Saint John Vianney Theological Seminary is a

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 ...

seminary in

Denver, Colorado Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...

. It is located at 1300 South Steele Street in the Cory-Merrill neighborhood of Denver, on the campus of the St. John Paul II Center for the New Evangelization. Founded in 1999, St. John Vianney is run by the

Archdiocese of Denver The Archdiocese of Denver ( la, Archidiœcesis Denveriensis) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical jurisdiction or diocese of the Catholic Church that encompasses northern Colorado. It is part of the XIII Conference Region and includes 113 parishes, 3 ...

. St. John Vianney offers formation programs for

seminarians 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, ...

studying for the priesthood, candidates to become

permanent deacons A deacon is a member of the diaconate, an office in Christian churches that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions. Major Christian churches, such as the Catholic Churc ...

, and lay people interested in learning more about Catholicism.

History

St. John Vianney Theological Seminary was constituted on March 17, 1999. It replaced the former St, Thomas Seminary, which operated from 1907 to the early 1990's. Cardinal

James Stafford James Francis Stafford (born July 26, 1932) is an American cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as major penitentiary of the Apostolic Penitentiary from 2003 to 2009. He previously served as president of the Pontifical Council ...

, archbishop of Denver, purchased the St. Thomas Seminary campus from the

Congregation of the Mission , logo = , image = Vincentians.png , abbreviation = CM , nickname = Vincentians, Paules, Lazarites, Lazarists, Lazarians , established = , founder = Vincent de Paul , fou ...

in 1995. He renamed it the St. John Paul II Center for the New Evangelization and remodeled a facility there for the archdiocesan chancery.Archdiocese of Denver Archives Archbishop Charles J. Chaput, Stafford's successor. commissioned a

feasibility study A feasibility study is an assessment of the practicality of a project or system. A feasibility study aims to objectively and rationally uncover the strengths and weaknesses of an existing business or proposed venture, opportunities and threats pr ...

on establishing a new seminary at the St. John Paul II Center. After consulting with priests and parishioners, he formulated a plan to create the St. John Vianney Theological Seminary. The plans also called for the establishment of: * The St. Francis School of Theology for Deacons * The Catechetical School * The Denver Catholic Biblical School for lay formation

Seminarian program

Summary

The St. John Vianney program for

studying for the priesthood follows the four pillars listed in Pope John Paul II's '' Pastores Dabo Vobis'': human formation, spiritual formation, pastoral formation and intellectual formation. The seminary has three components in the priestly formation process: * Spirituality year, a one year program for prayer,

discernment Discernment is the ability to obtain sharp perceptions or to judge well (or the activity of so doing). In the case of judgement, discernment can be psychological, moral or aesthetic in nature. Discernment has also been defined in the contexts; sc ...

, study and community service * Pre-theology cycle, a two or three year program of coursework in

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 ...

, languages and introductory courses in

theology Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the ...

* Theology cycle, a four-year program of coursework in the theological and pastoral disciplines required for

ordination Ordination is the process by which individuals are Consecration, consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorization, authorized (usually by the religious denomination, denominational ...

St. John Vianney Theological Seminary Catalog SJVSYHouse

Spirituality Year

The spirituality year (SY) is a 12 month program of prayer,

meditation Meditation is a practice in which an individual uses a technique – such as mindfulness, or focusing the mind on a particular object, thought, or activity – to train attention and awareness, and achieve a mentally clear and emotionally cal ...

, limited classroom study, community service and evangelization. It is a prerequisite for the pre-theology cycle. SY is marked by a commitment to prayer; seminarians attend three

retreats The meaning of a spiritual retreat can be different for different religious communities. Spiritual retreats are an integral part of many Hindu, Jewish, Buddhist, Christian and Sufi communities. In Hinduism and Buddhism, meditative retreats are ...

, including a 30-day silent

Ignatian Ignatius of Loyola, S.J. (born Íñigo López de Oñaz y Loyola; eu, Ignazio Loiolakoa; es, Ignacio de Loyola; la, Ignatius de Loyola; – 31 July 1556), venerated as Saint Ignatius of Loyola, was a Spanish Catholic priest and theologian, ...

retreat. They give up phones, television, computers, and popular media. The seminarians live in a separate community on the seminary grounds and pray, study, work and recreate together. The men also spend two hours a day study

sacred scripture Religious texts, including scripture, are texts which various religions consider to be of central importance to their religious tradition. They differ from literature by being a compilation or discussion of beliefs, mythologies, ritual prac ...

, catechism and spiritual classics in the classroom. At the end of the SY, the seminarians undertake apostolic assignments outside the seminary. These assignments include teaching young people, visiting the elderly or ministering to the sick. In January of their spirituality year, the seminarians are sent out in pairs for one month to live with the poor, serve them and teach them about Catholicism.

Pre-theology cycle

The pre-theology cycle at St. John Vianney is a two- or three-year set of courses that cover philosophy, introductory theology, and languages. It is a prerequisite for the theology cycle. The seminarian's

diocese In Ecclesiastical polity, 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 Roman province, pro ...

can choose between degree and non-degree programs in philosophy to meet the entrance requirements for the theology cycle. The study of philosophy is central to the pre-theology program. St. John Vianney offers three undergraduate philosophy programs: * Standard program in pre-theology *

Bachelor of Philosophy Bachelor of Philosophy (BPhil, BPh, or PhB; la, Baccalaureus Philosophiae or ) is the title of an academic degree that usually involves considerable research, either through a thesis or supervised research projects. Unlike many other bachelor's ...

(B.Phil.) degree * Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) degree with a philosophy major

Theology cycle

The Theology Cycle at St. John Vianney is a four-year program of study in theological and pastoral disciplines which meet the requirements for priestly formation specified by the

United States Conference of Catholic Bishops 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 ...

(USCCB). Each seminarian is enrolled in a graduate level program that enables him to earn both a

Bachelor of Sacred Theology The Baccalaureate in Sacred Theology ( la, Sacrae Theologiae Baccalaureus; abbreviated STB), not to be confused with a Bachelor of Arts in Theology, is the first of three ecclesiastical degrees in theology (the second being the Licentiate in Sacred ...

degree (S.T.B.) and a

Master of Divinity For graduate-level theological institutions, the Master of Divinity (MDiv, ''magister divinitatis'' in Latin) is the first professional degree of the pastoral profession in North America. It is the most common academic degree in seminaries and divi ...

degree (M.Div.) prior to ordination.

Deacon program

St Francis School of Theology for Deacons, (SFSTD), is a division of St John Vianney Seminary. The SFSTD trains permanent deacons for the Archdiocese of Denver utilizing the same professors as the seminary. The men who are ordained to Holy Orders provide service of Liturgy, Word, and Sacrament to the Church of Northern Colorado. Admission to SFSTD is limited to men under the age of 60.

Lay person program

The Catechetical School and the Denver Catholic Biblical School are divisions of St. John Vianney Seminary for laypeople. * The Catechetical School offers small group study, independent study, personal application, and lectures. * The Denver Catholic Biblical School offers lectures, small-group discussions and weekly coursework on the Bible. The school holds prayer days and retreats, trips to

Palestine __NOTOC__ Palestine may refer to: * State of Palestine, a state in Western Asia * Palestine (region), a geographic region in Western Asia * Palestinian territories, territories occupied by Israel since 1967, namely the West Bank (including East ...

, Israel,

Greece Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders with ...

, and Rome, and continuing education for its graduates. CTKChapelatSJVDenver

Accreditation & Affiliations

St. John Vianney is accredited by the Association of Theological Schools and is affiliated with the

Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas A pontifical ( la, pontificale) is a Christian liturgical book containing the Christian liturgy, liturgies that only a bishop may perform. Among the liturgies are those of the ordinal (liturgy), ordinal for the ordination and consecration of dea ...

in Rome and

Regis University Regis University is a private Jesuit university in Denver, Colorado. Founded in 1877 by the Society of Jesus, the university offers more than 120 degrees through 5 colleges in a variety of subjects, including education, liberal arts, business, nu ...

in Denver.

Administration

Previous rectors of St. John Vianney include Denver's current archbishop Samuel J. Aquila, Msgr. Michael Glenn, Rev. Scott Traynor. . the rector was Fr. Daniel Leonard.

Students

St. John Vianney serves 15 dioceses in the

Western United States The Western United States (also called the American West, the Far West, and the West) is the region comprising the westernmost states of the United States. As American settlement in the U.S. expanded westward, the meaning of the term ''the Wes ...

and two international dioceses. As of 2014, 136 men from these dioceses were attending the seminary to prepare for the priesthood.

References

External links

St. John Vianney Theological SeminaryCardinal Stafford Library
{{authority control Catholic universities and colleges in Colorado Universities and colleges in Denver Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Denver Catholic seminaries in the United States Educational institutions established in 1999 1999 establishments in Colorado