Requirements for Seminarian Applications
A man may be eligible to apply for seminary within the Archdiocese of Chicago only after discerning with the vocation director and receiving a formal invitation from him to apply to the archdiocese.
Life in the Seminary
Life in the seminary is similar to that of a college or graduate student in respect to attending a regular class schedule. However, seminarians live by a rule focused on prayer, the sacraments, and the individual formation of each man towards ordination to the Priesthood.
Each day is structured according to that rule. Seminarians live in community with each other gathering throughout the day for prayer, Mass, and common meals. Part of each seminarian's formation includes coursework, regular spiritual direction and mentoring, pastoral fieldwork, and parish assignments.
Stages of Priestly Formation (PDF)
Residency
- Given the nature of the Diocesan Priesthood, all men interested in becoming a seminarian for the Archdiocese of Chicago must live on a self-sustaining basis within the archdiocese for a period of no less than two years prior to seeking an application.
- Applicants should show active participation in a parish of the archdiocese.
Age requirements
- Minimum age for candidates is 18 years old or a senior in high school.
- Due to various factors, the typical age limit for an applicant is 40 years old.
Educational requirements
- Completion of a high school diploma or GED is required for entrance into St. John Vianney College Seminary.
- A college degree is required for entrance into Mundelein Seminary. An applicant must demonstrate a history of academic success or significant progress in his studies in order to ensure he is able to handle the collegiate and graduate level coursework.
- Due to the vast diversity of peoples within the Archdiocese of Chicago, men with knowledge of other languages are beneficial to the local Church. Applicants must, however, have adequate command of both spoken and written English.
Spiritual life
- An applicant must be an active member of a parish or Catholic institution and should demonstrate pastoral leadership through participation in parish activities.
- He should also be drawn to explore and deepen his spiritual life and share it with others.
- He should be well catechized and actively engaged in the sacramental life (Sunday Mass, regular penance).
In good health
- Good physical and mental health are required and must be certified by health care professionals because of the life-long demands of the priesthood for physical stamina and emotional stability.
Debt-free
- An applicant should not carry with him any substantial amount of personal debt or personal liabilities.
Undergraduate: St. John Vianney College Seminary
St. John Vianney College Seminary is the undergraduate seminary where the Archdiocese of Chicago sends our college seminarians. Located in St. Paul, Minnesota, on the campus of St. Thomas University, St. John Vianney College Seminary forms young men in the human, intellectual, spiritual and pastoral dimensions of formation and helps them to discern a potential call from God to the priesthood. The formation program is founded upon the norms of Pastores Dabo Vobis, the Apostolic Exhortation of St. John Paul II; The Program of Priestly Formation from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops; and, most recently the Ratio Fundementalis from the Congregation for Clergy.
Men who wish to enter the seminary immediately following high school, or those who have not yet completed a Bachelor's Degree, will enter St. John Vianney College Seminary. The College Seminary has a clear mission: to provide the foundation for a young man discerning a call to the priesthood of Jesus Christ. Students pursue this mission through the first-class academic resources of the University of St. Thomas, earning a Bachelor's Degree in Philosophy, an integrated program in Christian formation, and through the daily experience of opening one's self to the transforming power of God's grace.
The College Seminary prepares a young man to discern the Roman Catholic priesthood by focusing on the four dimensions of development: human, pastoral, spiritual, and intellectual. Students live and participate in seminary activities at St. John Vianney, located on the main campus of the University of St. Thomas. The seminary building combines student rooms, common areas, and a private chapel to further the development of each student.
For more information on St. John Vianney College Seminary, click here.
For more information on St. Thomas University, click here.
Mundelein Seminary
Mundelein Seminary prepares candidates for the diocesan priesthood and provides full-time intellectual, spiritual, human and pastoral formation. The seminary’s program provides seminarians with a deeper understanding of the Catholic faith, growth in prayer, celibate chastity and readiness for diocesan priestly life and ministry of priestly leadership.
Men who have already completed a bachelor's degree will be considered for formation at Mundelein Seminary, which is the major seminary of the Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago. As a house of formation, the seminary offers men preparing for priesthood the personal, academic, ministerial and spiritual formation essential for conversion to Jesus Christ and their commitment to a life of service to the Church as Roman Catholic priests.
Seminarians at Mundelein spend 4-7 years in formation and graduate-level studies earning a Master of Divinity degree and eventual ordination to the Priesthood.
Seminary life offers opportunities for continued discernment, particularly in the first years. It is normal for knowledge of ‘the ways of the Lord’ to increase as preparation for priesthood is undertaken.
Fr. Timothy Monahan
Vocation Director
847.531.0148
[email protected]
Fr. Patrick Gorman
Director of Chicago Seminarians
750 N. Wabash Ave.
Chicago IL 60611
[email protected]
