St. Joseph's Seminary is a former

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 ...

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, ...

and current house of

formation Formation may refer to: Linguistics * Back-formation, the process of creating a new lexeme by removing or affixes * Word formation, the creation of a new word by adding affixes Mathematics and science * Cave formation or speleothem, a secondar ...

in Washington, D.C. for the

Society of St. Joseph of the Sacred Heart The Society of Saint Joseph of the Sacred Heart ( la, Societas Sodalium Sancti Joseph a Sacra Corde) abbreviated SSJ, also known as the Josephites is a society of apostolic Life of Pontifical Right for men ( priests and brothers) headquartered ...

(also known as the Josephites), a Catholic society of apostolic life that serves African Americans. The seminary was the first in the United States to accept Black men into formation for the Catholic priesthood and

religious life Consecrated life (also known as religious life) is a state of life in the Catholic Church lived by those faithful who are called to follow Jesus Christ in a more exacting way. It includes those in institutes of consecrated life (religious and se ...

. St Joseph's was originally founded in

Baltimore, Maryland Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

in 1888 by Fr John R. Slattery for the

Mill Hill Missionaries The Mill Hill Missionaries (MHM), officially known as the Saint Joseph's Missionary Society of Mill Hill ( la, Societas Missionariorum S. Ioseph de Mill Hill), is a Catholic society of apostolic life founded in 1866 by Herbert Alfred Vaughan, MH ...

, from which the Josephites became independent 5 years later. The Josephite iteration of the seminary was relocated to DC in 1930. The seminary property was listed in the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

in September 2022.

History

St. Joseph's Seminary was founded in

by John R. Slattery in 1888 as a major seminary for the

, an

English Catholic The Catholic Church in England and Wales ( la, Ecclesia Catholica in Anglia et Cambria; cy, Yr Eglwys Gatholig yng Nghymru a Lloegr) is part of the worldwide Catholic Church in full communion with the Holy See. Its origins date from the 6th ce ...

religious community that came to the United States to minister to newly emancipated former slaves following the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

. The seminary became independent of Mill Hill along with the Josephites in 1893, and moved to Washington, DC in 1930. The building is located on the Brookland neighborhood of DC, also known as "Little Rome", known for the various Catholic institutions established in the area following the revelation of plans for the

Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception The Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception is a large minor Catholic basilica and national shrine in the United States in Washington, D.C., located at 400 Michigan Avenue Northeast, adjacent to Catholic University. ...

in 1914. The seminary has served as the place of formation for several significant Catholic religious figures, including

Charles Uncles Charles Randolph Uncles, SSJ (November 8, 1859 — July 20, 1933) was an African-American Catholic priest. In 1891, he became the first such priest ordained on US soil. Two years later, he co-founded the Society of St. Joseph of the Sacred Hear ...

, the first African-American Catholic priest trained and ordained in the United States, and the notable priest-activist

Philip Berrigan Philip Francis Berrigan, SSJ (October 5, 1923 – December 6, 2002) was an American peace activist and Catholic priest with the Josephites. He engaged in nonviolent, civil disobedience in the cause of peace and nuclear disarmament and was ...

. For several decades in the early to late 20th century, however, racial politics led to the seminary being closed to most African Americans. Constructed in a Neo-Georgian style, the building received a new chapel wing in 1958. For several decades, the seminary operated as an academic institution, possessing its own faculty as a degree-granting institution for men studying to become Josephites. The seminary closed for studies in the early 1970s, following conflicts related to the Black power movement and the resultant exodus of most of the society's seminarians, Black and White. In recent decades, the seminary has functioned as the residence for the society's seminarians, most of whom hail from

Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...

and study at the nearby

Catholic University of America The Catholic University of America (CUA) is a private Roman Catholic research university in Washington, D.C. It is a pontifical university of the Catholic Church in the United States and the only institution of higher education founded by U.S. ...

. The building also houses several retired Josephites, the

Paulist Paulists, or Paulines, is the name used for Roman Catholic orders and congregations under the patronage of Paul of Thebes the First Hermit. From the time that the abode and virtues of Paul of Thebes were revealed to Antony the Abbot, various comm ...

formation community, and a community of

Franciscan The Franciscans are a group of related Mendicant orders, mendicant Christianity, Christian Catholic religious order, religious orders within the Catholic Church. Founded in 1209 by Italian Catholic friar Francis of Assisi, these orders include t ...

religious sister A religious sister (abbreviated ''Sr.'' or Sist.) in the Catholic Church is a woman who has taken public vows in a religious institute dedicated to apostolic works, as distinguished from a nun who lives a cloistered monastic life dedicated to pr ...

s from Mexico who perform domestic duties. Due to the society's financial difficulties, the property's significant backyard green space was sold in 2017, later developed into a set of townhouses opened in 2022. An adjoining park was also built along with the new development, near the existing Josephite Seminary Park. The building was listed on the

in September 2022.

Notable alumni

* William "Bill" Norvel *

* Bishop John H. Ricard * Bishop Carl A. Fisher * Archbishop Eugene A. Marino *

Edward Francis Murphy Edward Francis Murphy, Society of St. Joseph of the Sacred Heart (Josephites), SSJ (1892 – 1975) was an American playwright, novelist, educator, and Catholic Church, Catholic priest known for creating the "first Catholic best-seller", the novel ' ...

References

{{Reflist Religious organizations established in 1888 Catholic seminaries in the United States Brookland (Washington, D.C.) African-American Roman Catholicism African-American history of Washington, D.C. African-American history of Baltimore County, Maryland Baltimore County, Maryland Landmarks in Washington, D.C. Catholic priesthood Society of St. Joseph of the Sacred Heart Educational institutions established in 1888 Catholic educational institutions National Register of Historic Places in Washington, D.C. St. Joseph's Seminary (Washington, DC)

History

Notable alumni

See also

References