Seminary
What is a seminary?
“The seminary is a community journeying towards priestly ministry. I have said something very important here: one does not become a priest on one’s own.” –Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI
Listed below are the seminaries to which we send the seminarians for the Diocese of Davenport. Click on the image to visit the seminary’s website.
Mundelein Seminary
Sacred Heart Seminary School of Theology
St. Paul Seminary School of Theology
St. Pius X Seminary-Loras College
Formation Outline
Mundelein Seminary, Chicago, IL
The Lord founded the Church with a sacred ministry of bishops, presbyters, and deacons. At the core of its mission, Mundelein Seminary prepares men to be priests of Jesus Christ, Priest, Teacher, and Shepherd. It educates men for parish pastoral ministry as co-workers with their bishops in the service of the Catholic Church.
The Holy Spirit calls forth diverse gifts and ministries within the Church; the University of Saint Mary of the Lake also educates leaders for pastoral ministry as co-workers with the bishop and his priests in service to the people of Christ. It does this through distinct programs of formation for each ecclesial role.
The people of Christ deserve ministers committed to life-long learning and growth in holiness. USML provides post-graduate and advanced ministerial degree programs, as well as ongoing formation for all engaged in ministry.
Mundelein Seminarians: Dane Dickinson, Dc. Isaac Doucette, Dc. Dominic Nguyen
Mission
Preparing evangelizing disciples through specialized formation to conform our world to the Heart of Christ
Core Values
Faithfulness in Love of the Church: We conform ourselves to Jesus Christ, the Word made flesh and revelation of our Triune God, who is Love. Christ’s love animates our fidelity to His Church and its Magisterium. We ground ourselves in Scripture and Tradition, especially the spiritual tradition of the Priests of the Sacred Heart and their founder, Fr. Leo John Dehon.
Authenticity in Hospitality: We welcome all as Christ with the Way of charity, the Truth of integrity, and the Life of friendship. We live Our Lady’s fiat in the Dehonian charism of Ecce Ancilla, “Behold the handmaid of the Lord” (Luke 1:38).
Collaboration in Community: We foster unity and collegiality through shared worship, attentive conversation, and integrated goals. We live the Eucharist in the Dehonian charism of Sint Unum, “That they may all be one” (John 17:21).
Excellence in Innovation: We create as we think with the Church. We instill discovery in our intellectual programs, discernment and growth in our spiritual and human formation, and distinction in our pastoral vision. We live the Lord’s Prayer in the Dehonian charism of Adveniat Regnum Tuum, “Your Kingdom come” (Matthew 6:10).
Service in Pastoral Care: We exist to serve our neighbor through the Heart of Christ. We form servant leaders who herald God’s mercy, encounter the forgotten, and heal wounds of division. We live social justice in the Dehonian charism of Ecce Venio, “Behold I come to do your will” (Hebrews 10:7).
Sacred Heart Seminarian: Dc. Mike Snyder
The Saint Paul Seminary’s Mission
To provide integrated, Catholic formation for those called to serve as priests, deacons or lay leaders in their local Church.
The Saint Paul Seminary’s Core Values
Charity: Faithful to Christ’s new commandment, we seek first the good of the other.
Truth: As the human heart and mind are ordered toward truth, we seek to be honest in both deeds and words.
Fidelity: We joyfully profess the truths of the Catholic faith and embrace her disciplines as authentically interpreted by the Church’s magisterium.
Zeal: We are passionate about our mission and eager to form clergy and lay leaders.
Authentically Human: Grateful for creation and our humanity, we desire the fullness of life and joy.
St. Pius X Seminary/Vianney House- Loras College, Dubuque, IA
St. Pius X Seminary is associated with Loras College, Dubuque, Iowa, and operated under the auspices of the Archdiocese of Dubuque. The seminary provides a full undergraduate education and preparation for theological seminary. In addition, it provides a pre-theology program for participants who have already acquired a bachelor’s degree but do not have the academic and formation background required for admission to a theological seminary. Both programs follow the guidelines set out by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops in its Program of Priestly Formation, 5th ed. (“PPF”). In the terminology of that document, St. Pius X Seminary is a collaborative diocesan seminary.
Pius X Seminarian: Will Keating