Seminary

The seminary has as its mission the preparation of candidates for the Catholic priesthood — a gift of God and the fruit of an integrated approach to formation. As part of the seminary community, a man in formation continues his personal, human, and spiritual formation while appropriating and integrating theological and pastoral experiences. Following Pastores dabo vobis and the Program of Priestly Formation, Mount St. Mary’s Seminary seeks to form candidates for the priesthood after the Heart of Jesus by integrating the four “pillars” or dimensions of formation: human, spiritual, intellectual and pastoral. 

Baptized and confirmed Catholic men, who have completed a Bachelor of Arts or its equivalent, can be admitted to the seminary and its Master of Divinity degree program. For those interested in priesthood but who have not previously been in seminary formation or who have not completed the pre-requisites in philosophy and theology, specified by the 5th edition of the Program for Priestly Formation, there is a two-year Pre-Theology program. A seminarian in Theology or Pre-Theology must meet the requirements specified by the 5th edition of the Program for Priestly Formation prior to ordination. 

Path of a Priest

Mount St. Mary’s Seminary & School of Theology has received a commission from Holy Church to form those preparing for the priesthood into the persons God has called them to be, to help lay the foundations of who they will be for others in the universal mission of the Church. 

The seminary and its programs foster the formation of future priests by attending specifically to their human, spiritual, intellectual, and pastoral formation in an integrated way in the heart of the Church.  Aided by the formation faculty, the Rector is able to assess a seminarian’s progress as he works through these four dimensions: “the human dimension, which helps to shape the quality of priestly ministry; the spiritual dimension, which helps to shape the quality of priestly ministry; the intellectual dimension which provides the rational tools needed in order to understand the values that belong to being a pastor, to make them incarnate in daily life, and to transmit the content of the faith appropriately; the pastoral dimension which makes possible a responsible and fruitful ecclesial service” (Ratio Fundamentalis, 89). 

Path of a Permanent Deacon

Men who are ordained to the permanent diaconate promise to live out the charism of service to God and the people of God through a life of ordained ministry. This commitment is characterized by service to the Word of God, the Sacraments of the Church, and a life of Heroic Charity. 

The role of the deacon is to be a helper of the bishops and priests, to proclaim by his life the Church’s call to serve the needs of others, to proclaim the Gospel message, to live a life of fidelity to Christ and the Church and to lead the community in building a Kingdom of grace, faith, justice, and compassion. The deacon is to be a sign and living witness of the presence of Christ the Servant in the world. 

Permanent Deacons share with other ordained members of the Church a dedication to serve God’s people through the proclamation of the Word, administration of the Sacraments, the offering of Worship to God through Christ, the service of the poor and the faithful of Christ. Since the Second Vatican Council the Church has seen even more clearly that the deacon is called to serve the Bishop, and his Priests, by becoming more intimately associated with, and involved in the life of the poor, the marginalized, the forgotten, the abandoned, the silent, and the voiceless. The deacon is asked to give his voice to the poor so that their concerns may be heard by the whole Church, especially the Bishop. Intimately united to the ministry of the Bishop and the Priests they are called to serve the Church, giving their lives in service to their brothers and sisters, the People of God. 

Find out more

For more information, contact: 

Deacon Mark Machuga 

Director of the Office of the Diaconate
Office 100 East Eighth Street
Cincinnati, Ohio 45202
Tel. 513.263-6641
Contact Deacon Mark 

For more information about the Mount St. Mary’s Seminary, please call
(513) 231-2223