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 The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

institutions, and designed to prepare boys both academically and spiritually for vocations to the priesthood and

religious Religion is usually defined as a social- cultural system of designated behaviors and practices, morals, beliefs, worldviews, texts, sanctified places, prophecies, ethics, or organizations, that generally relates humanity to supernatur ...

life. They emerged in cultures and societies where literacy was not universal, and the minor seminary was seen as a means to prepare younger boys in literacy for later entry into the 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 ...

. The minor seminary is no longer very familiar in the developed world. The 1917 Code of Canon Law described the purpose of minor seminaries as: "to take care especially to protect from the contagion of the world, to train in piety, to imbue with the rudiments of literary studies, and to foster in them the seed of a divine vocation". Suitable boys were encouraged to graduate to a major seminary, where they would continue their tertiary studies for the priesthood. The program of priestly formation of the

USCCB The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) is the episcopal conference of the Catholic Church in the United States. Founded in 1966 as the joint National Conference of Catholic Bishops (NCCB) and United States Catholic Conference (US ...

refers to them as "high school seminaries" rather than minor seminaries. Today, college seminaries, where

philosophy Philosophy (from , ) is the systematized study of general and fundamental questions, such as those about existence, reason, knowledge, values, mind, and language. Such questions are often posed as problems to be studied or resolved. Some ...

is studied, are often called minor seminaries even though they are for those who have completed

high school A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...

Currently Operating Minor Seminaries

Canada

Seminary of Christ the King
(

Mission Mission (from Latin ''missio'' "the act of sending out") may refer to: Organised activities Religion *Christian mission, an organized effort to spread Christianity *Mission (LDS Church), an administrative area of The Church of Jesus Christ of ...

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

)

East Timor

Seminary of Our Lady of Fatima The Minor Seminary of Our Lady of Fatima is a Roman Catholic seminary, located in Dare, Dili, East Timor. Established in 1936, it is the oldest Roman Catholic seminary in East Timor. The seminary was initially established in Manatutu district, so ...

– minor seminary, located in Dare *

Seminary of SS Peter and Paul The Seminary of SS Peter and Paul is a Roman Catholic Seminary in Dili, East Timor. It is the country’s only Major Seminary named after the Saints Peter and Paul. It is located in Fatumeta. The seminary was jointly established in 2000 by Bishop C ...

– major seminary, located in Fatumeta * Good Shepherd Minor Seminary, Pala, India * St Paul's Minor Seminary, Akalpur, Jammu

Ghana

* St Teresa's Minor Seminary

India

* St.Joseph Minor Seminary, Kalamassery – Minor Seminary for the Archdiocese of Verapoly, Kerala. *

St. Aloysius Seminary, Trivandrum St. Aloysius Minor Seminary is the first minor seminary of the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church in Trivandrum, Kerala, India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dep ...

– minor seminary for the Syro-Malankara Archeparchy of Trivandrum * St. Agnes Minor Seminary, Cuddalore, Tamil Nadu

Indonesia

* Minor seminary of Saint Paul Palembang *

Peter Canisius Minor Seminary Mertoyudan , motto_translation = , streetaddress = Jalan Raya Mayjend Bambang Soegeng 15 , city = Magelang , state = , province = Central Java , country = Indon ...

* Wacana Bhakti Minor Seminary

Pakistan

* St. Mary's Minor Seminary, Lahore *

Our Lady of Lourdes Minor Seminary Our Lady of Lourdes Minor Seminary is the preparatory seminary in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Islamabad-Rawalpindi. It is one of only 5 minor seminaries in Pakistan. In the 21st Century the seminary has only one computer. The Seminary is locate ...

, Islamabad–Rawalpindi, founded in 1995 * St. Pius X Minor Seminary – Karachi, founded in 1958 * St. Thomas the Apostle Minor Seminary, Faisalabad, founded in 1981

Philippines

* St. Augustine Minor Seminary-Minor Seminary of Iba, Zambales, Luzon covering Olongapo City and Zambales Province *

San Jacinto Seminary San Jacinto Seminary is the only minor seminary in Cagayan Valley. Founded in 1918, it is located in Alimannao Hills, Peñablanca, Cagayan Valley, under the Archdiocese of Tuguegarao The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Tuguegarao is an eccles ...

( Penablanca,

Cagayan Cagayan ( ), officially the Province of Cagayan ( ilo, Probinsia ti Cagayan; ibg, Provinsiya na Cagayan; itv, Provinsiya ya Cagayan; fil, Lalawigan ng Cagayan), is a province in the Philippines located in the Cagayan Valley region, covering ...

) –Minor Seminary of the

Archdiocese of Tuguegarao The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Tuguegarao is an ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in the Philippines. Tuguegarao is a river delta city that became center of the archdiocese in the Province of Cagayan, on the island of ...

* Diocesan Seminary of the Heart of Jesus ( San Fernando La Union) –minor seminary * Immaculate Conception Minor Seminary (

Vigan, Ilocos Sur Vigan, officially the City of Vigan ( ilo, Siudad ti Vigan; fil, Lungsod ng Vigan), is a 4th class component city and capital of the province of Ilocos Sur, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 53,935 people. Lo ...

) * St. Mary's Seminary (

Laoag, Ilocos Norte Laoag, officially the City of Laoag ( ilo, Siudad ti Laoag; fil, Lungsod ng Laoag), is a 1st class component city and capital of the province of Ilocos Norte, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 111,651 people. ...

) - minor seminary * Immaculate Conception Minor Seminary (

Guiguinto, Bulacan Guiguinto, officially the Municipality of Guiguinto ( tgl, Bayan ng Guiguinto), is a 1st class municipality in the province of Bulacan, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 113,415 people. Guiguinto is one of the ...

) – Minor seminary of the Diocese of

Malolos Malolos, officially the City of Malolos ( fil, Lungsod ng Malolos), is a 1st class component city and capital of the province of Bulacan, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 261,189 people. It is the capital city ...

* John Paul II Minor Seminary (

Antipolo Antipolo, officially known as the City of Antipolo ( fil, Lungsod ng Antipolo), is a 1st class component city and capital of the province of Rizal, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 887,399 people. It is the ...

, Rizal) – high school seminary of the

Diocese of Antipolo The Roman Catholic Diocese of Antipolo (Lat: ''Dioecesis Antipolensis''; Filipino: ''Diyosesis ng Antipolo'') is a diocese of the Latin Rite of the Catholic Church in the Philippines that comprises the Province of Rizal and the city of Marikina ...

* Oblates of St. Joseph Minor Seminary (

San Jose, Batangas San Jose, officially the Municipality of San Jose ( tgl, Bayan ng San Jose), is a 1st class municipality in the province of Batangas, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 79,868 people. The municipality is bounded ...

) – high school seminary * Our Lady of Guadalupe Minor Seminary (

Makati Makati ( ), officially the City of Makati ( fil, Lungsod ng Makati), is a 1st class highly urbanized city in the National Capital Region of the Philippines. Makati is the financial center of the Philippines; it has the highest concentration ...

) – high school seminary of the

Archdiocese of Manila In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associate ...

* Our Lady of Mount Carmel Seminary (

Sariaya, Quezon Sariaya, officially the Municipality of Sariaya ( tgl, Bayan ng Sariaya), is a 1st class municipality in the province of Quezon, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 161,868 people. As the only Mount Banahaw to ...

) - Minor Seminary, Diocese of Lucena * Pope John XXIII Seminary (Cebu City), Minor Seminary of the Archdiocese of Cebu * Pope Paul VI Minor Seminary (

Maasin City Maasin (IPA: ɐ'ʔasɪn, officially the City of Maasin ( ceb, Dakbayan sa Maasin; war, Syudad han Maasin, fil, Lungsod ng Maasin), is a 4th class component city and capital of the province of Southern Leyte, Philippines. According to the 20 ...

Southern Leyte Southern Leyte ( ceb, Habagatang Leyte; Kabalian language, Kabalian: ''Habagatan nga Leyte''; war, Salatan nga Leyte; tl, Timog Leyte), officially the Province of Southern Leyte, is a Provinces of the Philippines, province in the Philippines loc ...

) * Saint Francis de Sales Minor Seminary (

Lipa City Lipa (), officially the City of Lipa ( fil, Lungsod ng Lipa), is a 1st class component city in the province of Batangas, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 372,931 people. It is the first city charter in the pro ...

, Batangas) - Minor(High School) Seminary of the

Archdiocese of Lipa In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associate ...

* Holy Rosary Minor Seminary (

Naga City, Camarines Sur Naga, officially the City of Naga (Central Bikol: ''Siyudad nin Naga''; Rinconada Bikol: ''Syudad ka Naga''; fil, Lungsod ng Naga) or the Pilgrim City of Naga, is a 1st class independent component city in the Bicol Region of the Philippines. ...

) Archdiocese of Caceres * St. Gregory the Great Seminary (Panal,

Tabaco City Tabaco, officially the City of Tabaco ( bcl, Siyudad kan Tabaco; fil, Lungsod ng Tabaco), is a 4th class component city in the province of Albay, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 140,961 people. It is one of t ...

); Celebrating 50 years in Panal 2–3 September 2010. Minor Seminary for the Diocese of Legazpi * Our Lady of Peñafrancia Seminary Sorsogon City),

Diocese of Sorsogon The 'Roman Catholic Diocese of Sorsogon'' (Latin: ''Dioecesis Sorsogonensis'') is a diocese of the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic Church in the Philippines. The diocese was established in 1951 by the Archdiocese of Caceres, and in 1968, the di ...

* St. Anthony High School Seminary (Kinamaligan,

Masbate City Masbate City, officially the City of Masbate ( Masbateño: ''Syudad san Masbate''; fil, Lungsod ng Masbate), is a 4th class component city and capital of the province of Masbate, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of ...

) (Will celebrate 50 years of foundation in 2021) Under the supervision of the

Diocese of Masbate The Roman Catholic Diocese of Masbate (Latin: ''Dioecesis Masbatensis'') is a diocese of the Latin Church of the Catholic Church in the Philippines. The seat of the bishop is the Cathedral Parish of Saint Anthony of Padua along Quezon Street, Ma ...

* Sto. Nino Seminary (

Numancia, Aklan Numancia, officially the Municipality of Numancia ( Aklanon: ''Banwa it Numancia''; Hiligaynon: ''Banwa sang Numancia''; tl, Bayan ng Numancia), is a 4th class municipality in the province of Aklan, Philippines. Because of its proximity to the C ...

) - minor and college * St. Pius X Seminary (Lawaan, Roxas City,

Capiz Capiz, officially the Province of Capiz ( Capiznon/ Hiligaynon: ''Kapuoran sang Capiz''; tl, Lalawigan ng Capiz), is a province in the Philippines located in the central section of Western Visayas region. Its capital is the city of Roxas. It is ...

) - minor seminary of the Archdiocese of Capiz * Saint Vincent Ferrer Seminary - (

Jaro, Iloilo City Jaro (; ) is a district of Iloilo City in the Philippine province of Iloilo on Panay Island in the Western Visayas region. It is the largest in terms of area and population of Iloilo City's seven districts, with 130,700 people in the 2020 census ...

) - Minor Seminary of the Archdiocese of Jaro * Seminario de San Jose (

Puerto Princesa City Puerto Princesa, officially the City of Puerto Princesa ( Cuyonon: ''Siyudad i'ang Puerto Princesa''; fil, Lungsod ng Puerto Princesa), is a 1st class highly urbanized city in the Mimaropa region of the Philippines. According to the 2020 censu ...

Palawan Palawan (), officially the Province of Palawan ( cyo, Probinsya i'ang Palawan; tl, Lalawigan ng Palawan), is an archipelagic province of the Philippines that is located in the region of Mimaropa. It is the largest province in the country in t ...

) - minor and major seminary

Poland

* Minor Seminary of the Archdiocese of Częstochowa - high school seminary of the Archdiocese of Częstochowa * Minor Seminary of the Diocese of Płock - minor seminary of the

Diocese of Płock In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associat ...

United States

The following minor seminaries operate in the USA today. * Blessed Jose Sanchez del Rio Minor Seminary (

Mankato Mankato ( ) is a city in Blue Earth, Nicollet, and Le Sueur counties in the state of Minnesota. The population was 44,488 according to the 2020 census, making it the 21st-largest city in Minnesota, and the 5th-largest outside of the Minnea ...

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...

), high school seminary run by the Institute of the Incarnate Word; opened in 2008. *

Sacred Heart Apostolic School Sacred Heart Apostolic School (SHAS) is a Roman Catholic minor seminary and a private, all-male boarding school in the United States for minors who are considering a vocation to the priesthood. It is meant not only to help discover their vocatio ...

( Rolling Prairie,

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...

) run by the Legionaries of Christ, opened in 2005 * St. Lawrence High School Seminary ( Mount Calvary,

Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

) run by the Capuchin Friars, opened in 1860 *St. Joseph Seminary ( Rathdrum,

Idaho Idaho ( ) is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. To the north, it shares a small portion of the Canada–United States border with the province of British Columbia. It borders the states of Montana and Wyomi ...

br>
( Sedevacantism, Sedevacantist) *

Servants of the Holy Family Servants of the Holy Family (S.S.F. from Latin: Servi Sanctae Familiae) is a semi-contemplative, traditional Catholic Religious institute, religious community of men located in Colorado Springs, Colorado (USA). Membership includes priests, semina ...

(

Colorado Springs Colorado Springs is a home rule municipality in, and the county seat of, El Paso County, Colorado, United States. It is the largest city in El Paso County, with a population of 478,961 at the 2020 United States Census, a 15.02% increase since ...

Colorado Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of t ...

)
St. Joseph House of Formation
(Under Construction) ( Wichita,

Kansas Kansas () is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its capital is Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the ...

Wichita Diocese
ref>

Uganda

*Bukalasa Minor Seminary * Christ the King Seminary, Kisubi, St. Joseph's Seminary, Nyenga, Christ the King Seminary, Kisubi, * St. Joseph's Seminary, Nyenga – minor seminary * Mubende Seminary – in Nandele and Nyenga; minor seminary * Nadiket seminary – for the dioceses of Kotido and Moroto *

Saint Charles seminary In religious belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of holiness, likeness, or closeness to God. However, the use of the term ''saint'' depends on the context and denomination. In Catholic, Eastern Ortho ...

– minor seminary * Saints Joseph's and Gabriel's Junior Seminary Nswanjere – located in Nswanjere, Mpigi District. * St. Pius X Seminary – Nagongera – Located in Tororo district; West Budama County; Junior and Minor Seminary * St. Paul's Seminary – Rushoroza – in Kabale for Kabale Diocese; minor seminary * Kitabi Seminary in Bushenyi for Mbarara Arch diocese; minor seminary * Sacred Heart Mission for the Brothers of Divine Mercy; Missionary preparation * Sacred Heart Seminary Lacor – Gulu archdiocese * St Peter's Seminary-Madera) – in Soroti for Soroti Diocese; minor seminary

Vietnam

* Sacred Heart Seminary of Thai Binh – Minor Seminary of the Diocese of Thái Bình * Saint Nicolas Seminary of Phan Thiet – Minor Seminary of the Diocese of Phan Thiết

External links

Code of Canon Law (1983), IntraText edition with referenced concordance, hosted by the Vatican
*

Congregation of Mary Immaculate Queen The Congregation of Mary Immaculate Queen ( la, Congregatio Mariae Reginae Immaculatae; CMRI) is a sedevacantist Traditionalist Catholic religious congregation. The CMRI is dedicated to promoting the message of Our Lady of Fátima and the de ...

(

sedevacantist Sedevacantism ( la, Sedevacantismus) is a doctrinal position within traditionalist Catholicism, which holds that the present occupier of the Holy See is not a valid pope due to the pope's espousal of one or more heresies and that therefore, fo ...

)
Blessed Jose Sanchez del Rio Minor SeminarySacred Heart Apostolic School

References

{{reflist School types