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 that existed from 1869 to 1974. It was the oldest Jesuit seminary in the United States. The school was located in Woodstock, Maryland, west of

Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic, and the 30th most populous city in the United States with a population of 585,708 in 2020. Baltimore was d ...

, from its establishment until 1969, when it moved to New York City, 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 The Woodstock Theological Center was an independent, nonprofit Catholic theological research institute in Washington, D.C. Founded in 1973, the center took its name from Woodstock College, a former Jesuit seminary located in Maryland. The center ...

, an independent, nonprofit Catholic research institute located at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C.

History

Woodstock College was originally located along the

Patapsco River The Patapsco River mainstem is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map , accessed April 1, 2011 river in central Maryland that flows into the Chesapeake Bay. The river's tidal port ...

in Woodstock, Maryland, 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 and the Jesuits' own Thirty-First General Congregation. In consequence, the college closed its original campus and moved to New York City,

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

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 lifestyle 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

, an independent, nonprofit Catholic research institute located at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. 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 Center, while the campus grounds are part of Patapsco Valley State Park.

Rectors and Presidents of Woodstock College

Notable people

:''See

List of people associated with Woodstock College This is a list of people associated with Woodstock College, a former Jesuit seminary in Maryland. Alumni *Joaquin G. Bernas * Horacio de la Costa, the first Filipino Provincial General of the Society of Jesus in the Philippines *George Coyne, dir ...

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 Universities and colleges 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