Catholic Seminary Requirements

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Hello, I am new to the forums and just had a random question that has been lingering in my mind for quite some time now. What are the normal seminary admissions, as far as GPA and SAT scores. I am someone of average intelligence and was wondering if you had to be a genius to be a priest. Thanks in advance. 🙂

In Christ,
Zachary Pfantz 🙂
 
If you are in the US a bachelor’s degree is required before you enter the seminary.
This is from the “Program of Priestly Formation”, it details all the formation requirments for all priests, religious & secular, in the United States.
  1. Theologates must require a bachelor’s degree or its equivalent
    from an accredited institution. Sufficient education in philosophy, which
    the Code of Canon Law states as a biennium,37 is understood in the United
    States to be at least 30 semester credit hours, plus the out-of-classroom
    work associated with each credit hour traditionally expected in American
    higher education. A minimum of 12 semester credit hours is required
    in appropriate courses of undergraduate theology. (The content of such
    courses is outlined in norms 178 and 179 under “Intellectual Formation—
    College Seminaries: Norms.”)
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Oneofthewomen said:
If you are in the US a bachelor’s degree is required before you enter the seminary.
This is from the “Program of Priestly Formation”, it details all the formation requirments for all priests, religious & secular, in the United States.
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Just to comment, the requirements you are speaking of are for major seminary, to study theology.

For minor seminary, that is, college seminary, you will study philosophy. As for getting in to minor seminary, you would have to talk to your diocese’s vocation director, but I imagine that no, you do not have to be “a genius.” However, should you make it to major seminary, it will be graduate level theology, so you would have to be prepared for that, but I imagine you’d get an idea of where you stand on that after some studying philosophy in minor seminary.

Don’t let grades deter you from going forward - if God is calling you to be a priest, He will make it happen. 👍
 
Thanks, I have been briefly kicking the idea with my father, Religious father, and he told me that I should have no trouble going to an 8 year seminary right out of high school. I just wasn’t looking forward to asking him that question.

In Christ,
Zachary Pfantz 🙂
 
I have a question, how much does it cost to enroll into a seminary, and if one intentions such, can the Church helps the person financially?
 
pfantzac said:
Thanks, I have been briefly kicking the idea with my father, Religious father, and he told me that I should have no trouble going to an 8 year seminary right out of high school. I just wasn’t looking forward to asking him that question.

In Christ,
Zachary Pfantz 🙂
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Go for it and continue to pray to know and accept God’s will for you! Good luck! 🙂
 
UnityofTrinity said:
I have a question, how much does it cost to enroll into a seminary, and if one intentions such, can the Church helps the person financially?
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It depends on the diocese. Most seminary colleges I think are the same as an average university. Some dioceses pay completely for both major and minor seminary, but most don’t. Contact your vocations director to find out the norm for your diocese. I imagine if the need is there, it will be responded to. I am quite sure most make so that money cannot be an obstacle to discerning the priesthood.
 
bobballen_18 said:
It depends on the diocese. Most seminary colleges I think are the same as an average university. Some dioceses pay completely for both major and minor seminary, but most don’t. Contact your vocations director to find out the norm for your diocese. I imagine if the need is there, it will be responded to. I am quite sure most make so that money cannot be an obstacle to discerning the priesthood.
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What if one want to become part of an order?
 
UnityofTrinity said:
What if one want to become part of an order?
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Well, I can’t answer that definitively. But I would guess that if the order requires a vow of poverty, they can’t very well require you to pay your way through seminary and you would be helped as much as possible. Asking the specific order or diocese would always work best, since it probably varies. 🙂 👍
 
The Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter’s Seminary, Our Lady of Guadelupe out in Denton Nebraska does not require a Bachelors degree, I don’t think. For that Seminary, one must have a strong fluency of the English language, a good reputation, and no debt.

However, for my own Archdiocesis of Boston, the Seminary requires a Bachelors degree in Philosophy, Theology, Ethics, etc. but if you do not have it, they will simply send you to Our Lady of Providence House of Formation which is located on Providence college. They will send a prospective Seminarian there for an estimated four years to earn their bachelors degree, and then they will spend three or four years back up to Boston before ordination. I can imagine that is the case for most Dioceses and it seems most reasonable.

~ Pius :knight1:
 
UnityofTrinity said:
What if one want to become part of an order?
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The Order pays for Seminary. You do not go to become a Priest first; rather, you enter the Community, and once you finish postulancy and begin the Novitiate, you will begin your studies in a Seminary if your Superior believes you are called. Most Franciscans cannot usually pay for this, so there are a number of things they do to make ends meet. There are some that can, such as the Franciscan Missionaries of the Eternal Word on EWTN, and the C.F.R. It really depends on how well they are established and what they do for money. Some do television work like the ones on EWTN, some do nothing for money at all, and rely completely on God’s providence, like the Franciscan Brothers Minor. It really depends upon the Order.
 
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