A minor seminary or high school seminary is a secondary day or

boarding school A boarding school is a school where pupils live within premises while being given formal instruction. The word "boarding" is used in the sense of "room and board", i.e. lodging and meals. They have existed for many centuries, and now extend acr ...

created for the specific purpose of enrolling teenage boys who have expressed interest in becoming Catholic priests. They are generally

Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

institutions, and designed to prepare boys both academically and spiritually for vocations to the priesthood and

religious Religion is a range of social- cultural systems, including designated behaviors and practices, morals, beliefs, worldviews, texts, sanctified places, prophecies, ethics, or organizations, that generally relate humanity to supernatural ...

life. They emerged in cultures and societies where literacy was not universal, and the minor seminary was seen as a means to prepare younger boys in literacy for later entry into the major

seminary A seminary, school of theology, theological college, or divinity school is an educational institution for educating students (sometimes called seminarians) in scripture and theology, generally to prepare them for ordination to serve as cle ...

. The minor seminary is no longer very familiar in the developed world. The

1917 Code of Canon Law The 1917 ''Code of Canon Law'' (abbreviated 1917 CIC, from its Latin title ), also referred to as the Pio-Benedictine Code,Dr. Edward Peters accessed June-9-2013 is the first official comprehensive codification (law), codification of Canon law ...

described the purpose of minor seminaries as: "to take care especially to protect from the contagion of the world, to train in piety, to imbue with the rudiments of literary studies, and to foster in them the seed of a divine vocation". Suitable boys were encouraged to graduate to a major seminary, where they would continue their tertiary studies for the priesthood. The program of priestly formation of the USCCB refers to them as "high school seminaries" rather than minor seminaries. Today, college seminaries, where

philosophy Philosophy ('love of wisdom' in Ancient Greek) is a systematic study of general and fundamental questions concerning topics like existence, reason, knowledge, Value (ethics and social sciences), value, mind, and language. It is a rational an ...

is studied, are often called minor seminaries even though they are for those who have completed

high school A secondary school, high school, or senior school, is an institution that provides secondary education. Some secondary schools provide both ''lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper secondary education'' (ages 14 to 18), i.e., ...

Extant minor seminaries

Canada

* Seminary of Christ the King, ( Mission,

British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...

)

East Timor

* Seminary of Our Lady of Fatima,

Dili Dili (Portuguese language, Portuguese and Tetum language, Tetum: ''Díli'') is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Timor-Leste. It lies on the northern coast of the island of Timor, in a small area of flat land hemmed in by mountai ...

* St. Joseph Seminary,

Maliana Maliana is a city in East Timor, 149 kilometers southwest of Dili, the national capital. It has a population of 22,000. It is the capital of the Districts of East Timor, district of Bobonaro District, Bobonaro and Maliana Subdistrict, and is ...

Ghana

* St Teresa's Minor Seminary

India

* St.Joseph Minor Seminary, Kalamassery – Archdiocese of Verapoly, Kerala. * St. Aloysius Seminary, Trivandrum – Syro-Malankara Archeparchy of Trivandrum * St. Agnes Minor Seminary, Cuddalore, Tamil Nadu * Sacred Heart Minor Seminary, Thrikkakara, Kochi, Kerala - Archeparchy of Ernakulam- Angamaly * Good Shepherd Minor Seminary, Pala, India * St Paul's Minor Seminary, Akalpur, Jammu

Indonesia

* Minor seminary of Saint Paul Palembang * Peter Canisius Minor Seminary Mertoyudan * Wacana Bhakti Minor Seminary

Nigeria

St. Theresa's Minor Seminary, Oke-Are, Ibadan
*Sacred Heart Minor Seminary, Akure

Pakistan

* St. Mary's Minor Seminary, Lahore * Our Lady of Lourdes Minor Seminary, Islamabad–Rawalpindi, founded in 1995 * St. Pius X Minor Seminary – Karachi, founded in 1958 * St. Thomas the Apostle Minor Seminary, Faisalabad, founded in 1981

Philippines

* St. Augustine Minor Seminary – minor seminary of Iba, Zambales, Luzon covering Olongapo City and Zambales Province * San Jacinto Seminary ( Penablanca,

Cagayan Cagayan ( ), officially the Province of Cagayan (; ; ; isnag language, Isnag: ''Provinsia nga Cagayan''; ivatan language, Ivatan: ''Provinsiya nu Cagayan''; ; ), is a Provinces of the Philippines, province in the Philippines located in the Cag ...

) – Archdiocese of Tuguegarao * Diocesan Seminary of the Heart of Jesus ( San Fernando La Union) * Immaculate Conception Minor Seminary ( Vigan, Ilocos Sur) * St. Mary's Seminary ( Laoag, Ilocos Norte) * Immaculate Conception Minor Seminary ( Guiguinto, Bulacan) – Diocese of Malolos * John Paul II Minor Seminary ( Antipolo, Rizal) – high school seminary of the Diocese of Antipolo * Oblates of St. Joseph Minor Seminary ( San Jose, Batangas) – high school seminary * Our Lady of Guadalupe Minor Seminary (

Makati Makati ( ; ), officially the City of Makati (), is a highly urbanized city in the National Capital Region of the Philippines, known for being one of the leading financial centers in the country. As of 2013, the city has the highest concent ...

) – high school seminary of the

Archdiocese of Manila 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 ...

* Our Lady of Mount Carmel Seminary ( Sariaya, Quezon) – Diocese of Lucena * Pope John XXIII Seminary (Cebu City) – Archdiocese of Cebu * Pope Paul VI Minor Seminary ( Maasin City, Southern Leyte) * Saint Francis de Sales Minor Seminary ( Lipa City, Batangas) – minor (high school) seminary of the Archdiocese of Lipa * Holy Rosary Minor Seminary ( Naga City, Camarines Sur) Archdiocese of Caceres * St. Gregory the Great Seminary (Panal, Tabaco City) – Diocese of Legazpi * Our Lady of Peñafrancia Seminary

Sorsogon City Sorsogon City, officially the City of Sorsogon (Southern Sorsogon language, Waray Sorsogon: ''Syudad san Sorsogon''; ; ), is a Cities of the Philippines#Legal classification, component city and capital of the Provinces of the Philippines, pro ...

) - Diocese of Sorsogon * St. Anthony High School Seminary (Kinamaligan, Masbate City) Under the supervision of the Diocese of Masbate * Sto. Nino Seminary ( Numancia, Aklan) – minor and college * St. Pius X Seminary (Lawaan, Roxas City,

Capiz Capiz (), officially the Province of Capiz (Capiznon language, Capiznon/Hiligaynon language, Hiligaynon: ''Kapuoran sang Capiz''; ), is a Provinces of the Philippines, province in the central part of the Western Visayas Regions of the Philippines ...

) – Archdiocese of Capiz * Saint Vincent Ferrer Seminary – ( Jaro, Iloilo City) – Archdiocese of Jaro * Seminario de San Jose ( Puerto Princesa City,

Palawan Palawan (, ), officially the Province of Palawan (; ), is an archipelagic province of the Philippines that is located in the region of Mimaropa. It is the largest province in the country in terms of total area of . The capital and largest c ...

) – minor and major seminary * Seminario de Jesús Nazareno (

Borongan Borongan, officially the City of Borongan (Waray-waray language, Waray: ''Siyudad han Borongan''; ), is a Cities of the Philippines#Legal classification, component city and capital of the Provinces of the Philippines, province of Eastern Sam ...

City, Eastern Samar) – Diocese of Borongan

Poland

* Minor Seminary in Częstochowa – high school seminary of the Archdiocese of Częstochowa * Minor Seminary of the Diocese of Płock – Diocese of Płock

Romania

* Minor Seminary in Bacau - high school seminary of the Diocese of Iasi

United States

Blessed Jose Sanchez del Rio Minor Seminary
( Mankato,

Minnesota Minnesota ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Upper Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario to the north and east and by the U.S. states of Wisconsin to the east, Iowa to the so ...

), high school seminary run by the Institute of the Incarnate Word; opened in 2008. * Sacred Heart Apostolic School ( Rolling Prairie,

Indiana Indiana ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Michigan to the northwest, Michigan to the north and northeast, Ohio to the east, the Ohio River and Kentucky to the s ...

) run by the Legionaries of Christ, opened in 2005 * St. Lawrence High School Seminary ( Mount Calvary,

Wisconsin Wisconsin ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest of the United States. It borders Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michig ...

) run by the Capuchin Friars, opened in 1860 * St. Joseph Seminary ( Rathdrum,

Idaho Idaho ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest and Mountain states, Mountain West subregions of the Western United States. It borders Montana and Wyoming to the east, Nevada and Utah to the south, and Washington (state), ...

) - Sedevacantist ( CRMI)

Uganda

*Bukalasa Minor Seminary * Christ the King Seminary, Kisubi, * St. Joseph's Seminary, Nyenga * Mubende Seminary – in Nandele and Nyenga * Nadiket seminary – for the dioceses of Kotido and Moroto * Saint Charles seminary * Saints Joseph's and Gabriel's Junior Seminary Nswanjere – located in Nswanjere, Mpigi District. * St. Pius X Seminary – Nagongera – Located in Tororo district; West Budama County; Junior and Minor Seminary * St. Paul's Seminary – Rushoroza – in Kabale for Kabale Diocese * Kitabi Seminary in Bushenyi for Mbarara Arch diocese * Sacred Heart Mission for the Brothers of Divine Mercy; Missionary preparation * Sacred Heart Seminary Lacor – Gulu archdiocese * St Peter's Seminary-Madera) – in Soroti for Soroti Diocese

Vietnam

* Sacred Heart Seminary of Thai Binh – Minor Seminary of the Diocese of Thái Bình * Saint Nicolas Seminary of Phan Thiet – Minor Seminary of the Diocese of Phan Thiết

External links

Code of Canon Law (1983), IntraText edition with referenced concordance, hosted by the Vatican
*

Congregation of Mary Immaculate Queen The Congregation of Mary Immaculate Queen (; CMRI) is a sedevacantist Traditionalist Catholic religious congregation. The CMRI is dedicated to promoting the message of Our Lady of Fátima and the devotion of the practice of Total Consecrat ...

( sedevacantist)
Blessed Jose Sanchez del Rio Minor SeminarySacred Heart Apostolic School

References

{{reflist School types