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.
Stay connected with St. Mary’s Ecumenical Institute after graduation through alumni resources, newsletters, events, library access, discounted audit opportunities, EI apparel, diploma frames, and transcript request information.
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.
Join this three-day workshop for seminary administrators and faculty, including priests, deacons and lay persons, who have a role in promoting the human growth and development of the seminarians under their supervision.
Strong and healthy presbyterates depend on emotionally strong and healthy priests. The work of building resilience, emotional intelligence and strong character in priests begins in the seminary.
Dates: Wednesday – Friday, Aug. 12-14, 2026 Arrive: Wednesday 10 a.m. EDT Depart: Friday, 4 p.m. EDT Cost: $950.00 (Includes all meals, room stay, use of the grounds, and facilities)
Registration Deadline: July 28, 2026
View/Download the event flyer.
Matt Robinson, director of Clergy Support for the Diocese of Fall River, Massachusetts, has 15+ years walking with priests as a Diocesan Director of Clergy Support, parish employees, and seminarians. He holds master’s degrees in theology, psychology and business administration. He is a certified Change Management Specialist and holds a certificate in Church Management from Villanova University. He is the founder of The Shepherd Within LLC (theshepherdwithin.com), a professional coaching service dedicated to providing world-class human formation for priests and seminarians.
Father Patrick J. McDevitt, CM, Ph.D., was named president & CEO of the Saint Luke Institute in 2025. Prior to joining Saint Luke Institute, he served as a parish priest, pastoral counselor, seminary educator and formator, university professor, as well as in international missions and provincial administration. Most recently, he served as the chancellor and director of mission of the Diocese of Belleville, Illinois. He holds a Ph.D. and M.S. in Pastoral Counseling from Loyola University in Baltimore, Maryland. He is a Professor Emeritus of DePaul University.
This three-day “Human Formation and Seminary Culture: Keys to Preparing Priests for a New Era” workshop invites seminary faculty into a data-informed dialogue about priestly formation—one grounded in the lived experience of priests after ordination. Drawing on real feedback from diocesan clergy office, the workshop offers “reflections from the field”—insight into the most common post- ordination challenges priests face in wellness, relationships, self- awareness, and pastoral leadership.
These findings are paired with a rigorous framework for human formation, built on the best research in emotional and social intelligence, utilizing scientifically validated tools such as the EQ-i 2.0 model, which encompasses 15 skills of human effectiveness. The goal: to help seminaries shape men who are emotionally healthy and spiritually alive.
Participants will also examine how to cultivate a seminary culture of honesty and candor—a seminary environment where transparency is normalized, shame is minimized, self-leadership is developed, psychological safety is fostered, and seminarians are equipped to confront their own growth edges without fear of judgment or punitive response.
Core Objectives: • Present “reflections from the field”: data and lived experience from clergy support work, revealing what challenges priests face most after ordination—and what formation factors predict resilience. • Explore a research-based human formation framework rooted in emotional intelligence science and the 15 empirically validated EQ-i 2.0 competencies. • Provide practical tools and metrics to assess growth in human formation year-over-year. • Examine how to build a psychologically safe seminary culture where honesty, vulnerability, and accountability are encouraged and modeled by faculty. • Explore how seminaries can form seminarians to transition from external to internal supports—gradually reducing dependence on the seminary “system” and preparing them for the more fluid, self-directed realities of post-ordination life. • Strengthen faculty collaboration around a unified language and approach to human formation and evaluation.
Format: • Day 1: Reflections from the Field — data and stories from diocesan clergy offices: what priests wish they’d learned, what predicts health, and what breaks down. • Day 2: A Framework for Human Formation — integrating the 15 EQ-i 2.0 skills into seminary evaluation, mentorship, and curriculum design. • Day 3: Building a Culture of Honesty — developing psychological safety, formative conversation skills, and faculty alignment to foster authentic growth.
Outcomes: Participants will leave with: • Current data-driven insights into post-ordination realities and how formation impacts long-term priestly health and effectiveness. • A replicable framework for human formation based on emotional intelligence research and measurable developmental benchmarks. • Tools and templates for faculty assessment, mentorship, and documentation of growth in human formation. • A renewed capacity to foster honest, psychologically safe formation environments that prepare future priests for real-world ministry.
Wednesday, August 12, 2026
10:00 AM Arrival and Registration
11:30 AM Mass in St. Charles Chapel
12:15 PM Lunch in the Seminary Refectory
1:30 PM Session I: Reflections from the Field: What Priestly Life Is Teaching Us About Seminary Formation
3:00 PM Break
3:15 PM Session II: Understanding Today’s Presbyterate: What Predicts Flourishing and What Predicts Struggle
5:30 PM Dinner in the Forum Dining Room
7:00 PM Social in the Center Sun Room
Thursday, August 13, 2026
8:30 AM Breakfast in the Forum Dining Room
10:00 AM Session III: A Framework for Human Formation: Emotional Intelligence and Priestly Effectiveness
1:30 PM Session IV: From Assessment to Growth: Building Individualized
Formation Plans
3:00 PM Free time
Friday, August 14, 2026
10:00 AM Session V: Building a Seminary Culture that Forms Healthy Priests
1:30 PM Session VI: Putting It All Together: Integrating Human Formation and
Seminary Culture Best Practices
3:00 PM Departure
Healthy presbyterates do not happen by accident. They are built through intentional formation, healthy institutional cultures, and a clear understanding of the realities priests face after ordination. This workshop invites seminary faculty, formators, and administrators into a conversation about what priestly life is teaching us about seminary formation and how seminaries can prepare priests for the demands of ministry today.
Workshop Progression
Day One: Understanding the Reality The first day examines the lived experience of priests after ordination. Drawing on survey data, clergy support work, and real-world case studies, participants will explore the opportunities, tensions, and challenges facing priests today and consider what these realities reveal about seminary formation.
Day Two: Exploring the Solutions The second day presents a practical framework for human formation rooted in emotional and social intelligence. Participants will explore ways to assess growth, identify developmental priorities, and create individualized formation plans that support long-term priestly flourishing.
Day Three: Applying the Learning The final day focuses on seminary culture and implementation. Participants will examine how institutional systems, faculty practices, and seminary culture influence formation outcomes and explore practical strategies for integrating human formation into the daily life of the seminary.
Session Descriptions
Session I Reflections from the Field: What Priestly Life Is Teaching Us About Seminary Formation
Drawing on survey responses from recently ordained priests and insights from clergy support work, this session explores what priests wish they had learned in seminary and what priestly life is revealing about the formation needs of priests today.
Session II Understanding Today’s Presbyterate: What Predicts Flourishing and What Predicts Struggle
Why do some priests thrive while others struggle? This session examines patterns emerging across dioceses and explores the personal, relational, and institutional factors that contribute to priestly resilience, effectiveness, and long-term wellbeing.
Session III A Framework for Human Formation: Emotional Intelligence and Priestly Effectiveness
This session introduces a research-based framework for human formation rooted in emotional and social intelligence. Participants will explore how emotional intelligence contributes to self-awareness, leadership, relationships, decision-making, and pastoral effectiveness.
Session IV From Assessment to Growth: Building Individualized Formation Plans
Human formation is most effective when it is intentional, individualized, and measurable. This session presents practical approaches for identifying developmental priorities, establishing growth goals, and creating formation plans that move seminarians from awareness to action.
Session V Building a Seminary Culture that Forms Healthy Priests
Formation occurs not only through conferences and evaluations but through the culture of the institution itself. This session examines how seminary culture, faculty behavior, institutional expectations, and psychological safety influence the development of future priests.
Session VI Putting It All Together: Integrating Human Formation and Seminary Culture Best Practices
The workshop concludes by bringing together the major themes of the program and exploring practical strategies for implementation. Participants will discuss ways to strengthen human formation, improve formation processes, and foster seminary cultures that consistently support the development of healthy and effective priests.
For more information, contact:
Center for Continuing Formation St. Mary’s Seminary and University 5400 Roland Avenue Baltimore, MD 21210 410-864-4102
center (at) stmarys.edu