Nazareth Hall Preparatory Seminary (known also as Naz Hall) was a
high school seminary in Saint Paul, Minnesota serving the
Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis
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 ...
. It was founded in 1923 by
Archbishop
In Christian denominations, an archbishop is a bishop of higher rank or office. In most cases, such as the Catholic Church, there are many archbishops who either have jurisdiction over an ecclesiastical province in addition to their own archdi ...
Austin Dowling
Daniel Austin Dowling (April 6, 1868 – November 29, 1930) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church who served as the second archbishop of what was then the Archdiocese of Saint Paul in Minnesota from 1919 until his death.
Dowling se ...
and was closed in 1971, being replaced by
Saint John Vianney Seminary. The campus is now the site of the
University of Northwestern – St. Paul
University of Northwestern (UNW) is a private Christian university in Roseville, Minnesota.
History
It was established in 1902 as ''Northwestern Bible and Missionary Training School'' by William Bell Riley, a pastor at First Baptist Churc ...
.
History
Background
Prior to the founding of Nazareth Hall, high-school and early college-aged seminarians for the Archdiocese of Saint Paul were educated at a number of institutions. Many of the first seminarians of the diocese were personally tutored by bishop
Joseph Crétin
Joseph Crétin (19 December 1799 – 22 February 1857) was the first Roman Catholic Bishop of Saint Paul, Minnesota. Cretin Avenue in St. Paul, Cretin-Derham Hall High School, and Cretin Hall at the University of St. Thomas are named for him.
...
and other clerical teachers in the newly completed rectory of the
Cathedral of Saint Paul. After the opening of
St. John's College in 1867, most minor seminarians for the Diocese were educated there or at other seminary institutions in the United States or in Europe. However,
Thomas Grace Thomas Grace may refer to:
* Thomas Grace (Archdeacon of Ardfert) (1770–1848), Irish priest
* Thomas Grace (Archdeacon of Marlborough) (fl. 1873–1890), Anglican priest in New Zealand, son of the above
* Thomas Grace (bishop of Sacramento) (1846 ...
hoped that eventually a dedicated college for the Diocese would be founded, and in November 1866 purchased forty acres on the shores of
Lake Johanna with the hope it would eventually become a seminary.
Grace's successor,
John Ireland
John Benjamin Ireland (January 30, 1914 – March 21, 1992) was a Canadian actor. He was nominated for an Academy Award for his performance in ''All the King's Men'' (1949), making him the first Vancouver-born actor to receive an Oscar nomina ...
, took office in June 1884, and in December of that same year announced plans to build a seminary for the Diocese, which would become the
University of St. Thomas St. Thomas University or University of St. Thomas may refer to:
*Saint Thomas Aquinas University, Colombia
*Saint Thomas Aquinas University of the North, Tucumán province, Argentina
*St. Thomas University (Canada), Fredericton, New Brunswick
*St. ...
. The fledgling college was not unique among Catholic institutions of its time in that it functioned as a sort of combination theological seminary, minor seminary, junior college, high school, and junior high school.
Founding
Following Bishop Ireland's death in 1918, Austin Dowling became Archbishop of St. Paul, and began to plan to separate the preparatory seminary from the College of St. Thomas, envisioning a secluded rural institution at the Lake Johanna property that would aid in recruiting both priestly candidates and financial supporters.
On the first anniversary of the death of Archbishop John Ireland, Dowling established a fund to finance the building of a preparatory seminary. In the fund, $1,280,000 was raised specifically for the construction and endowment of the seminary. These plans were announced to the public in 1920, with the
Romanesque-style campus estimated to cost $500,000 to construct, and planned to house 250 persons. The cornerstone of the new complex was laid by Dowling on May 21, 1922 and completed and dedicated by September 1923.
The redirection of diocesan funds and the withdrawal of minor seminarians had a major negative impact upon the still-young College of Saint Thomas, as the 140 high-school age seminarians moving from St. Thomas to Nazareth Hall constituted nearly twenty percent of the student body at this time. Some within the diocese thought that the establishment of Nazareth Hall spread the resources of the diocese too thinly. Additionally, many criticized the separation of high-school age aspirants to the priesthood as undesirable.
Operation
Timothy Crowley was the first rector of the seminary from 1923 to 1935. In its first year, there were 125 students. In the early years, the school struggled financially, operating at a deficit according to a 1929 report.
Despite this, Dowling was resistant to hearing any criticism of his project, and furnished a personal suite at the school for his frequent retreats and visits there. As one priest of the Archdiocese stated: "Nazareth Hall was the apple of his eye and woe betide the priest or layman who dared to utter an uncomplimentary syllable about the institution, its architecture, purpose, faculty or product. Every other institution in the diocese was a stepchild, seldom visited except officially."
Nazareth Hall covered six years of education - four years of high school and the first two years of a bachelor's degree in philosophy. The second two years of undergraduate philosophy and then four years of masters-level theology were done at
Saint Paul Seminary
The Saint Paul Seminary (SPS) is a Roman Catholic major seminary in St. Paul, Minnesota. A part of the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis, SPS prepares men to enter the priesthood and permanent diaconate, and educates lay men and women o ...
. Coursework for the students included classes in Latin, Gregorian chant, math, the sciences, and social studies. Not all students who attended Nazareth ended up becoming priests, and so over time seminary leadership worked to make the curriculum suitable preparation for life outside of the priesthood.
The Sisters of Saint Francis (OSF) assisted with the domestic operations of the seminary and lived in one of the wings of the building.
By 1949, the institution had 226 students and over 185 alumni had been ordained to the priesthood for the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis; 70 had been ordained for other dioceses, one to the
Ruthenian Greek Catholic Church
The Ruthenian Greek Catholic Church ( rue, Русиньска ґрекокатолицька церьков; la, Ecclesia Graeco-Catholica Ruthenica), also known in the United States simply as the Byzantine Catholic Church, is an Eastern Cath ...
(
Stephen Kocisko
Stephen John Kocisko (June 11, 1915 – March 7, 1995) was the first Metropolitan Archbishop of the Byzantine Catholic Metropolitan Church of Pittsburgh, the American branch of the Ruthenian Greek Catholic Church
Early life
Born June 11, 191 ...
) and 13 for religious orders.
In 1962, St. Austin's House (now called Riley Hall) was added on to the main complex due to growth in the seminary body throughout the 1950s.
Closing and acquisition by the University of Northwestern
In 1959, Archbishop
William Brady ordered a feasibility study for a "4-4-4" plan for priestly formation: four years of study at Nazareth Hall, four years of study at the College of Saint Thomas, and four years of study at the Saint Paul Seminary.
This plan was overwhelmingly supported. However, due to declining enrollment after the
Second Vatican Council
The Second Ecumenical Council of the Vatican, commonly known as the , or , was the 21st Catholic ecumenical councils, ecumenical council of the Roman Catholic Church. The council met in St. Peter's Basilica in Rome for four periods (or sessions) ...
, by 1967 the 4-4-4 plan seemed no longer feasible and there was a stronger desire to create a college seminary at the
University of St. Thomas St. Thomas University or University of St. Thomas may refer to:
*Saint Thomas Aquinas University, Colombia
*Saint Thomas Aquinas University of the North, Tucumán province, Argentina
*St. Thomas University (Canada), Fredericton, New Brunswick
*St. ...
and close Nazareth Hall. In 1968, enrollment fell from 148 the prior year to 105 with the opening of
Saint John Vianney College Seminary.
It was closed in 1971 and the land and buildings sold for $1,100,000 to
Northwestern College (now the University of Northwestern). This decision was negatively received by the clergy of the diocese, especially the perceived low sale price, which was seen as the seminary being "given away."
Over 3,000 students attended Nazareth Hall during its forty-eight years of operation.
The University of Northwestern presently uses the buildings for academic and administrative uses, and has preserved much of the campus in its original state.
Buildings
![Nazareth Hall Chapel from Sanctuary](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c7/Nazareth_Hall_Chapel_from_Sanctuary.jpg)
The campus of Nazareth Hall, which is still maintained and is in active use by the
University of Northwestern – St. Paul
University of Northwestern (UNW) is a private Christian university in Roseville, Minnesota.
History
It was established in 1902 as ''Northwestern Bible and Missionary Training School'' by William Bell Riley, a pastor at First Baptist Churc ...
., primarily consists of "six buildings in one." The "Lombard Romanesque" chapel, residence wings, and classrooms are all interconnected across 120,752 square feet.
Our Lady of the Annunciation Chapel
![Nazareth Hall Fourteenth Station of the Cross](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b2/Nazareth_Hall_Fourteenth_Station_of_the_Cross.jpg)
The chapel is named for Our Lady of the Annunciation and was consecrated on September 8, 1924. It originally sat 300 people and has a crypt church underneath where daily Masses were said. The square bell tower is 105 feet tall. The lower portion of the chapel walls are made from red Numidian marble from Africa. Gray marble columns support the tile vaulted ceiling. While the apse dome is has since been painted white, it was originally gold leaf.
The pews have since been replaced by the University of Northwestern, and the original stone floor has been carpeted over.
The space, since renamed Nazareth Chapel by the University of Northwestern, is a popular wedding venue.
Many original decorations of the chapel remain such as the
Stations of the Cross
The Stations of the Cross or the Way of the Cross, also known as the Way of Sorrows or the Via Crucis, refers to a series of images depicting Jesus Christ on the day of Crucifixion of Jesus, his crucifixion and accompanying prayers. The station ...
. A number of artifacts from the seminary are in active use in Catholic churches across the St. Paul area. The altar and
baldachin
A baldachin, or baldaquin (from it, baldacchino), is a canopy of state typically placed over an altar or throne. It had its beginnings as a cloth canopy, but in other cases it is a sturdy, permanent architectural feature, particularly over h ...
of the seminary chapel are at St. Michael's Church in St. Michael, Minnesota; the chapel statues of Mary and Joseph are at
St. John Vianney Seminary; a lectern is at All Saints in Minneapolis; some
kneelers, chairs and vestments are at
St. Agnes
Agnes of Rome () is a virgin martyr, venerated as a saint in the Catholic Church, Oriental Orthodox Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church, as well as the Anglican Communion and Lutheran Churches. St. Agnes is one of several virgin martyrs comm ...
in
Frogtown
Frogtown is a neighborhood in Saint Paul, Minnesota, Saint Paul in the United States, U.S. state of Minnesota. Built around University Avenue (Minneapolis-St. Paul), University Avenue, the Thomas-Dale neighborhood is colloquially known as Frogt ...
.
Mater Dei Chapel
![Nazareth Hall Island Chapel](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ee/Nazareth_Hall_Island_Chapel.jpg)
There is a small chapel, formerly called
Mater Dei Mater Dei (Latin for ''Mother of God'') is a title of Mary. It may refer to:
Educational institutions
* Mater Dei College (disambiguation)
* Mater Dei High School (disambiguation)
Australia
*Mater Dei Catholic Primary School, Ashgrove, Queensl ...
Chapel in an island in the middle of Lake Johanna. It was originally built in 1925 as a crypt for Heiress Wilhelmine Coolbaugh, who donated the money for its construction herself, with the approval of Archbishop Dowling. However, since then her remains have been removed and reinterred at Resurrection Cemetery in
Mendota Heights
Mendota Heights is a city in Dakota County, Minnesota, Dakota County, Minnesota, United States. It is a first ring southern suburb of the Twin Cities. The population was 11,744 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census.
Geography
According to ...
.
The exterior of the chapel is made with limestone, and above the entrance is a mosaic of an angel holding a scroll with the words "EGO MATER PULEBRAE DELECTIONIS ET TIMORIS ET AGNITIONIS ET SANCTAE SPEI" in Latin, meaning "I am the mother of beautiful delight and of reverence and of knowledge and of holy hope."
The interior walls are also limestone with a marble floor. Prior to the sale of the seminary, there were stained glass windows and a triptych of the Archangel Gabriel inside, bearing the Latin inscription "REGINA ANGELORUM ORA PRO NOBIS" ("
Queen of the Angels, pray for us"). The triptych above the altar, "The Adoration of the Peasants," was by American painter and muralist
Frank H. Schwarz
Frank Henry Schwarz (21 June 1894 – 5 September 1951) was an Americans, American painter and muralist.
Biography
Schwarz was born in New York City on 21 June 1894. Later Schwarz's family lived in Chicago, Illinois. When Schwarz's mother died, ...
. The stained glass windows and triptych were removed after the sale.
Notable alumni
![Archbishop-robert-carlson](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/95/Archbishop-robert-carlson.jpg)
*
James Byrne, auxiliary bishop of
St. Paul
Paul; grc, Παῦλος, translit=Paulos; cop, ⲡⲁⲩⲗⲟⲥ; hbo, פאולוס השליח (previously called Saul of Tarsus;; ar, بولس الطرسوسي; grc, Σαῦλος Ταρσεύς, Saũlos Tarseús; tr, Tarsuslu Pavlus; ...
(1947–1956), bishop of
Boise
Boise (, , ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Idaho and is the county seat of Ada County. On the Boise River in southwestern Idaho, it is east of the Oregon border and north of the Nevada border. The downtown area's ...
(1956–1962), archbishop of
Dubuque
Dubuque (, ) is the county seat of Dubuque County, Iowa, United States, located along the Mississippi River. At the time of the 2020 census, the population of Dubuque was 59,667. The city lies at the junction of Iowa, Illinois, and Wisconsin, a r ...
(1962-1983)
*
Robert James Carlson
Robert James Carlson (born June 30, 1944) is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as the ninth archbishop of the Archdiocese of St. Louis in Missouri from 2009 to 2020.
Carlson previously served as an auxiliary bishop ...
, auxiliary bishop of
Saint Paul and Minneapolis (1983–1994), bishop of
Sioux Falls
Sioux Falls () is the most populous city in the U.S. state of South Dakota and the 130th-most populous city in the United States. It is the county seat of Minnehaha County and also extends into Lincoln County to the south, which continues up t ...
(1995–2004), bishop of
Saginaw
Saginaw () is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the seat of Saginaw County. The city of Saginaw and Saginaw County are both in the area known as Mid-Michigan. Saginaw is adjacent to Saginaw Charter Township and considered part of Greater ...
(2004-2009), and Archbishop of
Saint Louis (2009-2020)
*
Paul Vincent Dudley Paul Vincent Dudley (November 29, 1926 – November 20, 2006) was an American prelate of the Catholic Church. He served as Bishop of Sioux Falls from 1978 to 1995.
Biography
Paul Dudley was born in Northfield, Minnesota, the tenth child of Edw ...
, auxiliary bishop of
Saint Paul and Minneapolis (1977-1978), and bishop of
Sioux Falls
Sioux Falls () is the most populous city in the U.S. state of South Dakota and the 130th-most populous city in the United States. It is the county seat of Minnehaha County and also extends into Lincoln County to the south, which continues up t ...
(1978–1995)
*
Hilary Baumann Hacker
Hilary Baumann Hacker (January 10, 1913 – November 6, 1990) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as bishop of the Diocese of Bismarck in North Dakota from 1957 to 1982.
Biography
Early life
Hilary Hacker was bo ...
, bishop of
Bismarck (1957-1982)
*
Michael Joncas
Jan Michael Joncas (born December 21, 1951) is a Catholic priest of the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis, liturgical theologian, and composer of contemporary Catholic music best known for his hymn " On Eagle's Wings".
Biography
Joncas ...
, Catholic priest and composer, best known for his hymn, "
On Eagle's Wings
"On Eagle's Wings" is a devotional hymn composed by Michael Joncas. Its words are based on Psalm 91, Book of Exodus 19, and Gospel of Matthew 13. Joncas wrote the piece in either 1976 or 1979, after he and his friend, Douglas Hall, returned from a ...
"
*
John Francis Kinney
John Francis Kinney (June 11, 1937 – September 27, 2019) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as the ninth bishop of the Diocese of St. Cloud in Minnesota from 1995 to 2013.
Kinney previously served as the fifth ...
, auxiliary bishop of
Saint Paul and Minneapolis (1976-1982), bishop of
Bismarck (1982-1995), and bishop of
St. Cloud (1995-2013)
*
Stephen Kocisko
Stephen John Kocisko (June 11, 1915 – March 7, 1995) was the first Metropolitan Archbishop of the Byzantine Catholic Metropolitan Church of Pittsburgh, the American branch of the Ruthenian Greek Catholic Church
Early life
Born June 11, 191 ...
, first Metropolitan Archbishop of the
Byzantine Catholic Metropolitan Church of Pittsburgh
The Byzantine Catholic Metropolis of Pittsburgh ( la, Pittsburgensis ritus byzantini) is a metropolitan province for Eastern Catholics of the Byzantine Rite in the United States of America, with specific jurisdiction over several communities th ...
, the American branch of the
Ruthenian Greek Catholic Church
The Ruthenian Greek Catholic Church ( rue, Русиньска ґрекокатолицька церьков; la, Ecclesia Graeco-Catholica Ruthenica), also known in the United States simply as the Byzantine Catholic Church, is an Eastern Cath ...
(1967–1990)
*
Raymond Alphonse Lucker
Raymond Alphonse Lucker (February 24, 1927 – September 19, 2001) was an American prelate of the Catholic Church. He served as bishop of the Diocese of New Ulm in Minnesota from 1976 to 2000. He previously served as an auxiliary bishop of the Ar ...
, auxiliary bishop of
Saint Paul and Minneapolis (1971-1976) and bishop of
New Ulm (1976-2000)
*
Ralph McInerny
Ralph Matthew McInerny (February 24, 1929 – January 29, 2010) was an American author and philosophy professor at the University of Notre Dame. McInerny's most popular mystery novels featured Father Dowling, and was later adapted into the '' ...
, American novelist
*
Richard Pates
Richard Edmund Pates (born February 12, 1943) is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. Pates served as bishop of the Diocese of Des Moines in Iowa from 2008 to 2019 and as an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and M ...
, auxiliary bishop of
Saint Paul and Minneapolis (2000-2008), bishop of
Des Moines
Des Moines () is the capital and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Iowa. It is also the county seat of Polk County. A small part of the city extends into Warren County. It was incorporated on September 22, 1851, as Fort Des Moines, ...
(2008-2019)
*
John Roach John Roach may refer to any of the following:
*John Roach (shipbuilder) (1816–1887), United States shipbuilder
*John Roach (bishop) (1921–2003), bishop of the Catholic Church
* John Roach (baseball) (1867–1934), former Major League Baseball pi ...
, auxiliary bishop of
Saint Paul and Minneapolis (1971-1975), and archbishop of
Saint Paul and Minneapolis (1975–1995)
*
Peter P. Stumpf Jr., American politician and businessman
Rectors
* Father Timothy Crowley: 1923-1935
* Father John Cullinan: 1935-1940
* Father
James Connolly
James Connolly ( ga, Séamas Ó Conghaile; 5 June 1868 – 12 May 1916) was an Irish republican, socialist and trade union leader. Born to Irish parents in the Cowgate area of Edinburgh, Scotland, Connolly left school for working life at the a ...
: 1940-1943
* Father Thomas Shanahan: 1944-1948
* Father Louis McCarthy: 1949-1959
* Father James Cecka: 1959
-1960
* Father John Sankovitz: 1961-1965
* Father Richard Moudry: 1965-1970
References
External links
unwsp.edu/about-us/history-heritage/nazareth-hall/
{{Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis
Catholic seminaries in the United States
Catholic seminaries
Catholic priesthood
Religious organizations established in 1922