Saint Meinrad Seminary and School of Theology

History

In 1857, several Benedictine monks travelled from Einsiedeln Abbey in Einsiedeln, Switzerland, to southern Indiana to establish Saint Meinrad Seminary. At its beginning, Saint Meinrad was a high school program. By 1861, the monks had added courses in philosophy, business, theology and classical literature. A fire in 1887 destroyed the seminary buildings.

When Saint Meinrad reopened after the 1887 fire, it focused only on preparing seminarians for priesthood. It had two divisions:

• A minor seminary with four years of high school and the first two years of college
• A major seminary with two years of college courses in philosophy and theology

In 1959, Saint Meinrad reorganized into three divisions:

• A traditional four year high school, which closed in 1968.
• A four-year college, which closed in 1998.
• A theologate, or graduate school of theology

In 1996, the seminary was censured by the American Association of University Professors for the firing of a tenured theology professor, Mercy Sr. Carmel McEnroy, allegedly without due process.

In February 2019, after an internal investigation, Saint Meinrad added two priests to the Diocese of Evansville list of clergy with credible accusations of sexual abuse. The first was Warren Heitz who was accused of misconduct dating from the 1970s to 1999. Removed from public ministry in 2002, he spent ten years living in a supervised residence for offenders at Saint Meinrad. In addition, Robert Woerdeman had faced one accusation of misconduct. He was defrocked as a priest in 1975.

Academics

Saint Meinrad offers the following advanced degrees:

• Master of Divinity
• Master of Theological Studies
• Master of Arts in Catholic Philosophical Studies
• Master of Arts (Theology)
• Master of Arts (Pastoral Theology)

Saint Meinrad offers programs in:

• Priesthood formation
• Theological formation for permanent deacon candidates
• Lay degrees in theology
• Continuing adult education
• Youth leadership

Saint Meinrad is accredited by the Association of Theological Schools. It has also been accredited by the Higher Learning Commission or its predecessor, the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools, continuously since 1979.

Alumni

Ordinaries

• Ralph S. Pfau, author

Deceased alumni cardinals

• Joseph Cardinal Ritter, O'1917; Archdiocese of St. Louis

Living alumni bishops

• Paul J. Bradley, DD, O'1971; Diocese of Kalamazoo
• J. Douglas Deshotel, DD, O`1978; Diocese of Dallas - Auxiliary
• Gerald A. Gettelfinger, DD, O'1961; Diocese of Evansville (retired)
• James Vann Johnston, DD, T'1990; Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph
• Peter A. Libasci, DD, O'1977; Diocese of Manchester
• William F. Medley, DD, O'1982; Diocese of Owensboro
• Patrick Pinder, DD, O'1979; Archdiocese of Nassau
• David L. Ricken, DD, O'1980; Diocese of Green Bay
• James Peter Sartain, DD, O'1978; Archdiocese of Seattle
• Joseph M. Siegel, STL, O'1988; Diocese of Evansville
• David P. Talley T`1989; Diocese of Memphis
• Anthony B. Taylor, DD, O'1980; Diocese of Little Rock
• Charles C. Thompson, DD, T'1987; Archdiocese of Indianapolis

Deceased alumni bishops

• Herman J. Alerding, O'1868; Diocese of Fort Wayne
• John G. Bennett, O'1914; Diocese of Lafayette-in-Indiana
• Daniel M. Buechlein, Archdiocese of Indianapolis
• William D. Borders, DD, O'1940; Archdiocese of Baltimore
• Joseph Chartrand, O'1892; Diocese of Indianapolis
• Francis R. Cotton, O'1920 Diocese of Owensboro
• Joseph R. Crowley, O'1953; Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend (Auxiliary Emeritus)
• Robert W. Donnelly, DD, O'1957; Diocese of Toledo - Auxiliary
• Laurence J. FitzSimon, O'1921; Diocese of Amarillo
• James R. Hoffman, O'1958; Diocese of Toledo
• Thomas F. Lillis, O'1885; Diocese Kansas City, MO
• Denis O'Donaghue, O'1874; Diocese of Louisville (Emeritus)
• Theodore Revermann, O'1901; Diocese of Superior
• Thomas J. O'Brien, DD, O'1961; Diocese of Phoenix
• Carl F. Mengeling, STD, O'1957; Diocese of Lansing

Others

• James Peter Allen, 1968 graduate - Egyptologist and Professor at Brown University
• Ron Broglio, Professor at Arizona State University.
• Cyprian Davis, OSB, Black Catholic historian and the first African-American to join the St Meinrad monks.
• Joseph A. Favazza, 11th president of Saint Anselm College.
• Luke Timothy Johnson, Ph.D., author and professor at the Candler School of Emory University.
• Thomas Scecina, US Army chaplain killed during the sinking of the Japanese prison ship Arisan Maru in 1944.

References

References

1. "Saint Meinrad School of Theology". [[Data USA]].
2. "History".
3. (January 1, 1997). "St. Meinrad College closing, ending legacy of educating priests-to-be".
4. Haworth, Karla. (May 16, 1997). "Saint Meinrad College to Close Next May".
5. "AAUP denounces Meinrad officials".
6. (February 25, 2019). "2 priests found credibly accused after Saint Meinrad internal investigation".
7. "M.A. (Theology) - Welcome | Saint Meinrad Seminary and School of Theology".
8. "Higher Learning Commission". Ncahlc.org.
9. "Higher Learning Commission". Ncahlc.org.
10. "Researchers@Brown". Brown University.
11. Henriott, Paul D.. (March 31, 2005). "Chaplain Reverend Father Thomas J. Scecina".