Holy Name Seminary was a Roman Catholic seminary staffed by the
Society of Jesus
, image = Ihs-logo.svg
, image_size = 175px
, caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits
, abbreviation = SJ
, nickname = Jesuits
, formation =
, founders ...
established in
New Zealand
New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...
for the training of priests. It was first opened in 1947 in
Christchurch
Christchurch ( ; mi, Ōtautahi) is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand and the seat of the Canterbury Region. Christchurch lies on the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula on Pegasus Bay. The Avon River / ...
and closed at the end of 1978.
Establishment
With
Holy Cross College, the New Zealand national
major 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, ...
, not taking school age students from 1932 and with a number of the Catholic secondary schools in the country being used as a recruiting ground for the
Marist order
Marist is a noun or adjective derived from the name Mary – in particular Mary the Mother of Jesus Christ. It may refer to:
Catholic religious orders or congregations
* Marist Brothers also known as the Little Brothers of Mary and the M ...
, the secondary school training of seminarians for the
secular clergy
In Christianity, the term secular clergy refers to deacons and priests who are not monastics or otherwise members of religious life. A secular priest (sometimes known as a diocesan priest) is a priest who commits themselves to a certain geogra ...
was a cause for concern to the New Zealand bishops. In 1936 the combined Council of Australian and New Zealand Bishops discussed the possibility of a national
minor seminary
A minor seminary or high school seminary is a secondary day or boarding school created for the specific purpose of enrolling teenage boys who have expressed interest in becoming Catholic priests. They are generally Catholic institutions, and ...
for New Zealand. In 1939 the
Sacred Congregation for the Propagation of the Faith
Sacred describes something that is dedicated or set apart for the service or worship of a deity; is considered worthy of spiritual respect or devotion; or inspires awe or reverence among believers. The property is often ascribed to objects (a ...
sent an official instruction advising New Zealand to establish a minor seminary. A year later the issue was raised again when the
Apostolic Delegate
An apostolic nuncio ( la, nuntius apostolicus; also known as a papal nuncio or simply as a nuncio) is an ecclesiastical diplomat, serving as an envoy or a permanent diplomatic representative of the Holy See to a state or to an international o ...
visited Holy Cross College and suggested the establishment of a minor seminary on the same site.
[Peter Joseph Norris, ''Southernmost Seminary: The story of Holy Cross College, Mosgiel (1900–97)'', Holy Cross Seminary, Auckland, 1999, pp. 50–55.]
Bishop Patrick James Lyons of Christchurch, with the decisive support of
Archbishop Liston of Auckland,
[Nicholas Reid, ''James Michael Liston: A Life'', Victoria University Press, Wellington, 2006, p. 183.] decided to push the project, and the New Zealand bishops agreed to the setting up of the seminary to be sited in the Christchurch diocese. A large estate was purchased at 265 Riccarton Road (later renamed
Antonio Hall
Antonio Hall (born March 28, 1982) is a former Canadian football offensive tackle. He was signed by the Indianapolis Colts as an undrafted free agent in 2004. He played college football at Kentucky, starting in 45 consecutive games. In high schoo ...
), Christchurch and the seminary was opened in February 1947 by
Archbishop Panico the Apostolic Delegate, who came over from Sydney, and with members of the New Zealand hierarchy and the Prime Minister
Peter Fraser
Peter Fraser (; 28 August 1884 – 12 December 1950) was a New Zealand politician who served as the 24th prime minister of New Zealand from 27 March 1940 until 13 December 1949. Considered a major figure in the history of the New Zealand Lab ...
in attendance.
Minor seminary
The
Society of Jesus
, image = Ihs-logo.svg
, image_size = 175px
, caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits
, abbreviation = SJ
, nickname = Jesuits
, formation =
, founders ...
staffed the seminary and the first rector was Father Noel Hehir SJ with Fathers Leo Perry SJ and Gerard McGinty SJ to assist him.
[Bernard O'Brien SJ, ''A New Zealand Jesuit: A Personal Narrative'', Pegasus, Christchurch, 1970, pp. 74–75.] Their arrival (with the Apostolic Delegate
) in New Zealand was dramatic as their ship,
MS ''Wanganella'', went aground on
Barrett Reef
The cluster of rocks that is Barrett Reef (often known as ''Barrett's Reef'') is one of the most hazardous reefs in New Zealand.
It lies on the western side of the entrance of Wellington Harbour, on the approaches to the city of Wellington, at c ...
at the entrance to
Wellington
Wellington ( mi, Te Whanganui-a-Tara or ) is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the second-largest city in New Zealand by me ...
Harbour, and they had to be rescued.
The seminary was in effect a boys' secondary school for the early training of those boys who wished to become priests in later life. The course of studies was appropriately designed and included Greek, Latin and History.
The first class consisted of 40 thirteen- and fourteen-year-old boys. They were dressed in
soutane
The cassock or soutane is a Christian clerical clothing coat used by the clergy and male religious of the Oriental Orthodox Churches, Eastern Orthodox Church and the Catholic Church, in addition to some clergy in certain Protestant denominat ...
s, as was then common in all seminaries throughout the world.
Major seminary
In the 1950s,
Holy Cross College, the major seminary, became overcrowded and it was necessary from 1954 to house the Philosophy students elsewhere. They were sent to Holy Name Seminary, and year by year the school studies diminished and were replaced by Philosophy. In 1955 the seminary stopped accepting new entrants from secondary school and in 1959 Holy Name Seminary became entirely a major seminary, for students who had finished their school course before they arrived.
One student described the best things about the seminary in 1958–59 as: "superb sporting facilities – footy fields, tennis courts, a fullsize billiards table and a room around it straight out of Empire clubland, cricket pitches, running track, gardening even – the three square meals a day cooked by the nuns, the scholastic brio, the great library, the mateship of minds directed to the single purpose of serving God, the sublime plain chant of Mass"; and he described Easter as: "Midnight Mass for one-and-three-quarter-hours. fantastic singing, the altar ablaze with candles and brass, the nuns' incredible flower arrangements from the garden, the incense and silk vestments of gold and white on the priests, everybody on their feet singing our hearts out for Christ has Risen".
[David McGill, p. 64.]
Students for the priesthood routinely did two years Philosophy study at Holy Name Seminary and their third year Philosophy and four years of Theology at
Holy Cross College. Some celebrated Jesuits taught at Holy Name Seminary, most notably the New Zealand Jesuit
Bernard O'Brien, who helped to give Philosophy studies at Holy Name some standing. In the mid-1960s students at Holy Name Seminary started to go to the
University of Canterbury
The University of Canterbury ( mi, Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha; postnominal abbreviation ''Cantuar.'' or ''Cant.'' for ''Cantuariensis'', the Latin name for Canterbury) is a public research university based in Christchurch, New Zealand. It was ...
to do degrees (this could mean that their stay at Holy Name extended to three years).
[Peter Joseph Norris, pp. 106–109.]
Closure
During the 1970s the decrease in student numbers raised the question of amalgamating Holy Name Seminary and Holy Cross College. Holy Name Seminary closed at the end of the 1978 academic year.
The amalgamation resulted in much of the Philosophy teaching vanishing from the curriculum for trainee New Zealand priests.
Fire
On Friday 12 July 2019 fire destroyed about thirty percent of the building with news reports that the chapel and the two wings survived.
Statistics
Although the academic records from Holy Name Seminary were destroyed, it seems that in the period 1964–1978 there were 343 people who attended Holy Name Seminary. Of these, 91 were later ordained.
See also
*
David McGill (writer)
*
Holy Cross College (New Zealand)
Holy Cross College or Holy Cross Seminary is the national Roman Catholic seminary of New Zealand for the training of priests. It was first opened in 1900 in Mosgiel and was relocated to Auckland in 1997.
Establishment
In the late nineteenth cent ...
*
Marist Seminary
Marist is a noun or adjective derived from the name Mary – in particular Mary the Mother of Jesus Christ. It may refer to:
Catholic religious orders or congregations
* Marist Brothers also known as the Little Brothers of Mary and the M ...
*
Good Shepherd College
In most contexts, the concept of good denotes the conduct that should be preferred when posed with a choice between possible actions. Good is generally considered to be the opposite of evil and is of interest in the study of ethics, morality, ph ...
*
St Mary's Seminary
*
Roman Catholic Diocese of Christchurch
The Latin Rite Roman Catholic Diocese of Christchurch is a suffragan diocese of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Wellington. Its cathedral and see city are located in Christchurch, the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand. It was forme ...
*
List of Jesuit sites
This list includes past and present buildings, facilities and institutions associated with the Society of Jesus. In each country, sites are listed in chronological order of start of Jesuit association.
Nearly all these sites have bee ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Holy Name Seminary
Educational institutions established in 1947
Seminaries and theological colleges in New Zealand
Jesuit universities and colleges
Catholic seminaries
Catholic universities and colleges in New Zealand
Defunct universities and colleges in New Zealand
1947 establishments in New Zealand
Educational institutions disestablished in 1978
1978 disestablishments in New Zealand