Saint Vincent 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 lette ...

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, ...

Latrobe, Pennsylvania Latrobe is a city in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, in the United States and part of the Pittsburgh metropolitan area. The city population was 8,338 as of the 2010 census (9,265 in 1990). It is located near Pennsylvania's scenic Chestnut Rid ...

. It was founded by Father

Boniface Wimmer Archabbot Boniface Wimmer, (1809–1887) was a German monk who in 1846 founded the first Benedictine monastery in the United States, Saint Vincent Archabbey in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, forty miles southeast of Pittsburgh. In 1855 Wimmer founded th ...

in 1846, who came from Saint Michael's

Abbey An abbey is a type of monastery used by members of a religious order under the governance of an abbot or abbess. Abbeys provide a complex of buildings and land for religious activities, work, and housing of Christian monks and nuns. The conce ...

in Metten,

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, to establish

Saint Vincent Archabbey Saint Vincent Archabbey is a Benedictine monastery in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania in the city of Latrobe. A member of the American-Cassinese Congregation, it is the oldest Benedictine monastery in the United States and the largest in th ...

as the first

Benedictine monastery , 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 ...

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...

. It is the fourth oldest Catholic seminary in the United States. The seminary was officially established on August 24, 1855, through an Apostolic Brief of

Pope Pius IX Pope Pius IX ( it, Pio IX, ''Pio Nono''; born Giovanni Maria Mastai Ferretti; 13 May 1792 – 7 February 1878) was head of the Catholic Church from 1846 to 1878, the longest verified papal reign. He was notable for convoking the First Vatican ...

. Civil degrees are conferred by virtue of a charter granted by an act of the

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

State

Legislature A legislature is an assembly with the authority to make law Law is a set of rules that are created and are enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior,Robertson, ''Crimes against humanity'', 90. with its p ...

on April 18, 1870. Since 1870 over 300 students have earned the Master of Arts degree and 400 Master of Divinity degrees. More than 2,400 diocesan and religious students have been ordained priests.

Notable alumni

* The Rev.

Monsignor Monsignor (; it, monsignore ) is an honorific form of address or title for certain male clergy members, usually members of the Roman Catholic Church. Monsignor is the apocopic form of the Italian ''monsignore'', meaning "my lord". "Monsignor" ca ...

John A. Cippel, priest of the Diocese of St. Petersburg, missionary priest in Africa, and part of the I.P.F. Staff * The Rev.

James Renshaw Cox James Renshaw Cox (1886–1951) was an American Roman Catholic priest of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, known for his pro-labor activism. He was a candidate for President of the United States in 1932, and also an organizer of an unprecedented protest ...

(1886–1951), priest of the Diocese of Pittsburgh, called the city's "Pastor of the Poor" and 1932 Jobless Party candidate for

President of the United States The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United Stat ...

* The Rev. Monsignor Carl P. Hensler (1898-1984), priest of the Diocese of Pittsburgh, labor activist, co-founder of the Catholic Radical Alliance * The Rev. Monsignor Paul Lenz (1925- ), Director,

Bureau of Catholic Indian Missions The Bureau of Catholic Indian Missions was a Roman Catholic institution created in 1874 by J. Roosevelt Bayley, Archbishop of Baltimore, for the protection and promotion of Catholic mission interests among Native Americans in the United States. Hi ...

(1975-2007) *

Cardinal Cardinal or The Cardinal may refer to: Animals * Cardinal (bird) or Cardinalidae, a family of North and South American birds **''Cardinalis'', genus of cardinal in the family Cardinalidae **''Cardinalis cardinalis'', or northern cardinal, the ...

George Mundelein George William Mundelein (July 2, 1872 – October 2, 1939) was an American cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Archbishop of Chicago from 1915 until his death, and was elevated to the cardinalate in 1924. Early life and ministry ...

(1872-1939), Archbishop of Chicago (1916-1939) * Archbishop

Rembert Weakland Rembert George Samuel Weakland (April 2, 1927 – August 22, 2022) was an American Benedictine monk who served as Archbishop of Milwaukee from 1977 to 2002. Shortly before his mandatory retirement at the age of 75, it was revealed in the pre ...

, O.S.B., (1927-2022), Archbishop Emeritus of

Milwaukee Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at the 2020 census, Milwaukee is ...

* Bishop

René Henry Gracida René Henry Gracida (born June 9, 1923) is an American prelate of the Catholic Church who served as bishop of the Diocese of Corpus Christi in Texas from 1983 to 1997. He previously served as bishop of the Diocese of Pensacola-Tallahassee in Fl ...

(1923- ), Bishop of Corpus Christi (1983-1997) * The Rev. Monsignor

Charles Owen Rice Monsignor Charles Owen Rice (November 21, 1908 – November 13, 2005) was a Catholic priest and an American labor activist. Background He was born in Brooklyn, New York to Irish immigrants. His mother died when he was four, and he and his ...

, priest of the Diocese of Pittsburgh, social activist, co-founder of the Catholic Radical Alliance * Archabbot

Douglas Robert Nowicki Douglas Robert Nowicki (born 8 May 1945) is an American Benedictine monk and Catholic priest. From 1991 to 2020, he served as the 11th Archabbot of Saint Vincent Archabbey in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, and by extension, the Chancellor of Saint Vinc ...

, O.S.B., ( 1945 - ), Archabbot of St. Vincent Archabbey

References

External sources

External links

Latrobe, Pennsylvania Universities and colleges in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania Catholic seminaries in the United States Educational institutions established in 1846 1846 establishments in Pennsylvania {{RC-stub