In its beginning, St. Thomas Aquinas Seminary was known as St. Peter Martyr Priory. It was a house of formation for brothers and priests of the Dominican order, built in the late 1940’s, to provide for the flourishing vocations of that era. In 1971, however, following the rapid decline of many religious houses since Vatican II, St. Peter Martyr Priory was finally abandoned. In 1977 to 1981, after years of dereliction, the building was leased by the Dominicans to a corporation dealing with the care of delinquents. The delinquent center folded through insufficient funding, and from that time until 1988, the building again lay abandoned.
In the summer of 1988, the seminarians and staff of St. Thomas Aquinas Seminary, formerly situated in Ridgefield, Connecticut, made the big move to the Midwest, and to the little town of Winona, Minnesota. It was a colossal effort that included the moving of some 30,000 books to the new location. On top of this effort was the amount of work that went in to the renovation of the building. The generosity of the faithful was abundant in sacrificing their time and money in restoring this magnificent building to its original splendor. Working bees were held and attended with enthusiasm until the time had come to bless the new home.
Dedication day was October 8, 1988. The Seminary chapel and building were re-consecrated to the delight of the faithful who were numerous, and the visiting Superior General, Fr. Franz Schmidberger, declared in a conference that evening that St. Thomas Aquinas Seminary was the most important building in North America!
Ordinations to the priesthood followed shortly after the Seminary was established in Winona. The first priest to be ordained, who finished his studies at St. Thomas Aquinas Seminary, was Fr. Shane Johnson of Sydney, Australia. He was ordained in Australia in December, 1988. The first priestly ordinations held at the Seminary were in June, 1989, with the ordination of Fr. Todd Angelé and Fr. Thomas Scott. Since then, ordinations have taken place every successive year in late June.
Daily life at the Seminary is not always easy, especially for the newcomer. The day starts with the wake-up bell at 6:00 a. m. At 6:30, the community assembles to recite the morning Office of Prime in the main chapel. A meditation of 25 minutes follows Prime, and the Holy Mass is offered at 7:15. At the conclusion of Mass, a ten-minute thanksgiving is made and a bell is rung in the chapel for a prayer to St. Joseph.
The community then assembles in the refectory for a quick breakfast, at the end of which a multitude of chores have to be done before the first class of the day. These chores include setting tables, washing dishes, cleaning toilets, sweeping floors, cleaning classrooms, and generally keeping everything in good order. All job assignments are posted on a notice board, and they change each week, giving the seminarians broad experience of the different tasks assigned to them.
The morning classes begin at 8:55 and end at 11:55, with at least a five-minute break between each of the four classes. At the sound of the 11:55 bell, the assigned waiters and washers for the week go to the kitchen and refectory to prepare for the community meal and to have their meal half an hour beforehand. The rest of the community goes to the chapel at 12:15 to recite the midday Office of Sext. After Sext, the Angelus is said and all go to the refectory for lunch.
At this meal, as for supper, a line or two from the New Testament is read in Latin, followed by the reading, in English, of a book of some religious, historical, or political interest. The reading ordinarily lasts for about three quarters of the meal, at which point a bell is rung; the reading stops, and the community is allowed to speak. On feast days and Sundays, the bell is rung immediately after the short reading of Scripture. When the bell rings again at the conclusion of the meal, all rise to say grace.
The afternoon recreation begins for those who have no special jobs to do. This lasts for about 55 minutes. The recreation may be spent in going for a walk, relaxing in the recreation room to read, or to play chess, darts or foosball. Depending on the season, it could also be used for basketball, volleyball or snowball fights! Some seminarians like to spend it in the Music Room developing their musical talent on the piano or other instruments.
Recreation ends at 2:00 p.m. By this time, the Humanities, or pre-seminarians, are ready to be put to work for the next couple of hours. They are helped on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays by the first year seminarians, who have lessons in Gregorian chant on the other days of the week.
The rest of the seminarians have a class in Scripture, Dogmatic Theology, or History. This class finishes at 3:00 and there is a 15 minute coffee break, in silence, for those who want it.
From 3:15 to 5:00 is study time for most of the community. At 5:00 on Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday, a spiritual conference is given by the Rector or Vice-rector. On Tuesday and Saturday, Gregorian chant is practiced by the whole community: on Tuesday, before the spiritual conference, and on Saturday, when there is no spiritual conference, at 4:55.
At 5:30 the Rosary is recited in Latin by the whole community. On Thursday, Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament takes the place of the Rosary, which is then said in private.
Supper is at 6:00 and is followed by a shorter recreation of about 40 minutes. For the evening recreation, some seminarians go for a walk, but most gather in the recreation room to sit down to some light reading and conversation, or to play chess or some other board game. In late spring and early summer, volleyball is another popular recreation.
At 7:15 the bell rings to signify the end of recreation and the beginning of study time, which lasts until 9:00. For the Humanities and First Years, the study time is spent in Study-hall. Here, in one of the classrooms, a deacon is assigned to watch over the seminarians while they apply themselves to their studies.
At 9:00 the evening Office of Compline is sung in the chapel to thank God for the graces and blessings of the day, and to ask for His continued help and protection. When Compline is ended, the day is complete and silence falls on the Seminary more strictly than the silence which is the normal rule. From around 9:20 until10:00, seminarians may remain in the chapel or go to their rooms to finish up the day and prepare for the night’s rest and another busy day in the service of God. At 10:00, seminarians must put out the lights and go to bed. During the Grand Silence, from 10:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m., no water may be run and all noise must be avoided.
The seminarians’ day is a balance of study, prayer, and work, and recreation, with the emphasis on study. Learning and piety are necessary qualities of a future priest, and so the Seminary’s schedule and curriculum are ordered to accomplish this balance.
When the new seminarians arrive, they are divided up into those who start the year as first year seminarians, in what is called the year of Spirituality, and those who will start as Humanities, or pre-seminarians.
The purpose of the extra year of Humanities is to give those students a thorough grounding in those subjects which are fundamental to providing a solid, natural formation for future priests; a formation that is lacking in many of the young men who present themselves at the Seminary today.
In Religion, the basic truths of the Faith are looked over in a typical catechetical style. In History, the young men are taught about classical antiquity and how the Christian civilization was unknowingly prepared by the Greeks and Romans. In literature, seminarians learn the various stages of the development of literature through the centuries, and how this powerful medium has shaped the thoughts, words, and deeds of countless generations. English Grammar and Composition helps the young men to express themselves with intelligence and clarity, and to be able to read a given text with understanding. Latin is also studied to give the newcomer an introduction to the language of the Church. An understanding and appreciation of good music is another help to the priestly apostolate, and so the students are exposed to a good deal of the music of the great composers and are taught some musical theory and history.
Manualia, or manual labor, is a big part of the day for Humanities and first year seminarians. This consists in doing whatever work is assigned for each day. The work involved could be anything from splitting wood to raking leaves, sacristy work, typing on the computers, working on the Seminary boilers, fixing cars, painting, cleaning, and so on. All of this work is done in the afternoon, right after the midday recreation, and lasts for approximately two hours, depending on the day of the week.
The first year, or year of spirituality, is designed to accustom the new seminarian to the things of God and the spiritual life of the soul, and to prepare him more especially for priestly studies.
The study of Ascetical and Mystical Theology constitutes the essence of the year of spirituality. The seminarian is here shown what the spiritual life is, and the principles of how to strive for Christian perfection.
In Acts of the Magisterium, seminarians are taught the doctrine of the Church via the encyclicals of the popes, especially of the popes of the last two centuries, up to and including Pius XII, who dealt with the errors of modernism, liberalism, naturalism and the like.
Latin is taken in the years ahead until the seminarian is judged proficient enough by means of a placement test, given at the beginning of each academic year. English Composition is also continued from Humanities.
In the first year of Scripture, seminarians learn the history of the Sacred Texts and such detailed terms as inspiration, authenticity, canonicity, and inerrancy in their relation to Revealed Truth.
Liturgy class, the history of the Church’s Sacred Liturgy is reviewed, with an explanation of the beauty of the symbolism in all of the elements that constitute the Liturgy. The liturgical revolution of the last half of the 20th century forms an important part of the course.
Gregorian chant is another important part of the seminarians’ formation. Differing substantially from modern music, both in notation and overall structure, chant proves to be a considerable hurdle for most seminarians.
The philosophy course is a two year rotation, comprising the second and third years of the normal Seminary curriculum. Here the seminarians are introduced to what is, for most of them, quite unfamiliar territory. Logic, Cosmology and Psychology, Ethics, Apologetics, and History are the new subjects to be faced in the Second Year.
In Logic, seminarians are taught how to think correctly, dispute a point with clarity, and see the errors or fallacies in an argument presented to them. The second and third year seminarians come together to study one of the “minor” philosophy courses – cosmology, psychology, introduction to philosophy, and ethics – each lasting one semester. In cosmology, seminarians learn how the ancient philosophers observed, explained, and categorized the physical universe. Psychology is the subject matter in which the human soul is studied according to the teaching of Aristotle and St Thomas Aquinas. Ethics is concerned with the study of the principles of moral conduct and, as such, serves as a basic introduction to the study of moral theology. Apart from Philosophy in the second year, seminarians study Apologetics, Church History, and Sacred Scripture.
Apologetics, a two-year course, establishes the veracity, authenticity, and authority of the Revealed Word of God, and the means of proving the Church’s unique roll in being the sole interpreter of Revelation. The Catholic Tradition of the Church’s Magisterium is also studied in the context of the four marks of the Church.
Church History, beginning in the second year, extends to the fifth year of seminary, and studies a different period of history in each of the four years, enabling each seminarian to see the whole course of studies, regardless of when he enters the cycle.
Sacred Scripture is the only course that is studied in all six years of seminary formation. Here again a six year cycle is used. Subjects include: the Gospels, the Apocalypse, the Epistles of St. Paul, the Acts of the Apostles, and the Old Testament.
The third year, the second year of the philosophy course and is the year of Metaphysics. Most of the classes from the second year are continued in the third year, so it only remains to explain metaphysics. Metaphysics is the study of being as such, of essence and existence, matter and form, substance and accidents. It is arguably the most daunting subject to be faced at the seminary, even by the most speculative minded seminarians. The knowledge gained, however, is the reward for the special effort involved in learning the subject well. It is foundational for the proper understanding of Theology, especially the tracts on the Trinity, the Incarnation, and the Sacraments.
The fourth, fifth, and sixth years of seminary are primarily dedicated to the study of Dogmatic and Moral Theology and Canon Law. The seminarians in these years attend classes together in a three-year cycle. The study of Sacred Scripture and history continue into these years.
Dogmatic Theology is divided into two separate classes – Dogma I and Dogma II. The purpose of Dogma I is to give the seminarian a more profound knowledge of, and insight to, the principal truths of the Faith. Dogma II studies the doctrines that either flow from, or in some way complement, the principal truths.
In Canon Law, seminarians get an overview of the Church’s codified book of prudence. Both the old and new Codes of Canon Law are studied so that seminarians see the difference between the two codes and are able to make a sound and prudent judgment with regard to applying the traditional mind of the Church to the current legislation.
At the Seminary, the Brothers form an important part of the community. Archbishop Lefebvre wrote in the Statutes of the Society that the brothers should be as guardian angels of our communities. By their life of prayer and simplicity and cheerful generosity, they are a constant source of edification for all. The Seminary is not, ordinarily, the house of formation for the brothers. This is the job of the Jesus and Mary Novitiate in El Paso, Texas. Nevertheless, brothers are a welcome addition to any community and there are currently four brothers at St. Thomas Aquinas Seminary.
The primary goal of the brothers of the Society of St. Pius X is the glory of God, their own sanctification, and the salvation of souls. The particular role of the Society brothers is in helping the apostolate of the priests in the priories, seminaries or schools. By their regular life of prayer, and, more concretely, by doing whatever work they are able to do, be it gardening, cooking, carpentry, artwork, secretarial work; or more directly helping in the apostolate by doing such things as sacristy work, catechism, teaching, and so on, they are contributing greatly to the service and glory of God.
On Sundays and Wednesday when the midday meal is over, the community has an extended recreation. This consists in a wide range of activities and all are free to do as they choose, though one must be out of the seminary building and with at least one other seminarian for two hours.
In spring and summer, one can engage in many activities such as soccer, basketball, volleyball, baseball, tennis, and racquetball; In the fall and winter: baseball, football, sledding, and snowball fights! Basketball, tennis, and racquetball are always available since we enjoy, by the permission of the administration, the use of the facilities of nearby St. Mary’s University. This is especially appreciated in the winter months. There is always a steady group of walkers and plenty of room to ramble around the seminary grounds and surrounding areas for those so inclined.
Apart from the Sunday and Wednesday recreation, there are also several major feast days during the year. On these days, the schedule is arranged just like a Sunday. In the course of the year, the Seminary allows five free days: Thanksgiving Day, three days in February following the mid-year exams and the reception of the cassock and tonsure, and Pentecost Monday. On the free days, after assisting at Holy Mass, seminarians may spend the day as they wish, provided they return to the Seminary by 9:00 p. m. for the singing of Compline.
The community hikes are another source of recreation to which all look forward. The hikes consist in an all day outing, pre-arranged by a few seminarians, whereby an eight to ten mile trail is trudged by the whole community. On the eve of the big day, the hike crew must also ensure enough food is prepared for the midday meal. When the day arrives, all pile into the Seminary bus and supporting vehicles by 9:00 a. m. eager to forget temporarily their studies and wind down for the day. The hikes usually end around 4: 00 and on returning to the Seminary, the weary travelers freshen-up for the community rosary. Seminarians always look forward to the hike-day meal, for they are usually treated to pizza and beer!
The Seminary chapel is neo-gothic in style. Built in the late 1940s for the Dominicans, it is filled with imagery from that Order. The main feature of the chapel is a black and white, German marble crucifix, twelve feet in length, with a representation of St. Dominic, kneeling with uplifted hands at its foot. The altar is also marble, and features a special Marian emblem of the Rosary in its center. Nearly all the stained glass windows depict Dominican saints, and several windows have Dominican symbols in them.
Here, in the main chapel, the daily Mass is offered for the community, and any of the faithful who wish to attend. The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass is the central act of worship in Church’s Liturgy. It is here the young Levite is to foster and nourish his faith and love in the Victim of Calvary, Jesus Christ, Whom he made be called one day to imitate as a priest, and offer to God the Father on the altar.
Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament is offered every Thursday and Sunday, and after 2nd Vespers of first class feasts. Here, the faithful bless God with hymns and prayers, and God in turn blesses the faithful through His priest, when he elevates the monstrance and makes the sign of the cross over those present.
Gregorian chant has been used in the Church’s Liturgy for centuries to add to the splendor of the Sacred Rites, and to elevate the minds and hearts of the faithful to the things of God. Therefore, it is an important part of the seminarians’ formation to learn how to sing Gregorian chant and, if possible, to teach it to others.
The Seminary’s schola consists of a dozen seminarians, chosen by the Schola Director, and approved by the priest in charge of Gregorian chant. The Schola practices twice a week for the Solemn Mass on Sunday and any Sung Mass during the week. For the rest of the community, a separate practice is held twice a week, called Common Class. In Common Class, the Schola Director, or a Schola member chosen by him, prepares the community to sing for the upcoming Masses and Vespers of the week, and occasionally reviews some theoretical principles of Gregorian chant.
The measure of a fervent religious house is the way it observes the rule of silence. Silence is the indispensable means of prayer, recollection, and union with God. It is, consequently, the most important rule of the Seminary. With few exceptions, silence should be kept at all times outside of recreation. Apart from the general silence of the house, there is also Grand Silence. This begins when the bell rings for Compline at 9:00. At 10:00, an even stricter silence is observed, with no running water allowed until 6:00 the next morning.
After breakfast, when the meal jobs start again, Grand Silence ends. Speaking is permitted, if necessary, during the meal jobs, to get the jobs done properly, but the general silence is still observed. In this way, seminarians are reminded that their work should be done in union with God and offered to Him with a supernatural intention.
The seminarian’s room is modest. It has a bed, a desk and chair, a sink, some drawers for storing clothes and a closet for hanging them, a few shelves for books, and a crucifix. The seminarian should learn to love his room for the purpose of study and prayer. It is chiefly here that he must learn to acquire the indispensable twofold condition of doctrine and piety for the priestly apostolate.
Aside from being already obliged to recite the entire Divine Office each day, and having occasionally to purify the sacred linens for their use on the altar, the deacons are also required to preach to the faithful. This consists in giving a ten-minute sermon at the Low Mass on Sunday for the edification of all.
Twice in the year, the seminarians take major examinations. The first exams take place at the end of the first semester in late January, while the finals for the second semester are in early June, just before ordinations. Many seminarians find the immediate preparation for the exams rather difficult because of the wide range of subjects and the comparatively little time they have to study. Those in Humanities and seminarians in years one and two need only worry about written examinations, while seminarians in years three to six must also face ten-minute oral examinations.
The first important step the new seminarian takes towards the priesthood, though relatively small in itself, is in his first year, when he receives the cassock or clerical habit, thereby casting off the dress of a layman and enrolling himself in the service of God. The black cassock reminds the seminarian, and those who see him, that he is dead to the world and the things of the world. He is reminded in the sermon that he must now conduct himself as if he were a priest, since all who see him will think he is a priest.
This ceremony takes place on February 2nd, the feast of the Purification, as does the reception of the clerical tonsure by the second year seminarians. By the tonsure, the seminarian becomes a cleric, an official member of the Church’s clergy. In the ceremony, five locks of hair are removed from the head in the form of a cross, signifying the renunciation of the world’s vanities and a willingness to take up the cross and follow Jesus Christ.
On his way to the priesthood, the seminarian receives seven orders from the Church, the seventh being the priesthood itself. These orders are various steps or building blocks by which a seminarian is to come closer to offering the Holy Sacrifice. Each order gives the recipient a specific duty and function to perform in the life of the Church, and a corresponding increase in responsibility. The first four orders are known as minor orders. That is because these orders do not bind the ordinand permanently, as do the major orders, and because they are relatively less significant.
The ceremony for the reception of the first major order of the Sub-diaconate is also the occasion for the reception of the four minor orders by the third and fourth year seminarians. Third year seminarians receive the first two minor orders of Porter and Lector. It is the job of the Porter to look after the House of God and the things therein, to bring the faithful into the church and keep the unfaithful or irreligious out. The Lector has the obligation of reading various lessons in the church with clarity of speech, that he may be heard by all.
The fourth year seminarians are the recipients of the next two minor orders of Exorcist and Acolyte. The Exorcist is given a participation of the power of the priest to cast out devils. While the seminarian will never be called on to perform an exorcism, he has, nevertheless, a responsibility to live in such a way as to be irreproachable to the demons. The Acolyte is the light bearer in the ceremonies of the Church’s liturgy. He therefore is obliged to make the light of his good example shine before men.
The fifth year is, ordinarily, the year for the reception of the Sub-diaconate. The most striking feature in this ceremony is the actual step forward the ordinands take, signifying the total gift of themselves to God’s service, and their perpetual renunciation of the possibility of marriage and family life. They had been, until now, free to return to the world. Henceforth, they are to dedicate themselves entirely to the service of the Church. The sub-deacons must also recite daily the prayers of the Divine Office, and purify the sacred linens used for the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. They are bound, therefore, to a greater purity of life that they may be worthy of such an office.
During the sixth and final year of the Seminary, the ordinands receive the diaconate. For the deacons, there is an intimate participation in the Sacrament of Holy Orders. Their principal duty is to proclaim the Gospel, but they can also, if necessary, distribute Holy Communion, administer Baptism, and anoint the sick. In the following year, they will be raised to the dignity of the priesthood if they are deemed ready.
The day of ordinations to the diaconate and priesthood in late June is the biggest event in the Seminary’s year. It is a most joyous occasion for the whole community and the faithful present, who come in vast numbers from all over the country, to witness the making of new priests; priests who will dedicate their lives for the salvation of souls in imitation of Jesus Christ; priests who will be faithful to their duty and to the spirit of the Society and its beloved Founder; the spirit of sacrifice and generosity, the spirit of prayer and union with God. For the ordinands to the priesthood, it is the culmination of six or more years of prayer, study, and discipline. Everything they have done has been geared to this moment — the moment in which they receive the priestly character. With the Sacrament of Holy Orders, the new priests receive the power to consecrate, to forgive sins, and to give blessings to the faithful.
In the ordination ceremony, the consecrating bishop is the first to lay his hands on the heads of the ordinands, followed by any other bishop in attendance, and finally by all the priests. This is what is known as the “matter” of the sacrament.
After the singing of the preface and the reading of the Sacramental “form” of the rite of ordination, the ordinands’ stoles are crossed, and they receive the chasuble. They are now priests. The Veni Creator is intoned to implore the assistance of the Holy Ghost and the ordinands’ hands are anointed with the oil of catechumens. Their hands are then bound with a cloth and they touch the paten, host and chalice with their fingers.
Immediately after the candle offering, the new priests concelebrate the Mass with the ordaining Bishop. Assistant priests helps them follow the missal. After communion, the Bishop again imposes his hands on the new priests and demands their future obedience. Holding the young priest’s hands between his, the Bishop admonishes him and asks him to promise obedience. The priest replies, “Promitto” — “I promise.” The Bishop then gives the new priest the sign of peace, blesses him, and gives them a “penance.” The Te Deum, the hymn of thanksgiving is sung, and all the servers, ministers, and new priests and deacons make the joyful recession back to the chapel and sacristy for photos and the final blessing.
After the ceremony, the faithful eagerly await an opportunity to receive the first blessing of the new priests. The Seminary bell rings to summon all the ordained and their guests to the luncheon banquet. For the faithful who have no special invitation, the Seminary provides a meal outside. After the luncheon, Vespers is sung in the tent to end the day’s formal celebration. The next day starts with the first Mass of the newly ordained priests. An assistant priest helps the young priest to follow the rubrics of the Mass, and gives a sermon on his behalf. After attending one of the first Masses, most of the faithful who have come from near and far to witness the making of new priests return home. They leave, no doubt, with renewed strength for the spiritual battle, and with gratitude to God for providing the gift of new priests.
As of 2004, St. Thomas Aquinas Seminary has eight resident priests, four brothers, and fifty-five seminarians. We ask that you continue to support the Seminary by your prayers and sacrifices, so that even more young men may hear the call of a vocation and answer it, in this world of ours which is increasingly hostile to all things Catholic.