St John Vianney Seminary,
Pretoria
Pretoria ( ; ) is the Capital of South Africa, administrative capital of South Africa, serving as the seat of the Executive (government), executive branch of government, and as the host to all foreign embassies to the country.
Pretoria strad ...
,
South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...
, is the National Seminary for the
Roman Catholic Church in South Africa. The institution is a training facility and House of Formation under the auspices of the
Southern African Catholic Bishops' Conference
The Southern African Catholic Bishops' Conference (SACBC) is an episcopal conference consisting of all the Bishop (Catholic Church), bishops of the Roman Catholic (term), Roman Catholic Church in Roman Catholic Church in South Africa, South Africa ...
(SACBC).
History
St John Vianney was opened on 14 April 1948, by Archbishop
Martin Lucas
Martin Lucas (16 October 1894 – 3 March 1969) was a Catholic archbishop and diplomat of the Holy See.
Biography
Lucas was born in Haarlem, Netherlands, on 16 October 1894. He was ordained a priest of the Society of the Divine Word on 26 October ...
SVD, initially it was housed in temporary quarters at
Queenstown prior to the completion of constructing the seminary in
Waterkloof
Waterkloof (Afrikaans for "Water Ravine") is an affluent suburb of the city of Pretoria in the Gauteng province of South Africa, located to the east of the city centre. It is named after the original farm that stood there when Pretoria was founded ...
, Pretoria. In 1950 the seminary moved to Pretoria, it was officially opened in March 1951 and staffed by Irish Franciscans. In the climate of
apartheid
Apartheid ( , especially South African English: , ; , ) was a system of institutionalised racial segregation that existed in South Africa and South West Africa (now Namibia) from 1948 to the early 1990s. It was characterised by an ...
, St. Vianney initially catered for
white South Africans
White South Africans are South Africans of European descent. In linguistic, cultural, and historical terms, they are generally divided into the Afrikaans-speaking descendants of the Dutch East India Company's original colonists, known as Afr ...
, where as another seminary was set up St Peter's Seminary in
Pevensey, KwaZulu-Natal, then in
Hammanskraal
Hammanskraal is a trans-provincial region anchored in northern Gauteng province, South Africa. The region consists of multiple residential, industrial, and commercial areas in a decentralized settlement pattern.
History
The historical roots of ...
and later in
Garsfontein, to train indigenous priests so catered for the black Africans,
and from 1956 administered by the
Dominican Order
The Order of Preachers (, abbreviated OP), commonly known as the Dominican Order, is a Catholic Church, Catholic mendicant order of pontifical right that was founded in France by a Castilians, Castilian priest named Saint Dominic, Dominic de Gu ...
. The BA in Theology began being offered in 1967. Theology students were able to gain a
Bachelor of Sacred Theology
The Bachelor of Sacred Theology (abbreviated STB) is the first of three ecclesiastical degrees in theology (the second being the Licentiate in Sacred Theology and the third being the Doctorate in Sacred Theology) which are conferred by a number o ...
(BST) degree issued through the
Pontifical Urban University
The Pontifical Urban University, also called the ''Urbaniana'' after its names in both Latin and Italian, is a pontifical university that was under the authority of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples. The university's mission is to ...
, Rome, which the seminary had become affiliated to in 1964. From 1948 until 1998, the Seminary was administered by the
Franciscans
The Franciscans are a group of related organizations in the Catholic Church, founded or inspired by the Italian saint Francis of Assisi. They include three independent religious orders for men (the Order of Friars Minor being the largest conte ...
. To make up for the departure of the Franciscans, a number of
Jesuit
The Society of Jesus (; abbreviation: S.J. or SJ), also known as the Jesuit Order or the Jesuits ( ; ), is a religious order (Catholic), religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rom ...
academics joined the staff of the seminary. In 1995 the seminary signed an agreement with the
University of South Africa
The University of South Africa (UNISA) is the largest university system in South Africa by enrollment. It attracts a third of all higher education students in South Africa. Through various colleges and affiliates, UNISA has over 400,000 student ...
(Unisa) for the delivery of
post-graduate
Postgraduate education, graduate education, or graduate school consists of academic or professional degrees, certificates, diplomas, or other qualifications usually pursued by post-secondary students who have earned an undergraduate (bachelor' ...
Catholic theological studies undertaken through Unisa. Also in 1995 the link with the
Pontifical Urban University
The Pontifical Urban University, also called the ''Urbaniana'' after its names in both Latin and Italian, is a pontifical university that was under the authority of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples. The university's mission is to ...
, Rome was renewed. In 1999 the Higher Diploma in Ministry, which had been introduced a year earlier by Rector Dlungwane, was validated by the
South African Qualifications Authority
The South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA) is a statutory body, regulated in terms of the ''National Qualifications Framework Act'' No. 67 of 2008. It is made up of 29 members appointed by the Minister of Education in consultation with ...
.
As a private education provider, the
Bachelor of Philosophy
Bachelor of Philosophy (BPhil, BPh, or PhB; or or ) is the title of an academic degree in philosophy that usually involves considerable research, either through a thesis or supervised research projects. Unlike many other bachelor's degrees, the ...
(BPhil) and
Bachelor of Theology
The Bachelor of Theology degree (BTh, ThB, or BTheol) is a two- to five-year undergraduate degree or graduate degree in theological disciplines and is typically (but not exclusively) pursued by those seeking ordination for ministry in a church, de ...
(BTh) degrees are registered with the South African governments' Council on Higher Education.
The Bishops decided to close St Peter's seminary, in Garsfontein, east of Pretoria, and in 2008 philosophy students became part of St John Vianney seminary.
[Requiem for a Seminary](_blank)
by Mathibela Sebothoma, The Southern Cross, September 26, 2007.
Rectors/Presidents
* Fergus Barrett OFM, (1948-1966)
* Norbett Carroll OFM, (1967-1972)
* Bernard Frank Doyle OFM (1972-1976)
* Myles Russell OFM (1977-1984)
*
William Slattery
William Slattery, O.F.M., is an Irish-born Franciscan who served as Bishop of Kokstad from 1993 to 2010, before being appointed Archbishop of Pretoria and Bishop of South Africa, Military.
Biography
William Mathew Slattery was born at Portla ...
OFM, (1985-1991), later Archbishop of Pretoria
*
Graham Rose, (1991-1997), alumni and first non-franciscan rector, Bishop of Dundee
* Mlungisi Pius Dlungwane, (1997- 2000) the first black rector.
* Mike Lewis SJ, (2000-2001) acting rector
* Sithembele Sipuka, (2000-2008), Alumnus, lecturer, now Bishop of Mthatha, President of the SACBC
* Enrico Parry (2008-2011), alumnus, professor dean, vice-rctor before being rector/president of the seminary,
also served as acting rector of St. Peter's seminary(2006-2007)
* Molewe Machingoane, (2011-2015),
* Paul Manci, (2015-2018)
* Mons. Masilo John Selemela, (2019- 2022)
* Wellington Ncedo Siwundla, (2022- )
St John Vianney Seminary Installs New Rector And Welcomes New Seminarians
by Daluxolo MMoloantoa, The Southern Cross, February 20, 2023.
Alumni
* Father Cyril Axelrod OBE, is a deaf, a now also blind, Redemptorist priest
* Archbishop Stephen Brislin, Archbishop of Cape Town
* Bishop Reginald Cawcutt, Auxiliary Bishop of Cape Town
* Bishop Michael Gower Coleman, Bishop of Port Elizabeth
* Archbishop Abel Gabuza, Archbishop Coadjutor of the Archdiocese of Durban
* Fr. Bonaventure Hinwood OFM, franciscan priest and Afrikaans poet.
* Bishop Joseph Kizito, Bishop of Aliwal
* Bishop Robert Mogapi Mphiwe, Bishop of Rustenburg
Rustenburg (; , Afrikaans and Dutch language, Dutch: ''City of Rest'') is a town at the foot of the Magaliesberg mountain range. Rustenburg is the most populous city in North West (South African province), North West province, South Africa (549 ...
* Bishop Graham Rose, former rector, Bishop of Dundee
* Bishop Vincent Mduduzi Zungu, Bishop of Port Elizabeth
References
{{South African universities
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Pretoria
Seminaries and theological colleges in South Africa
Educational institutions established in 1948
Catholic seminaries in Africa
Catholic Church in South Africa
1948 establishments in South Africa