Saint Meinrad Seminary and School of Theology


The Saint Meinrad Seminary and School of Theology is a Roman Catholic seminary and school of theology in Saint Meinrad, Indiana. It is affiliated with the Saint Meinrad Archabbey in St. Meinrad, Indiana. The institution was named after Meinrad of Einsiedeln, a ninth century hermit living in what is today Switzerland.

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:
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 List of [colleges and universities censured by the American Association of University Professors|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:
Saint Meinrad offers programs in:
  • Priesthood formation
  • Theological formation for permanent deacon candidates
  • Lay degrees in theology
  • Continuing adult education
  • Youth leadership
Saint Meinrad Abbey's schoolEstablished1857
Saint Meinrad Abbey's schoolTypesecondary school
Saint Meinrad CollegeOpened1861
Saint Meinrad CollegeTypeliberal arts college
Saint Meinrad CollegeClosed1887 due to fire
Saint Meinrad CollegeTransferred toJasper Academy
Saint Meinrad SeminaryOpened1887
Saint Meinrad SeminaryTypemajor seminary, minor seminary
Saint Meinrad High School, Seminary, and CollegeReorganized1959
Saint Meinrad High School, Seminary, and CollegeTypemajor seminary, minor seminary, liberal arts college, secondary school
Saint Meinrad CollegeClosed1998
Saint Meinrad College--
Saint Meinrad College--
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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