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Ministries

St. John Vianney Theological Seminary

St. John Vianney Theological Seminary (SJV) is a Colorado nonprofit corporation that was established in 1999 to provide seminary formation and other programs for the education of seminarians, permanent deacons and members of the laity. In addition to the seminary, SJV operates the Cardinal Stafford Theological Library, the St. Francis School of Theology for Deacons and the Division of Lay Formation, including the Catholic Biblical and Catechetical Schools for the education of the laity.

The Archdiocese of Denver is blessed to have a world-renowned seminary, St. John Vianney Theological Seminary, which forms the future priests for 11 dioceses. Young men come from around the world to study for the priesthood here in Denver.

In February 2024, three men were ordained to the transitional diaconate for the Archdiocese of Denver. Additionally, the St. Francis School of Theology for Deacons, a St. John Vianney Theological Seminary division, ordained 21 men to the permanent diaconate in the summer of 2023. Last but certainly not least, in May 2024, six men were ordained as priests to serve the faithful of the archdiocese.

129 men are currently being educated and formed for the priesthood, 59 of whom are discerning to serve as future priests for the Archdiocese of Denver. They will be joined by another 31 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. St. John Vianney Seminary is 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 flagship Biblical and Catechetical School programs, in addition to Enrichment Courses on different topics of the faith, Short Courses, Lecture Series, Workshops/ Conferences, and free talks. Last year saw 5,000 registrations for all of the different courses throughout the year.

Last year also saw further growth and diversification of course offerings, with brand new classes on Catholic literature, Church architecture, the Liturgy of the Hours, the theological virtues, evangelization and the Four Last Things. The year also featured a lecture on one of Denver’s own – Julia Greeley, Colorado’s “Secret Angel of Charity,” whose cause for canonization is open.

The Spanish track of the Biblical School also continued to grow last year, with another 75+ students registering for the new first-year classes.

Another highlight was the Lay Division’s first-ever ad campaign with Our Sunday Visitor, which marked the start of a move towards national marketing as the Division continues to expand its online offerings out of state.

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