A minor seminary or high school seminary is a secondary day or

boarding school A boarding school is a school where pupils live within premises while being given formal instruction. The word "boarding" is used in the sense of " room and board", i.e. lodging and meals. As they have existed for many centuries, and now exte ...

created for the specific purpose of enrolling teenage boys who have expressed interest in becoming

Catholic priests The priesthood is the office of the ministers of religion, who have been commissioned ("ordained") with the Holy orders of the Catholic Church. Technically, bishops are a priestly order as well; however, in layman's terms ''priest'' refers only ...

. 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 The 1917 ''Code of Canon Law'' (abbreviated 1917 CIC, from its Latin title ), also referred to as the Pio-Benedictine Code,Dr. Edward Peters accessed June-9-2013 was the first official comprehensive codification of Latin canon law. Ordered ...

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 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. ...

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,

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, for ...

)

East Timor

* Seminary of Our Lady of Fatima – minor seminary, located in Dare * Seminary of SS Peter and Paul – 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 – 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 * Wacana Bhakti Minor Seminary

Pakistan

* St. Mary's Minor Seminary, Lahore * Our Lady of Lourdes Minor Seminary, Islamabad–Rawalpindi, founded in 1995 * St. Pius X Minor Seminary – Karachi, founded in 1958 *

St. Thomas the Apostle Minor Seminary St. Thomas the Apostle Minor Seminary is the preparatory seminary of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Faisalabad in Pakistan. It was started in 1981 at the initiative of Bishop Paul Andreotti OP in a rented property at Nalka Kohala on Sargodha Road ...

, Faisalabad, founded in 1981

Philippines

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

) –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) * St. Mary's Seminary ( Laoag, Ilocos Norte) - minor seminary * Immaculate Conception Minor Seminary ( Guiguinto, Bulacan) – 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 * 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 * Our Lady of Mount Carmel Seminary ( Sariaya, Quezon) - 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,

Southern Leyte Southern Leyte ( ceb, Habagatang Leyte; Kabalian: ''Habagatan nga Leyte''; war, Salatan nga Leyte; tl, Timog Leyte), officially the Province of Southern Leyte, is a province in the Philippines located in the Eastern Visayas region. Its capit ...

) * Saint Francis de Sales Minor Seminary ( Lipa City, Batangas) - Minor(High School) Seminary of the Archdiocese of Lipa * Holy Rosary Minor Seminary ( Naga City, Camarines Sur)

Archdiocese of Caceres 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 ...

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

Sorsogon City Sorsogon City, officially the City of Sorsogon ( Waray Sorsogon: ''Syudad san Sorsogon''; bcl, Siyudad nin Sorsogon; fil, Lungsod ng Sorsogon), is a 3rd class component city and capital of the province of Sorsogon, Philippines. According to t ...

), Diocese of Sorsogon * 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 ...

) (Will celebrate 50 years of foundation in 2021) Under the supervision of the Diocese of Masbate * Sto. Nino Seminary ( Numancia, Aklan) - minor and college *

St. Pius X Seminary The Seminary of St. Pius X (''Latin:'' ''Seminarium Sancti Pii Decimi''), or St. Pius X Seminary (SPXS), is a Filipino Roman Catholic secondary school and seminary in the Lawaan hills, Roxas City, Capiz, in the Philippines, run by the Catholic ...

(Lawaan,

Roxas City Roxas City, officially the City of Roxas (Capiznon/ hil, Dakbanwa sang Roxas; fil, Lungsod ng Roxas), is a 3rd class component city and capital of the province of Capiz, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 179,2 ...

, Capiz) - minor seminary of the

Archdiocese of Capiz The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Capiz is an ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in the Philippines. The archdiocese covers the entire province of Capiz on the island of Panay in the Visayas, central Philippines, and has i ...

* Saint Vincent Ferrer Seminary - ( Jaro, Iloilo City) - Minor Seminary of the

Archdiocese of Jaro The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Jaro is an archdiocese of the Catholic Church headquartered in Jaro, Iloilo City, the Philippines. It is based with the Jaro Cathedral (officially the Metropolitan Cathedral of St. Elizabeth of Hungary, also the ...

* 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 census, ...

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

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 t ...

), high school seminary run by the

Institute of the Incarnate Word The Institute of the Incarnate Word (IVE) ( es, Instituto del Verbo Encarnado) is a Catholic religious institute founded in Argentina by Fr. Carlos Miguel Buela on March 25, 1984. It is a religious institute of diocesan right. The institute is t ...

; opened in 2008. * Sacred Heart Apostolic School ( 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 ...

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

Mount Calvary Calvary ( la, Calvariae or ) or Golgotha ( grc-gre, Γολγοθᾶ, ''Golgothâ'') was a site immediately outside Jerusalem's walls where Jesus was said to have been crucified according to the canonical Gospels. Since at least the early mediev ...

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 U.S. state, 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 Monta ...

br>
( Sedevacantism, Sedevacantist) * Servants of the Holy Family (

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 the ...

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

Kansas Kansas () is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its Capital city, capital is Topeka, Kansas, Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita, Kansas, Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebras ...

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 Mubende is a town in the Central Region of Uganda. It is the main municipal, administrative, and commercial center of Mubende District and is the location of the district headquarters. Location Mubende is approximately , by road, west of Kampa ...

– in Nandele and Nyenga; minor seminary *

Nadiket seminary Saint Mary's Seminary Nadiket, or more simply Nadiket Seminary, is a Catholic minor seminary located about from Moroto Town on the Moroto-Kitale road in Uganda. It trains young men from the dioceses of Kotido and Moroto for the Catholic priestho ...

– for the dioceses of

Kotido Kotido is a town in the Northern Region of Uganda. It is the chief municipal, administrative, and commercial center of the Kotido District and the site of the district headquarters. Location Kotido is approximately , by road, northwest of Moro ...

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 Orth ...

– 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 dev ...

( sedevacantist)
Blessed Jose Sanchez del Rio Minor SeminarySacred Heart Apostolic School

References

{{reflist School types