St. Mary's Seminary and University offers a two-year pre-theology program for seminarians who have completed college or who need courses to complete college but lack the philosophical and theological background necessary to pursue graduate-level theological work. We provide spiritual, academic, pastoral and human formation that integrates new seminarians into the life, community and spirituality of the seminary community. The pre-theology program conforms to the norms set out in the fifth edition of The Program of Priestly Formation (2006), in particular, the 30 credit hours of philosophy, an introduction to the Catholic intellectual tradition, language study (Latin and Pastoral Spanish), an introduction to the Catechism of the Catholic Church and a survey of the great spiritual traditions of the Church. While in pre-theology, seminarians are fully integrated into the prayer life and formation disciplines of the seminary (i.e., spiritual direction and formation advising) and pursue pastoral ministries under supervision in the archdiocese. Educational support services are also provided for students whose academic skills need strengthening or who are non-native speakers of English.

St. Mary's pre-theology program incorporates special conferences, formation workshops, and a careful introduction to Roman Catholic spirituality and theology. All pre-theologians have a spiritual director and mentor and receive annual evaluations from the faculty concerning their progress in the program. For more detailed information on St. Mary's Pre-Theology programs, please write or call the Academic Dean, St. Mary's School of Theology.

The model curriculum of our pre-theology program follows: