St. Peter's Seminary is a

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy * Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD * Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a let ...

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 ...

located in the

Diocese 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 associa ...

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central C ...

, Canada. The seminary is a fully accredited member of the Association of Theological Schools of the United States and Canada. St. Peter's Seminary is the major seminary of the Roman Catholic Diocese of London in Ontario. It is affiliated with King's University College, a Catholic affiliate of

The University of Western Ontario The University of Western Ontario (UWO), also known as Western University or Western, is a public research university in London, Ontario, Canada. The main campus is located on of land, surrounded by residential neighbourhoods and the Thames R ...

. The current

rector Rector (Latin for the member of a vessel's crew who steers) may refer to: Style or title *Rector (ecclesiastical), a cleric who functions as an administrative leader in some Christian denominations *Rector (academia), a senior official in an edu ...

of St. Peter's Seminary is Father Denis Grecco. St. Peter's Seminary is Canada's oldest English-speaking Roman Catholic diocesan seminary. Since it was founded by the Diocese of London in 1912, the seminary has produced more than 1,000 priests (including 23 who became bishops) and has educated permanent deacons and lay graduates.

History

Founding

St. Peter's seminary was founded by the Right Reverend Michael F. Fallon, OMI, who was the bishop of London at the time. The seminary opened its doors on September 15, 1912. The students were initially housed and taught in the Bishop's Residence, which later became the rectory of St. Peter's Cathedral Basilica. However, this building is no longer present. The 25-acre riverside site on which the Seminary stands was donated by Sir Philip Pocock, from a prominent London Catholic family. The Seminary is constructed of Credit Valley stone, and is designed in the Collegiate Gothic style. The cornerstone of the present building was laid by Bishop Fallon on May 31, 1925, and the official opening of the St. Peter's Seminary building was celebrated on September 29, 1926. The main entrance rotunda features a marble statue of St. Michael the archangel, carved in Rome and presented from Bishop Fallon upon the Seminary's opening.

Expansion

The Chapel of St. Thomas Aquinas was dedicated on June 18, 1930. A new wing was added to the building in 1957, which houses the auditorium, library and recreational facilities. In 1968 the chapel was renovated. The seminary interior was renovated in 1970. In 1983 the library was doubled in size, and the main floor of the building renovated. In 1987 St. Peter's Seminary purchased the St. Thomas Scholasticate, the former house of formation for students of the Congregation of the Resurrection. The renovated and newly named Aquinas House was opened on the 27 October 1991 and housed transitional deacons in the formation program. Aquinas House currently houses workshops in formation, summer institutes, retreats and other programs for ministry.

Renovation

Bishop Ronald Fabbro, CSB, Bishop of London, announced that St. Peter's Seminary would undergo a full modernization and restoration in 2015. The renovations were to upgrade the interior, including 60 seminarian rooms, as well as new faculty suites, offices, classrooms, and common spaces. In addition, the exterior stonewalls and slate roof were restored, and modern heating and cooling systems were installed. The $30-million renovation was funded by a $23-million contribution from the Roman Catholic Diocese of Hamilton, and $7 million of revenue generated from the seminary's land sale to King's University College.

Programs

These programs are currently offered at St. Peter's Seminary:St. Peter's Seminary Programs

Degree programs

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 ...

Program in Philosophy through King's University College *Theology Degree Programs **Master of Divinity Advanced (M.Div advanced) ** Master of Divinity (M.Div) **

Master of Theological Studies A Master of Theological Studies (MTS) is a graduate degree, offered in theological seminary or graduate faculty of theology, which gives students lay training in theological studies. Under Association of Theological Schools in the United States ...

(MTS)

Non-degree programs

*Lay Leadership Program *Breaking Forth Certificate Programs

Diocesan programs

*The Permanent Diaconate Program

St. Peter's Seminary Foundation

St. Peter's Seminary Foundation is a public charitable organization whose sole purpose is to fundraise for St. Peter's Seminary so as to help build its faith and its future. The foundation does this by acting as a vehicle for fundraising, creating conditions for effective fundraising, mobilizing community support and exercising exemplary fiduciary and stewardship practices.St. Peter's Seminary Foundation
/ref>

Notable alumni (Bishops and Cardinals)

St.Peter's Seminary has graduated a number of notable alumni who have been elevated to the rank or

bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is c ...

; they include: * Thomas Christopher ''Cardinal'' Collins, Archbishop of Toronto *

Robert Anthony Daniels (Robert) Anthony Daniels (born June 18, 1957)is a Canadian prelate of the Roman Catholic Church.He is the 9th Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Grand Falls, Newfoundland, Canada, succeeding Archbishop Martin Currie, 67, who had been the Bish ...

, Bishop of Grand Falls, Newfoundland *

Brian Joseph Dunn Brian Joseph Dunn (born 1955) is a Canadian prelate of the Catholic Church who is Archbishop of Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Halifax-Yarmouth, Halifax-Yarmouth. He was Roman Catholic Diocese of Antigonish, Bishop of Antigonish from 2010 to 2019 ...

, Archbishop Coadjutor of Halifax-Yarmouth, Nova Scotia *

Frederick Bernard Henry Frederick may refer to: People * Frederick (given name), the name Nobility Anhalt-Harzgerode * Frederick, Prince of Anhalt-Harzgerode (1613–1670) Austria * Frederick I, Duke of Austria (Babenberg), Duke of Austria from 1195 to 1198 * Frederic ...

, Bishop Emeritus of Calgary *

Gary Gordon Gary Ivan Gordon (August 30, 1960 – October 3, 1993) was a master sergeant in the United States Army and a recipient of the Medal of Honor. At the time of his death, he was a non-commissioned officer in the United States Army's premier s ...

, Bishop of Victoria, British Columbia * Eugene Philippe Larocque * William Terrence McGrattan, Bishop of Calgary * Philip Francis Pocock *

Donald Thériault Donald is a masculine given name derived from the Gaelic name ''Dòmhnall''.. This comes from the Proto-Celtic *''Dumno-ualos'' ("world-ruler" or "world-wielder"). The final -''d'' in ''Donald'' is partly derived from a misinterpretation of the ...

, Bishop Emeritus of the Roman Catholic Military Ordinariate of Canada * Stephen Jensen, Bishop of Prince George, British Columbia

References

External links

St. Peter's Seminary
{{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Peters Seminary (Diocese of London, Ontario) Seminaries and theological colleges in Canada Educational institutions established in 1912 Education in London, Ontario 1912 establishments in Ontario