
See the Contact Page for inquiries and further information.