St Mary's College () was a

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

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 ...

Aberystwyth Aberystwyth (; ) is a University town, university and seaside town and a community (Wales), community in Ceredigion, Wales. It is the largest town in Ceredigion and from Aberaeron, the county's other administrative centre. In 2021, the popula ...

Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...

, in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

. It was the only Roman Catholic diocesan seminary founded in Wales. Also, as it trained priests in the

Welsh language Welsh ( or ) is a Celtic languages, Celtic language of the Brittonic languages, Brittonic subgroup that is native to the Welsh people. Welsh is spoken natively in Wales by about 18% of the population, by some in England, and in (the Welsh c ...

, it was the only post-reformation Roman Catholic college of its kind. It was founded in 1904 in Holywell and moved to Aberystwyth in 1936. It was closed in 1970 and now houses the

Welsh Books Council The Books Council of Wales (; previously known as the Welsh Books Council) is a literature advocacy organisation in Wales. It was established in 1961, and today it is funded by the Welsh Government. The council's aims are to promote the interest ...

History

Foundation

In 1895, the Vicar Apostolic of the Wales was created and the first bishop was Francis Mostyn. He wanted a Welsh diocese to have a Welsh bishop and a bilingual clergy so he sought a college that would train future priests in the

. In 1904, he opened St Mary's College (Coleg Mair) in Holywell. From 1908 to 1910,

John Hugh Jones John Hugh Jones (21 May 1843 – 15 December 1910) was a Welsh Roman Catholic priest, translator, and tutor. Life Jones was born in May, 1843, in Bala, Gwynedd, north Wales. After an education at Bala Grammar School and some private tuitio ...

worked there, translating various religious writings into Welsh. The college lasted for 30 years before it closed because of a lack of finances.Journal of Welsh religious history – Vol. 1 New series 2001 The Roman Catholic Church and evangelism in twentieth-century Wales
from

National Library of Wales The National Library of Wales (, ) in Aberystwyth is the national legal deposit library of Wales and is one of the Welsh Government sponsored bodies. It is the biggest library in Wales, holding over 6.5 million books and periodicals, and the l ...

retrieved 17 February 2014

Reopening

In 1936, the

Bishop of Menevia The Bishop of Menevia was the ordinary of the Diocese of Menevia in the Province of Cardiff in the Catholic Church in Wales. The Diocese of Menevia covered an area of roughly consisting of Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion, Neath Port Talbot, ...

, Michael McGrath invited the

Carmelites The Order of the Brothers of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel (; abbreviated OCarm), known as the Carmelites or sometimes by synecdoche known simply as Carmel, is a mendicant order in the Catholic Church for both men and women. Histo ...

to reopen the college in Aberystwyth and staff the local church of Our Lady of the Angels and St Winefride. It was established in Aberystwyth by Fr Pat Geary O.Carm, who went on to become the Superior of the Carmelites in England and Wales.Patrick Geary
from

retrieved 17 February 2014 One noted teacher there from 1936 was

Saunders Lewis Saunders Lewis (born John Saunders Lewis; 15 October 1893 – 1 September 1985) was a Welsh politician, poet, dramatist, Medievalist, and literary critic. Born into a Welsh-speaking ministerial family in Greater Liverpool, Lewis studied in a p ...

, he worked with Fr Geary, and one of their pupils was the poet John Fitzgerald. Another student was Daniel Mullins who came to the college in 1944, learned Welsh at the college and became the Bishop of Menevia in 1987. After World War II, the Carmelites realised that an expansion was needed, so some of the staff and students were moved to set up a

minor seminary A minor seminary or high school seminary is a secondary day or boarding school created for the specific purpose of enrolling teenage boys who have expressed interest in becoming Priesthood (Catholic Church), Catholic priests. They are generally ...

in Tregib Manor in

Llandeilo Llandeilo () is a town and Community (Wales), community in Carmarthenshire, Wales, situated where the River Towy is crossed by the A483 road, A483 on a 19th-century stone bridge. At the 2021 United Kingdom census, 2021 census the community had ...

and the college in Aberystwyth was to become focussed on the training of mature students for the priesthood. In 1966, the college in Llandeilo was sold and the building was demolished soon after. In 1970, St Mary's College was also closed and the building was bought by the

who continue to reside there. from Peoples Collection Wales, retrieved 17 February 2014 In 2004, the Carmelites moved from Our Lady of the Angels Church in Aberystwyth to Our Lady Queen of Peace Church in

Llanelli ; ) is a market town and community (Wales), community in Carmarthenshire and the Preserved counties of Wales, preserved county of Dyfed, Wales. It is on the estuary of the River Loughor and is the largest town in the Principal areas of Wales, ...

References

{{authority control Former theological colleges in Wales Roman Catholic Diocese of Menevia Buildings and structures in Aberystwyth Former Catholic seminaries Catholic Church in Wales Catholic universities and colleges in Wales

History

Foundation

Reopening

See also

References