Allen Hall Seminary, often abbreviated to Allen Hall, is the

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

seminary A seminary, school of theology, theological seminary, or divinity school is an educational institution for educating students (sometimes called ''seminarians'') in scripture, theology, generally to prepare them for ordination to serve as clergy, ...

and theological college of the

Province of Westminster The Catholic dioceses in Great Britain are organised by two separate hierarchies: the Catholic Church in England and Wales, and the Catholic Church in Scotland. Within Great Britain, the Catholic Church of England and Wales has five province ...

at 28

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, in the

London Borough of Kensington and Chelsea The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea is an Inner London borough with royal status. It is the smallest borough in London and the second smallest district in England; it is one of the most densely populated administrative regions in the ...

. It is situated on the site of the house that was once occupied by St

Thomas More Sir Thomas More (7 February 1478 – 6 July 1535), venerated in the Catholic Church as Saint Thomas More, was an English lawyer, judge, social philosopher, author, statesman, and noted Renaissance humanist. He also served Henry VIII as Lord ...

. Though nothing of the house remains, parts of the 16th-century garden wall exist today.

History

Chapel of Allen Hall seminary - geograph

The Catholic theological college is named after

Cardinal William Allen William Allen (153216 October 1594), also known as Guilielmus Alanus or Gulielmus Alanus, was an English Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church. He was an ordained priest, but was never a bishop. His main role was setting up colleges to train Eng ...

who founded a seminary in

Douai Douai (, , ,; pcd, Doï; nl, Dowaai; formerly spelled Douay or Doway in English) is a city in the Nord département in northern France. It is a sub-prefecture of the department. Located on the river Scarpe some from Lille and from Arras, D ...

, France, in 1568 to provide for the English mission in time of persecution when it was illegal to train men for the Catholic priesthood in England. In 1793, the professors and students moved from Douai to

Ware, Hertfordshire Ware is a town in Hertfordshire, England close to the county town of Hertford. It is also a civil parishes in England, civil parish in East Hertfordshire district. Location The town lies on the north–south A10 road (Great Britain), A10 road ...

, to escape the

French revolution The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in November 1799. Many of its ideas are considere ...

and founded St Edmund's College. The site of the seminary dates back to 1524, when it was purchased by

Henry VIII Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is best known for his six marriages, and for his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. His disa ...

chancellor Chancellor ( la, cancellarius) is a title of various official positions in the governments of many nations. The original chancellors were the of Roman courts of justice—ushers, who sat at the or lattice work screens of a basilica or law cou ...

. Although his house no longer exists, one of the mulberry trees he planted survives in the seminary garden, which is one of the largest gardens in

Chelsea Chelsea or Chelsey may refer to: Places Australia * Chelsea, Victoria Canada * Chelsea, Nova Scotia * Chelsea, Quebec United Kingdom * Chelsea, London, an area of London, bounded to the south by the River Thames ** Chelsea (UK Parliament consti ...

. The current building is a former convent built by French nuns in the 19th and 20th centuries, the Sisters of the Adoration Réparatrice, who occupied it until 1975 when it was bought by the

Archdiocese of Westminster The Catholic Diocese of Westminster is an archdiocese of the Latin Church of the Catholic Church in England. The diocese consists of most of London north of the River Thames and west of the River Lea, the borough of Spelthorne (in Surrey), and th ...

. The college chapel was designed by Hector Corfiato and was completed in 1958. In 1975 the seminary itself moved its present-day site which allowed St Edmund's to expand as a school and became Allen Hall.

Educational programmes

The seminary comes under the authority of the

Archbishop of Westminster The Archbishop of Westminster heads the Roman Catholic Diocese of Westminster, in England. The incumbent is the metropolitan of the Province of Westminster, chief metropolitan of England and Wales and, as a matter of custom, is elected presid ...

and although it serves as a seminary for the dioceses within the

, it welcomes seminarians from other dioceses of England and Wales and from abroad. Those training for the priesthood are typically in formation for six years. The first two years are spent studying philosophy, and the third year is currently spent in a parish, which provides an important pastoral experience, before the remaining three years of study which focus on theology.

Mater Ecclesiae College

Since 2019, studies are completed through the Mater Ecclesiae College, a Pontifical Institute based at Allen Hall, which is in partnership with

St Mary’s University, Twickenham , mottoeng = Show Thyself to be a Mother , established = 1850 (as St Mary's College)2014 (gained university status) , type = Public university , religious_affiliation = Roman Catholic , endowment ...

. All Mater Ecclesiae students who complete their degrees may receive both the civil degree, a BA (Hons) in Theological Studies from St Mary’s, as well as the Ecclesiastical degree, the Baccalaureate in Sacred Theology (STB) from Mater Ecclesiae, which has the faculties to award pontifical qualifications under the auspices of the

Congregation for Catholic Education , type = Congregation , seal = Coat of arms Holy See.svg , seal_size = 100px , seal_caption = Coat of arms of the Holy See , logo = , picture =Via della Conciliazione din Roma1.jpg , picture_caption = Palazzo delle Congregazioni in Piazza ...

in Rome. As well as teaching the philosophy and theology subjects prescribed by the Catholic Church, every student is also required to gain pastoral experiences in parishes, schools and hospitals and, if appropriate, in a more specialised placement such as a hospice or prison. The staff there help the students reflect on their pastoral experiences both individually and with others.Archdiocese of Westminster Synopsis
/ref> The Rector is Mons Roderick Strange, former rector of Beda College, Rome.

References

External links

* * {{Authority control Catholic seminaries in England Chelsea, London Education in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea History of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea Grade II listed buildings in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea

History

Educational programmes

Mater Ecclesiae College

See also

References

External links