Saint Joseph Seminary College (also known as St. Ben or St. Ben's) 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 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 ...

Saint Benedict, Louisiana Saint Benedict (also Cedar Hill) is an unincorporated community in St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It i ...

. Founded in 1891, it is operated by the

Benedictine , image = Medalla San Benito.PNG , caption = Design on the obverse side of the Saint Benedict Medal , abbreviation = OSB , formation = , motto = (English: 'Pray and Work') , foun ...

monks of

Saint Joseph Abbey In religious belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of Q-D-Š, holiness, likeness, or closeness to God. However, the use of the term ''saint'' depends on the context and Christian denomination, denominat ...

and the

dioceses 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 ...

in the

ecclesiastical provinces An ecclesiastical province is one of the basic forms of jurisdiction in Christian Churches with traditional hierarchical structure, including Western Christianity and Eastern Christianity. In general, an ecclesiastical province consists of severa ...

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans

and

Mobile Mobile may refer to: Places * Mobile, Alabama, a U.S. port city * Mobile County, Alabama * Mobile, Arizona, a small town near Phoenix, U.S. * Mobile, Newfoundland and Labrador Arts, entertainment, and media Music Groups and labels * Mobile ( ...

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''Saint Joseph Seminary College Faculty Handbook'', "Historical Sketch"
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Academics

The college is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools and offers

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four year ...

degrees in philosophy in either

liberal arts Liberal arts education (from Latin "free" and "art or principled practice") is the traditional academic course in Western higher education. ''Liberal arts'' takes the term '' art'' in the sense of a learned skill rather than specifically th ...

or religious studies to men seeking eventual ordination as priests in the

Roman Catholic Church 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 ...

. The college also has a two-year pre-

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 ...

program for students who have already attained a college degree. After attending Saint Joseph Seminary College, seminarians wishing to continue priestly studies will attend a graduate seminary. In the past, Saint Joseph Seminary College has also offered degrees with majors in psychology, history, and English.

Bonfire football game

There is also the tradition of a flag football game, called Bonfire, between St. Ben's and the graduate seminary of New Orleans, Notre Dame. This tradition has gone on for well over 70 years. The annual game takes place in a field on the vast property of the Abbey the Friday before Thanksgiving. The students at St. Ben's spend weeks building a massive bonfire out of the downed trees on the surrounding forests owned by the Abbey. After the game, the two seminaries join to share in fellowship and traditional Louisiana foods around the bonfire.

Notable alumni

Jules Jeanmard Jules Benjamin Jeanmard (August 15, 1879 – February 23, 1957), was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as the first bishop of the new Diocese of Lafayette in Louisiana from 1918 to 1956. Biography Early life Jules ...

, first bishop of the Diocese of Lafayette, Louisiana *

Bernard Francis Law Bernard Francis Law (November 4, 1931 – December 20, 2017) was an American cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church, known largely for covering up the serial rape of children by Catholic priests. He served as Archbishop of Boston, archpri ...

, cardinal and archbishop emeritus of the Archdiocese of Boston, Massachusetts * John Clement Favalora, archbishop emeritus of the Archdiocese of Miami, Florida * Joseph Nunzio Latino, bishop emeritus of the Diocese of Jackson, Mississippi * Ronald Paul Herzog, current bishop of the Diocese of Alexandria, Louisiana * Robert William Muench, bishop emeritus of the Diocese of Baton Rouge, Louisiana * Glen John Provost, current bishop of the Diocese of Lake Charles, Louisiana * Gregory Michael Aymond, current archbishop of the Archdiocese of New Orleans, Louisiana * Shelton Joseph Fabre, current bishop of the Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux

Notes

External links

Official website
{{authority control Benedictine colleges and universities Catholic seminaries in the United States Universities and colleges accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Educational institutions established in 1889 1889 establishments in Louisiana