Woodstock College was a

Jesuit , image = Ihs-logo.svg , image_size = 175px , caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits , abbreviation = SJ , nickname = Jesuits , formation = , founders ...

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, ...

that existed from 1869 to 1974. It was the oldest Jesuit seminary in the United States. The school was located in

Woodstock, Maryland Woodstock is an unincorporated community which is a suburb of Baltimore, Maryland, United States. The original village of Woodstock is located in Howard County, and also includes portions of Baltimore County and Carroll County. History Thomas ...

, west of

Baltimore 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 ...

, from its establishment until 1969, when it moved to

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, where it operated in cooperation with the Union Theological Seminary and the Jewish Theological Seminary. The school closed in 1974. It was survived by the Woodstock Theological Center, an independent, nonprofit

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 ...

research institute located at

Georgetown University Georgetown University is a private university, private research university in the Georgetown (Washington, D.C.), Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded by Bishop John Carroll (archbishop of Baltimore), John Carroll in 1789 as Georg ...

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

History

Woodstock College was originally located along the Patapsco River in

, west of

. It incorporated in 1867, and opened on September 22, 1869. In the 1960s, the college began considering affiliating with an urban university. The argument to move the school into a city and place it in affiliation with a broader network of institutions of higher learning received decisive support from the newest ideas of theological education and priestly formation emerging from 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) ...

and the Jesuits' own Thirty-First

General Congregation The General Congregation is an assembly of the Jesuit representatives from all parts of the world, and serves as the highest authority in the Society of Jesus. A General Congregation (GC) is always summoned on the death or resignation of the admini ...

. In consequence, the college closed its original campus and moved to

, New York in 1969 where it operated in cooperation with the Union Theological Seminary and the Jewish Theological Seminary. Controversies over the merits of the move into the city, specific controversies arising over the life style of the Jesuits in training in New York, and a general desire of the order to consolidate its theology schools nationally led to the school's closure in 1974. It was survived until 2013 by the Woodstock Theological Center, an independent, nonprofit

research institute located at

The theological library retains its independence through an affiliation with the library at Georgetown University, where it is still housed.

Campus

The original campus buildings in Woodstock, Maryland are now used as a

Job Corps Job Corps is a program administered by the United States Department of Labor that offers free education and vocational training to young men and women ages 16 to 24. Mission and purpose Job Corps' mission is to help young people ages 16 throug ...

Center, while the campus grounds are part of

Patapsco Valley State Park Patapsco Valley State Park is a Maryland state park extending along of the Patapsco River south and west of the city of Baltimore, Maryland. The park encompasses multiple developed areas on over acres of land, making it Maryland's largest st ...

Rectors and Presidents of Woodstock College

Notable people

:''See List of people associated with Woodstock College''

References

Citations

Sources

External links

''Woodstock Letters''
collection {{Authority control Defunct private universities and colleges in Maryland Defunct Catholic universities and colleges in the United States Educational institutions established in 1869 Educational institutions disestablished in 1974 Catholic seminaries in the United States 1869 establishments in Maryland 1974 disestablishments in Maryland Catholic universities and colleges in Maryland Jesuit universities and colleges in the United States