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Ministries

St. John Vianney Theological Seminary

The Archdiocese of Denver is blessed to have two seminaries forming the future priests for 13 dioceses: St. John Vianney Theological Seminary and Redemptoris Mater Missionary Seminary. Young men come from all over the world to study for the priesthood at these two renowned seminaries.

In February 2023, seven men were ordained to the transitional diaconate for the Archdiocese of Denver, while Archbishop Aquila ordained eight men as priests for the Archdiocese of Denver in May 2022. Additionally, the St. Francis School of Theology for Deacons, a St. John Vianney Theological Seminary division, will ordain 21 men to the permanent diaconate in the summer of 2023. Last but certainly not least, in May 2023, three men will be ordained as priests to serve the faithful of the archdiocese.

The two seminaries are currently educating and forming a total of 112 men for the priesthood, 42 of whom are discerning to serve as future priests for the Archdiocese of Denver. They will be joined by another 35 men who will be ordained to the permanent diaconate.

It takes an average of seven years of study before a man is ordained. Once ordained to the priesthood, these men will serve the faithful for an average of nearly 50 years. The seminaries are committed to forming the future generation of priests through robust spiritual and academic formation. They are formed to lead the faithful they serve to encounter Jesus Christ.

112
Seminarians
21
men to be ordained permanent diaconate in May 2023

St. John Vianney Theological Seminary Lay Division

The St. John Vianney Theological Seminary Lay Division comprises both the Biblical and Catechetical Schools, in addition to several Enrichment Courses in different topics of the faith, Short Courses, Lecture Series, Workshops/Conferences, and free talks.

Last year brought exciting successes for the SJV Lay Division, not the least of which included the launch of a Spanish track of Biblical School, which had over 100 students register. The Spanish Biblical School has been in the works for quite some time and at last, Spanish-speakers now have the SJV Lay Division as an option to dive deeper into their faith. On the English side, over 1,500 students registered for Biblical School, Catechetical School and Enrichment Courses, and the interest in summer classes continues to grow as well, with over 500 registered for a summer class on the Sacred Heart.

Another highlight was a lecture given by Cardinal J. Francis Stafford on the Liturgy of the Hours, which garnered national attention with over 1,800 people from all over the country registering for the livestream. Finally, Archbishop Aquila celebrated the first graduation Mass for graduates of the Biblical and Catechetical Schools since the pandemic — a joyous celebration with over 800 people in attendance.