Statement of Purpose

Statement of Institutional Purpose

Kenrick-Glennon Seminary, legally titled the St. Louis Roman Catholic Theological Seminary, is a not-for-profit corporation operated by the Archdiocese of St. Louis under the laws of the State of Missouri. It comprises Kenrick School of Theology, a four-year graduate and professional program that prepares men for ordination to the Roman Catholic priesthood, and Cardinal Glennon College, a four-year undergraduate program that prepares men for ordination studies at Kenrick or elsewhere. Founded in 1893, the seminary today continues a rich heritage of philosophical, theological, and priestly pastoral service, attentive to the needs of its constituencies, while cognizant of the challenges of contemporary evangelization.

Kenrick-Glennon Seminary is an accredited member of the Higher Learning Commission (HLC) of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools, as well as of the Association of Theological Schools (ATS) in the United States and Canada. Its Kenrick programs have been authorized by both agencies since 1973. Its Glennon program has been authorized by HLC since July 2008. (Note that ATS authorizes only graduate and post-graduate programs.)

Cardinal Glennon College operates a collaborative-model undergraduate formation program conjointly with the College of Philosophy and Letters of Saint Louis University. Seminary students complete two years of general education requirements at the University and two years of philosophy and theology requirements at the seminary campus, culminating in the degree of Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy.

Mission

Kenrick School of Theology is a graduate-level community of faith, formation, and learning that prepares men for the Roman Catholic priesthood in the Church of St. Louis and other dioceses and religious communities. Under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, it seeks to instill in candidates: an abiding priestly identity, founded in Christ Jesus and in his Church; a cooperative priestly ministry, comprised of teaching, sanctifying, and leading; and an integrated priestly spirituality, embracing celibacy, simplicity, obedience, and prayer.

This preparation is conceived as a continuation of the apostolic community gathered around Jesus, listening to his word, proceeding toward the Easter experience, awaiting the gift of the Spirit for the mission (see Program of Priestly Formation 5th ed., n.7, quoting Pastores dabo vobis). More particularly, it is a cooperation with the grace of the Holy Spirit, by which candidates make themselves available to the God who dwells in them and who transforms them into the very image of Jesus Christ the eternal High Priest (see PPF 5th ed., n. 68). Such a cooperation with grace entails above all that candidates take responsibility for their own formation and hold themselves accountable to one another, to the seminary, and to the Church.

Realization

To achieve this mission, Kenrick School of Theology operates three overlapping credential programs. All students, candidates for the priesthood, enroll in a four-year Ordination Program, which is based on the norms of the document, The Program of Priestly Formation (5th edition, 2006), of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. The Ordination Program at Kenrick also requires the completion of a summative evaluation exercise, either a comprehensive examination or a thesis and defense.

The Master of Divinity Program is drawn from the basic requirements of the Ordination Program and is based on accreditation association standards. These two credential programs jointly prepare students for ordination to the priesthood and for pastoral and religious leadership in parishes and other settings. The Master of Arts Degree Program is also drawn from the Ordination Program, from its advanced requirements, and is based as well on accreditation association standards. The program provides a graduate-level understanding of the theological disciplines for general educational purposes. The three programs together are designed to be completed by students within their four years of residency at Kenrick, prior to ordination.

The operation of these credential programs at Kenrick entails the following elements:

• a competent and dedicated administration, faculty, and staff;
• a diversified student body recruited from a variety of constituencies;
• a set of theological and pastoral formation subprograms, conducive to teaching, learning, and research (see ATS General Institutional Standard 3), focused in four areas—the human, the spiritual, the intellectual, and the pastoral (see PPF 5th ed, n. 70);
• a suitable library and information resources program;
• a state-of-the-art instructional technology program, with appropriate training;
• a set of faculty and student support services;
• a system of regular outcomes assessment, evaluation, and program revision;
• an effective and consultative system of governance, including a Board of Directors and a Board of Trustees;
• a continuously updated strategic plan;
• a commitment to institutional integrity at all levels of operations;
• a sound financial basis;
• a safe, comfortable, and attractive campus and plant;
• an ongoing collaboration with the other theological and educational agencies of the St. Louis area, as well as with the member schools of ATS and NCA.

The Ordination and the M.Div. credential programs together draw on all four of the formation subprograms of Kenrick, and hereinafter are described jointly. The M.A. Program, being more restricted in scope, draws principally from the Intellectual Formation Program and is described separately.

Kenrick School of Theology also operates a fourth program, a Pre-Theology Program, in cooperation with Cardinal Glennon College, the undergraduate division of the seminary. In this program, candidates who have completed undergraduate study but have not met the philosophy and theology requirements for entry into Kenrick’s graduate-level programs may do so in the Glennon program. This option requires participation in a human and spiritual formation program at Kenrick, and normally entails two years of residency there as well.