St. Mary's Seminary is the first Roman Catholic seminary in the nation: rich in tradition while focused on priestly preparation for the 21st-century.
These pages provide information on the history, personnel, environment, and formation (in the Sulpician tradition) at St. Mary's.
The three pages in this section of our site touch on the very basics of the formation process.
A major part of priestly formation is intellectual formation, accomplished through the pursuit of academic degrees.
Desiring to assist in the strengthening of Hispanic ministry and recognizing the need for well-prepared priests dedicated in-part or in-full to this ministry, St. Mary’s Seminary and University has established a specialized track in Hispanic ministry.
St. Mary’s Propaedeutic Stage implements the vision of the Program for Priestly Formation (6th edition). It takes place in a revitalized and expanded structure on the historic grounds of the original St. Mary’s Seminary in downtown Baltimore. The McGivney House welcomes candidates from all dioceses and is not limited to candidates destined to enter St. Mary’s Seminary & University, but is the recommended program for those who will come to St. Mary’s.
St. Mary’s Ecumenical Institute (EI) was founded in 1968 by St. Mary’s Seminary & University, America’s oldest Roman Catholic seminary, in cooperation with ecumenical leaders. St. Mary’s is accredited by the Association of Theological Schools and by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools. The Ecumenical Institute encourages people of all denominations to explore theological studies in a serious, open-minded, and supportive environment. All EI programs are available wherever you are - on campus in Baltimore, and on-line.
The Ecumenical Institute invites people of all denominations into theological study that pursues excellence and promotes ecumenical understanding and respect. All EI programs are available wherever you are - on campus in Baltimore, and on-line.
St. Mary's Ecumenical Institute has a rolling admissions policy. Students may apply at any time for admission by submitting the appropriate materials.
The Ecumenical Institute offers accredited graduate theological programs for two master’s degrees, several graduate certificates, and introductory explorations.
The post-master’s Certificate of Advanced Studies in Theology (CAS) is designed for individuals who possess a master’s degree in theology (e.g., MAT.), ministry (e.g., MACM), divinity (e.g., MDiv), or a related field and who desire to continue their theological education with a general or focused program of study.
The Doctor of Ministry program roots ministry in the mission of God, the ways God is working in your context, in your ministry, and in you.
Students have a host of resources available to support their theological education, from free parking and a great library to writing assistance and advising.
St. Mary's Ecumenical Institute offers accredited graduate theological education that is intellectually rigorous, personally enriching, and professionally empowering.
More than 750 alums of St. Mary's Ecumenical Institute are making a difference in Baltimore, in Maryland and D.C., West Virginia and Pennsylvania, and around the world.
General communication and individual contacts
It is the mission of the Center for Continuing Formation to encourage bishops, priests, deacons, and lay ecclesial ministers to engage in human, spiritual, intellectual, and pastoral growth and to enable processes of growth that are ongoing, complete, systemic, and personalized.
Conference space rentals include a large room that will seat as many as 58 and smaller rooms that will seat from 4 to 30.
St. Mary's Center for Continuing Formation offers and hosts a variety of continuing formation programs for priests in the spirit of the Bishops' new Basic Plan for the Ongoing Formation of Priests.
St. Mary’s Seminary & University’s Pinkard Scholars is the cornerstone of Youth Theological Studies at SMSU.
For more information about any of our conference facilities or space rentals, please contact our offices directly.
The Marion Burk Knott Library of St. Mary’s Seminary and University is the largest specialized theological library in the Baltimore area, with additional materials in the areas of philosophy, psychology, pastoral counseling and church history, among others. The library receives over 390 periodicals and maintains a collection of 20,000 volumes of bound periodicals. Other holdings include newspapers, microfilm, and audio-visual materials.
The Associated Archives at St. Mary’s Seminary & University opened in the spring of 2002. Located on the campus of the nation’s first Roman Catholic seminary, this program brings together the archives of the Archdiocese of Baltimore (est. 1789), St. Mary’s Seminary & University (est. 1791), and the Associated Sulpicians of the United States (U.S. Province est. 1903), making it one of the most significant repositories for records relating to the early history of the Catholic Church in the United States.
Click here for more information about hours and visitor policies.
This section was created to provide researchers with a brief description of the open collections in the archives of the Archdiocese of Baltimore, St. Mary's Seminary & University, and the Associated Sulpicians of the United States.
The Associated Archives at St. Mary’s Seminary & University has developed a genealogical policy responsive to individuals researching their Catholic roots.
We facilitate personal integration of the human, spiritual, intellectual, and pastoral dimensions necessary for authentic priestly witness and service in the image of Jesus Christ.
St. Mary’s Ecumenical Institute (EI) will award one full-tuition need-based scholarship to a selected United Methodist applicant who lives, works, or worships in Baltimore City to begin studies in fall 2022. The scholarship covers 100% of tuition for the 36 credits taken at the Ecumenical Institute as part of the MDiv partnership program with Lancaster Theological Seminary. Applicants not selected for the EI MDiv Scholarship will automatically be considered for the Ecumenical Institute’s Patterson Fellows program (which provides significant partial tuition scholarships).
Download the details and MDiv Scholarship Application form here or contact Galen Zook gzook@stmarys.edu for more information.
St. Mary’s Ecumenical Institute presents concert organist and composer David Hurd in a concert that is free and open to the public.
Thursday, May 5th, 2022 at 7:30 PM EDT in the Chapel at St. Mary’s Seminary and University.
Free and open to the public, but registration is requested at: https://eihurdconcert.eventbrite.com
“Nothing was commonplace. Hurd paints his musical ideas with bold colorful strokes that emit an almost visceral electricity. Immediately striking was his use of dynamics, timbre, and melodic direction to create a shifting contour that owed as mighty forces of nature. Whatever the emotional effect produced, Hurd seemed to live within it fully….wildly virtuosic.” – (The Blade, Toledo, Ohio)
David Hurd is widely recognized as one of the foremost church musicians and concert organists in the United States, with a long list of honors and achievements, and immeasurable expertise in organ performance, improvisation, and composition. For 39 years David Hurd was on the faculty of The General Theological Seminary in New York City, as Director of Chapel Music, Organist, and Professor of Church Music. He is the composer of dozens of hymns, choral works, settings of the liturgy, and organ works published by a number of major houses. His music appears in hymnals and choir libraries in churches of nearly all religious denominations. In 2010 he became the fifteenth recipient of the American Guild of Organists’ Distinguished Composer award. Dr. Hurd serves as Organist/Choirmaster of the Church of St. Mary the Virgin in New York City.
St. Mary’s Ecumenical Institute is offering an exciting range of graduate-level courses open to new and visiting students, including The Life & Writing of Martin Luther King, Jr., taught by Dr. Anthony Hunt, and Spirituality in the New Testament, taught by Dr. Michael Gorman. All courses will have live synchronous classes, so you can attend in person or online, wherever you are!
See the full list of Summer 2022 courses here.
Join us for an evening of sacramental poetry, as two renowned poets read their own words of faith and spirit, prayer and presence.
Friday, April 29, 2022 at 7:30 PM EDT in Laubacher Hall, St. Mary’s Seminary and University.
Free and open to the public, but registration is requested for this attending in person at: https://smsupoetry.eventbrite.com.
The event will also be livestreamed at: https://vimeo.com/event/1982975
Brian Volck, M.D., M.F.A. Brian Volck is a pediatrician and writer who lives in Baltimore. He is the author of a poetry collection, Flesh Becomes Word, and a memoir, Attending Others: A Doctor’s Education in Bodies and Words. His poetry, essays, and reviews have appeared in Ars Medica, Atlanta Review, DoubleTake, Health Affairs, Image, and The Journal of Moral Theology.
Laura Reece Hogan, J.D., M.A. Laura Reece Hogan is the author of Litany of Flights (Paraclete Press), which was the winner of the Paraclete Poetry Prize; the poetry chapbook O Garden-Dweller (Finishing Line Press); and the nonfiction spiritual theology book I Live, No Longer I (Wipf & Stock). Her poems have appeared in America, U.S. Catholic, First Things, The Christian Century, Dappled Things, and other publications.
After 27 years of service, Dr. Pat Fosarelli will enter a new phase come July 1. She will step down from her role as Associate Dean of Instruction, but continue half time with St. Mary’s Ecumenical Institute in her role as Director of the Master of Arts in Christian Ministries. We are thankful for all that she has done for St. Mary’s over the years, and glad that she will be continuing to serve with us.
Dr. Fosarelli reflected on the upcoming transition, “I have been working at St. Mary’s—in some capacity—since 1995, and I have been a dean since 2006. As of June 30, I will be stepping down from my full-time position as Associate Dean of Instruction but will continue part-time as Director of the MACM (and its associated certificates). This is my decision because a) there are other things that I still want to do and b) the EI has two fine deans who will remain.
I will continue to act as an advisor, be active in the D.Min. program, oversee the MACM and associated certificates, and (of course) teach. Although I will not be around every day, I will be available when students are most likely here.
I count coming to the EI as a student in the fall of 1992 as one of the most important decisions that I made in my life, one that changed my life for the better. I always hope that it will do the same for every student and faculty member who joins this very unique community of learners.”
UPDATE: January 31, 2022
Out of a continuing abundance of caution, the Ecumenical Institute will continue online-only learning through February, returning to in-person learning just after winter break on February 28.
ORIGINAL POST: January 6, 2022
Dear EI Community, We hope that you have had a restful and healthy Christmas. We look forward to a wonderful spring semester of learning together. As you know, our hope has been to offer each class simultaneously online and in person this semester. However, in view of the surging omicron variant, we have decided that all EI courses will begin entirely online through the month of January, with the option to attend class in-person beginning Tuesday, February 1. This does not affect the availability of the library; current EI faculty and students are welcome to come in person if they are in compliance with the St. Mary’s COVID policy (either fully vaccinated or having received an exemption and following the additional requirements). At present, everyone, regardless of vaccination status, is required to wear a mask at all times while in our building. If you plan to come on campus, please be sure you have completed the confidential and mandatory COVID disclosure form. If you are not fully vaccinated and would like to receive an exemption, you may use this form. With hope, Deans Laytham, Fosarelli, and Hancock
Kaye Guidugli, the EI’s Director of Recruitment and Advancement has made the decision to move on from St. Mary’s to pursue new opportunities. We are most grateful to Kaye for her excellent work as the EI’s Director of Recruitment and Advancement and wish her the best very best. To hear a message from Dean Laytham on Kaye’s transition, see the video below.
The EI is currently seeking a Director of Admissions & Communications. Nominations, self-nominations, or inquiries are welcome. Please contact jobs@stmarys.edu for more information.
Dr. Pat Fosarelli, EI Alum, Associate Dean of Instruction, and Director of the MA in Christian Ministries, was recently elected to the board of directors of the Health Ministries Association (HMA), a national organization that “encourages, supports and empowers leaders in the integration of faith and health in their local communities.”
As one who has long integrated faith and health as a faculty leader in EI’s CONNECT: Faith, Health & Medicine Certificate program, as well as through her continuing faculty role at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, we couldn’t think of a better choice.
NOTE: The CONNECT Certificate program will run again beginning Spring 2023 (with a remote attendance option). If you would like more information on this cohort-based program for medical professionals, religious leaders, and anyone concerned with the challenges of integrating faith and health, please contact Galen Zook.