Redemptoris Mater Seminary of Denver
| Redemptoris Mater Seminary of Denver | |
|---|---|
| Type | Diocesan missionary seminary |
| Status | Active |
| Affiliation | Neocatechumenal Way |
| Sponsoring diocese(s) | Archdiocese of Denver |
| Operated by | Archdiocese of Denver |
| City | Denver, CO |
| State / province | Colorado |
| Country | United States |
| Address | 3434 E. Arizona Ave. Denver, CO 80210 |
| Founded | 1996 |
| Website | Official site |
| Levels of formation | Philosophy and Theology |
| Enrollment | 38 seminarians |
| Interdiocesan | Yes |
Redemptoris Mater Seminary of Denver is an international diocesan missionary seminary in Denver, Colorado, sponsored by the Archdiocese of Denver and affiliated with the Neocatechumenal Way. It forms diocesan priests for missionary service in the Archdiocese of Denver and, upon incardination, in dioceses and missions around the world.
History
Following the visit of St. John Paul II to Denver for World Youth Day in 1993, then-Archbishop Francis J. Stafford requested the opening of a Redemptoris Mater seminary. The initiators of the Neocatechumenal Way agreed in 1995, and the first group of seminarians, together with Rector Fr. Florián Martín Calama and Vice Rector Fr. Angel Molina, arrived in Denver at the beginning of 1996. The seminary began its activities on March 4, 1996, the feast of St. Casimir, its patron saint. On March 25, 1996, the Solemnity of the Annunciation, Archbishop Stafford canonically erected the seminary ad experimentum. In March 1997 the seminary permanently moved into the Old Red Brick Building (ORB), the original structure of the former St. Thomas Seminary. On March 25, 1999, then-Archbishop Charles J. Chaput canonically and definitively erected the Redemptoris Mater Seminary. In May 2004, under the direction of then-Vice Rector Rev. Federico Colautti, the first part of a seminary extension was inaugurated, adding seven classrooms, the Sanctuary of the Word chapel, and twelve new bedrooms. The main seminary chapel, dedicated to the Holy Family of Nazareth, along with a new kitchen, refectory, and atrium, was finalized in 2010. The first presbyteral ordinations took place in June 2003; since then 37 men have been ordained to the priesthood, including four in overseas missionary assignments (Latvia, Chile, South Africa, and Ecuador), one in the Missio ad Gentes in Philadelphia, one serving as a formator at the Redemptoris Mater Seminary of Brooklyn, and two in missionary assignments in Nebraska and New Jersey.
Campus and Formation
The seminary is housed in the Old Red Brick Building (ORB), the original structure of the former St. Thomas Seminary, which the seminarians helped remodel to fit the needs of their formation. Manual work, complementing philosophical and theological study and community life in an ambience of prayer, is characteristic of Redemptoris Mater seminaries and prepares the men for the eventualities of missionary life. The seminary chapel houses the "Mysteric Crown," a cycle of icons painted by a group of artists under the direction of Kiko Argüello, and a "Prima Pietra" ("First Stone") taken from the sepulcher of St. Peter in Rome and blessed by St. John Paul II.
Academics
Seminarians pursue philosophical and theological studies at Regis University, supplemented by a network of professors from Pontifical Universities in Rome and throughout Europe. Since the establishment of St. John Vianney Theological Seminary in 1999, Redemptoris Mater seminarians have continued their academic formation together with St. John Vianney's seminarians.
Current Status
In September 2019, Fr. William Clemence, a priest of the Archdiocese of Denver, was appointed rector of Redemptoris Mater Seminary of Denver by Archbishop Samuel Aquila. The seminary currently has 38 seminarians from the United States and abroad, including men from Guam, Colombia, El Salvador, Honduras, Mexico, Argentina, Italy, the Republic of Kiribati, Spain, Portugal, the Philippines, and the Ivory Coast.