Enrollment Increasing at the Seminary

Ten years after Bishop Skylstad solemnly blessed its new facilities, Bishop White Seminary is facing a challenge: how to deal with the largest number of seminarians in decades. As many as 24 young seminarians will likely enroll in the Fall 2019 semester.

Last year, Bishop White Seminary opened with 16 men
from eight dioceses and archdioceses, including: the Dioceses of Spokane, Boise, Baker, Oakland, and Orange, as well as the Archdioceses of Seattle, Portland, and San Francisco. Thirteeen men will return this fall and be joined by 11 new men. Three seminarians will be in formation for for our own Diocese of Spokane.

Each seminarian begins by earning a Bachelor’s in Philosophy, which requires two to four years depending on his education when he enters. After that, he will be sent to study theology for four years and may also spend a pastoral year working in a parish. Seminarians are ordained after six to nine years of education and formation.

Begun in 1956, Bishop White Seminary is named for the second Bishop of Spokane, Charles D. White. Bishop White Seminary is one of only two college seminaries in the West, the other being Mt. Angel Seminary near Portland. 

To prepare for this growing household, the faculty and staff are working to optimize space and streamline processes. “Seminary comes from the Latin word for ‘seed bed’,” explains Fr. Daniel Barnett, Rector of the Seminary. “Bishops entrust their young men to us because they know that their seminarians will be aided to establish a solid foundation for a life of holiness, and challenged to grow in a healthy and safe environment with other young men striving to respond faithfully to God’s call.”

As they begin the 63rd year of priestly formation in the same location, please pray for these young men, and for many more holy vocations to the priesthood and religious life!