Mission Statement
From its establishment as a free-standing seminary in 1923 by the Archdiocese of New Orleans, Notre Dame Seminary has, as its primary mission, the preparation of men for ministerial priesthood in the Roman Catholic Church. The seminary, through an integrated and balanced program of priestly formation, seeks to prepare pastors for the Church in the Spirit of Jesus Christ, the Good Shepherd.
As a graduate school of theology, the seminary offers those preparing for the priesthood the Master of Divinity degree program of study. The Master of Arts in Theological Studies is also offered, especially to non-seminarian applicants preparing for leadership and catechetical roles in the Church, and to anyone seeking to deepen his or her understanding of Catholic theology. Additionally, a pre-theology program prepares seminarians to enter the graduate theology program.
While primarily preparing men to serve as priests in the southern region of the United States, Notre Dame Seminary participates in the missionary activity of the Church by promoting a spirit of mission among its candidates for priesthood and by assisting certain missionary dioceses in other areas of the world.
History
The establishment of a diocesan seminary in lower Louisiana was a keen concern of Bishop Louis Dubourg (1815 – 1826). It also proved a point of honest disagreement between himself and Bishop Joseph Rosati, C.M., the first Rector of St. Mary’s Seminary of the Barrens in upper Louisiana (1818), and his coadjutor since 1824. Rosati reasoned that, although property was available for a seminary on a thousand-acre site donated for that purpose by Father Bernardo de Deva in Platteville on Bayou Lafourche, priests were too scarce in both upper and lower Louisiana to assure staffing adequately a second seminary.
Dubourg’s plan was finally realized by Bishop Antoine Blanc (1835-1860) who, in 1838, negotiated an agreement with Father John Timon, C.M., Superior of the Congregation of the Mission or Lazarist Fathers, to open a seminary in Platteville next to Assumption Church on Bayou Lafourche.
The official name of the institution was “The Ecclesiastical Diocesan Seminary of St. Vincent de Paul,” but it was popularly known as Assumption Seminary. The first rector was Father Bonaventure Armengol, C.M. In describing the building, the editor of the 1839 issue of the Catholic Almanac noted, “The house … is 75 feet long, 50 feet deep and two stories high, with a basement.”
This brick building housed seminarians until 1855 when fire completely destroyed it. The students moved to Faubourg Bouligny, a New Orleans suburb, and lodged in the rectory of St. Stephen’s Church on Napoleon Avenue.
Three years later a building was erected next to St. Stephen’s and served as a seminary staffed by Lazarists until 1867 when it was suppressed due to the financial distress of the diocese following the Civil War. Despite the shortage of funds, another effort was made little more than a decade later to establish a diocesan seminary. At the end of his life, and just before he sailed to Rome for the First Vatican Council, Archbishop Jean Odin, C.M., had plans drawn up for a building to be constructed next to the Old Ursuline Convent (then his residence) on the site of the former Ursuline chapel which had been known as St. Mary of Consolation. This building was functioning by the end of 1870, at which time Napoleon Joseph Perche was the new Archbishop. Although by 1873 this seminary, which was much later remodeled to become St. Mary’s Italian School, had forty students and was staffed by priests of the archdiocese, it too succumbed to financial pressure and was closed in 1881. Nearly another twenty years passed before it was decided to reopen the seminary that had been built in the Faubourg Bouligny district next to St. Stephen’s Church; however, Archbishop James H. Blenk, S.M., rescinded that decision after only seven years.
Two years after his arrival as Blenk’s successor, Archbishop John W. Shaw (1918-1934) called a meeting of laymen at his Esplanade Avenue residence for the purpose of discussing with them the ways and means of erecting a substantial building on a site acquired in 1910 through the efforts of Father Francis Prim, a pastor of Mater Dolorosa Church in the Carrollton section of New Orleans.
An outcome of the August 20, 1920, meeting was the launching of a capital campaign. By the following January the campaign netted close to $1 million from some 50,000 subscribers. Encouraged by this broad-based display of interest and generosity towards a permanent major seminary, the Archbishop commissioned the architect, General Allison Owen, to draw plans for Notre Dame Seminary.
The corner stone was laid for the handsome chateau-like building on May 7, 1922. The seminary began functioning on September 18, 1923, with 25 students from the three Louisiana dioceses registering for philosophical and theological courses. In 1925, the present Archbishop’s residence was built next to the seminary.
From the beginning of the seminary until 1967, the Marist Fathers of the Washington Province were in charge. The first rector was Father Charles Dubray, S.M. The number of students remained small through the formative years, not exceeding 60 until September 1932.
In the early 1950’s, as enrollment proved too large for the 90 students’ rooms, Archbishop Joseph Francis Rummel (1935-1964) dedicated funds raised to memorialize his 25th anniversary of Episcopal consecration and his 50th in the priesthood for the erection of St. Joseph Hall. The architect for this building, which was also close to $1 million, was Jack J. H. Kessels.
St. Joseph Hall has some student and faculty rooms, houses the seminary library with a capacity of 200,000 volumes, and has an auditorium attached. Previously, Archbishop Rummel had provided a permanent brick residence on the campus for the Sisters of the Holy Family, which is now occupied by the Order of Discalced Carmelites and is now known as the John of the Cross House of Studies.
During his relatively short tenure as apostolic administrator and archbishop, the Most Reverend John P. Cody (1962-1965) laid the groundwork for the emergence of Notre Dame Seminary into a provincial seminary exclusively for theological students. Prior to the establishment in 1964 of the St. John Vianney Preparatory School, also located in the Carrollton section, diocesan seminarians normally spent six years at St. Joseph Preparatory Seminary (established by the Benedictines at Gessen, Louisiana in 1891) and then six more years at Notre Dame Seminary. St. Joseph Seminary College (at St. Benedict, Louisiana since 1902) became a four-year college seminary in 1968, serving principally the province of New Orleans. It serves as the local feeder institution for Notre Dame.
In addition to the Marist Fathers, diocesan priests and others of specialized competence have been professors and lecturers at Notre Dame Seminary since the arrival of Archbishop Philip M. Hannan in 1965.
In 1984 a special evaluation team created by the Vatican for the purpose of studying and advising American seminaries visited Notre Dame Seminary. In 1993, Notre Dame Seminary completed its 70th year of service to the Archdiocese of New Orleans and to the Gulf South Region. In 1995 a self-study was conducted and was followed by visits from the accrediting agencies.
A few noteworthy events have occurred which have become a part of the seminary’s history. Outstanding among these has to be the visit of Pope John Paul II in 1987. Not only was this the first visit of any Roman Pontiff to New Orleans, but for the two nights of his sojourn here, the Pope slept in the adjoining residence of the Archbishop. The first enthusiastic group to greet the Pope were the Notre Dame seminarians.
In 1993, the archdiocese celebrated its bicentennial. Many different events marked the year-long festivities: special liturgical services, an exhibit at the New Orleans Museum of Art, the publication of a nearly 700-page volume of collected essays, gatherings for the young and events for the faithful. The faculty and seminarians were active participants at many of the events. A substantial benefit for the seminary was designated from the Capital Campaign, which was begun by Archbishop Francis B. Schulte.
In 1997, the first history of Notre Dame Seminary was published and entitled, The History of Notre Dame Seminary. It was written by Reverend Mark Raphael who was a student at the time. This history was produced for the 75th anniversary of the seminary’s opening, a jubilee celebrated throughout the academic year of 1998-1999 with an Open House in September, a special Eucharistic Celebration in October, and a special Alumni Day celebration in February 1999.
As a graduate school and a seminary, Notre Dame Seminary continues to be a center of theological studies and of formation for the priesthood and for many in and around the New Orleans area.