Mount Angel Seminary
| Mount Angel Seminary | |
|---|---|
| Type | Roman Catholic seminary (College of Liberal Arts and Graduate School of Theology) |
| Status | Active |
| Affiliation | Benedictine monks of Mount Angel Abbey |
| Operated by | Benedictine monks of Mount Angel Abbey |
| Religious order | Order of Saint Benedict (Benedictine) |
| Website | Official site |
| Levels of formation | Propaedeutic, Discipleship, Configuration, and Vocational Synthesis stages |
| Interdiocesan | Yes |
Mount Angel Seminary is a Roman Catholic seminary operated as an apostolate of the Benedictine monks of Mount Angel Abbey, forming seminarians from many dioceses and religious communities for the priesthood while they live, pray, and study together on the Abbey's hilltop. Its theological program is distinguished by an integrated curriculum centered on Communion Ecclesiology, rooted in the 1,500-year-old Benedictine liturgical tradition.
History
Fr. Jeff Eirvin was installed on August 26, 2024, as the 10th president-rector of Mount Angel Seminary.
Campus and Formation
Formation at Mount Angel proceeds through four stages set out in the Program of Priestly Formation: the propaedeutic stage, which lays a foundation of prayer, study, fraternity, and docility to formation; the discipleship stage, focused on growth in relationship with Jesus Christ and the study of philosophy centered on Christian humanism; the configuration stage, in which seminarians study theology with an emphasis on Communion Ecclesiology; and the vocational synthesis stage, a full-time pastoral placement, usually in a parish. Formation is structured around four dimensions—human, spiritual, intellectual, and pastoral. The seminary's spiritual life centers on the Eucharist and the Liturgy of the Hours, and while it primarily forms candidates for diocesan priesthood, it is enriched by Benedictine life and spirituality marked by devotion to the Eucharist, meditation on the Word of God, devotion to Our Lady, scholarship, and hospitality.
Academics
The Seminary is comprised of a College of Liberal Arts and a Graduate School of Theology, which also offers theological education to qualified laymen and women. Its programs adhere to norms established by the Holy See and the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops as stated in the Program of Priestly Formation. The College's academic formation has Christian Humanism as its focus and emphasizes the liberal arts, while the Graduate School of Theology's unifying curricular core is Communion Ecclesiology.
Current Status
Fr. Jeff Eirvin serves as the 10th president-rector, installed August 26, 2024. In February 2024, Abbot Jeremy addressed a plenary assembly of the Dicastery for Divine Worship in Rome as one of three main speakers, discussing Mount Angel Seminary's curriculum centered on Communion Ecclesiology. The Seminary also hosts the Fellowship of Scholars through the Mount Angel Institute and now offers a Parish Mentorship Program.