St. Basil Seminary (Ukrainian Catholic)
| St. Basil Seminary | |
|---|---|
| Short name | St. Basil's |
| Type | Seminary |
| Status | Active |
| Rite | Ukrainian Greek-Catholic (Byzantine) |
| Affiliation | Ukrainian Catholic Church |
| Sponsoring diocese(s) | Eparchy of Stamford |
| Operated by | Eparchy of Stamford |
| City | Stamford, CT |
| State / province | Connecticut |
| Country | United States |
| Founded | 1933 |
| Website | Official site |
| Levels of formation | High school, College Seminary |
| Degrees | Bachelor's degree |
St. Basil Seminary (St. Basil Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Seminary) is a Ukrainian Greek-Catholic seminary in Stamford, Connecticut, sponsored by the Eparchy of Stamford, that forms candidates for the priesthood in the Ukrainian Catholic Church. Its alumni include multiple bishops of the Ukrainian Catholic Church and Cardinal and Patriarch Lubomyr Husar.
History
The seminary's history traces to 1932, when Bishop Constantine Bohachevsky purchased 8 acres of land along with a building known as the Quintard Estate in Stamford with the intention of establishing a seminary and cultural center. In September 1933, on Labor Day, the seminary was formally established, and a high school began operating the same year with twenty-two students; its first graduating class came in 1935, and sixty-two priests graduated from St. Basil's high school in its early years.
Until 1938 only the high school operated. That year Bishop Bohachevsky decided to establish a College Seminary, which was officially registered in Connecticut the following year and became eligible to issue a bachelor's degree; St. Basil's College officially opened on September 18, 1939, and the high school was renamed St. Basil Preparatory School. From 1942 to 2008 the College held 58 graduations for 230 graduates, of whom 131 went on to be ordained priests.
Growing enrollment in the 1950s created a need for a new seminary building. Bishop Joseph Schmondiuk, who became Bishop of Stamford in 1961, blessed the cornerstone of a new building on June 2, 1962, and seminarians moved into it in the fall of 1963; the new Seminary building was formally opened on September 7, 1964. Schmondiuk later became Metropolitan of the Ukrainian Catholic Church in the United States and died on December 25, 1978.
Notable Alumni
- Bishop Basil Losten, longtime Eparch of Stamford (Bishop Emeritus)
- Bishop Yaroslav Gabro of Chicago
- Bishop Walter Paska, Auxiliary Bishop of the Philadelphia Archeparchy
- Bishop Richard Seminack of Chicago
- Bishop Robert Moskal of the Eparchy of Parma
- Cardinal and Patriarch Lubomyr Husar, Head of the Ukrainian Catholic Church
- Rev. Volodymyr Malchyn (Class of 2002), who served the Patriarchal Curia in Kyiv, Ukraine
Current Status
As of 2022, the seminary was led by Rector Very Reverend Bohdan Tymchyshyn under the Eparchy of Stamford, with Bishop Paul Chomnycky serving as eparch. Seminarians participated in liturgical and community life, including visits to parishes throughout the region and a Christian summer camp for children held on the seminary grounds.