St. John's Seminary (California)
Encyclopedia
St. John's Seminary is a Roman Catholic seminary
located in Camarillo, California
. It is within the Santa Barbara Pastoral Region
of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles
. The seminarians prepare for assignments in dioceses as well as religious orders. St. John's offers the Master of Divinity
degree as a first professional degree
for seminarians. If interested in theological studies and research, eligible seminarians can also concurrently earn a Master of Arts. The seminary offers a Master of Arts in Pastoral Ministry
for non-seminarians who are interested in lay ministry
.
donated 100 acres (40.5 ha) of land from his Rancho Calleguas
on March 3, 1927 with the specific desire to have the land used for a seminary named for St. John the Evangelist. On January 14, 1938, John J. Cantwell announced the planned construction of the seminary. The Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada
first accredited St. John's in 1976; it had previously been accredited by the American Association of Theological Schools and the Western Association of Schools and Colleges
.
Beginning in 1961, St. John's granted bachelor's degrees through its subsidiary St. John's Seminary College. Following a 2002 report from a task force appointed by Roger Mahony, the Archdiocese of Los Angeles closed the undergraduate portion of the seminary. Only 12 seminarians graduated in 2002, and the Archdiocese chose to focus solely on graduate training. The task force also scheduled a 2005 review to see if St. John's should be entirely closed with Loyola Marymount University
taking over the school's functions; this shutdown has not come to pass. The diocese agreed to sell most of the seminary's land, including the area used for undergraduate study, in 2004, for a price which was dependent on the sort of zoning approval the land would receive.
donated her rare book collection to St. John's Seminary in 1940. The collection was sold at auction in 1988-89.
reported this information, the paper ran a letter to the editor from St. John's rector Helmut A. Hefner. He stated that reforms had been implemented in the seminary, and that from 1985 to 2005, of the 155 priests ordained at St. John's Seminary for the archdiocese, 2 had been accused of sexual misconduct.
Seminary
A seminary, theological college, or divinity school is an institution of secondary or post-secondary education for educating students in theology, generally to prepare them for ordination as clergy or for other ministry...
located in Camarillo, California
Camarillo, California
Camarillo is a city in Ventura County, California, United States. The population was 65,201 at the 2010 census, up from 57,084 at the 2000 census. The Ventura Freeway Camarillo is a city in Ventura County, California, United States. The population was 65,201 at the 2010 census, up from 57,084 at...
. It is within the Santa Barbara Pastoral Region
Santa Barbara Pastoral Region
The Santa Barbara Pastoral Region is a pastoral region of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles in the Roman Catholic Church. It covers Santa Barbara and Ventura counties in the state of California, USA. The current regional auxiliary bishop is Bishop Thomas J. Curry...
of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles
The Archdiocese of Los Angeles is an archdiocese of the Roman Catholic Church in the U.S. state of California. Headquartered in Los Angeles, the archdiocese comprises the California counties of Los Angeles, Santa Barbara and Ventura. The diocesan cathedral is the Cathedral of Our Lady of the...
. The seminarians prepare for assignments in dioceses as well as religious orders. St. John's offers the Master of Divinity
Master of Divinity
In the academic study of theology, the Master of Divinity is the first professional degree of the pastoral profession in North America...
degree as a first professional degree
First professional degree
A professional degree prepares the holder for a particular profession by emphasizing competency skills along with theory and analysis. These professions are typically licensed or otherwise regulated by a governmental or government-approved body...
for seminarians. If interested in theological studies and research, eligible seminarians can also concurrently earn a Master of Arts. The seminary offers a Master of Arts in Pastoral Ministry
Master of Arts (postgraduate)
A Master of Arts from the Latin Magister Artium, is a type of Master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The M.A. is usually contrasted with the M.S. or M.Sc. degrees...
for non-seminarians who are interested in lay ministry
Lay ministry
Lay ministry is a term used for members of faiths and Christian denominations who are not full-time paid clergy, or not ordained clergy, but who perform the same or similar function....
.
History
St. John's Seminary began teaching seminarians on September 12, 1939. Juan Camarillo, Jr.Juan Camarillo, Jr.
Juan E. Camarillo, Jr. was a wealthy landowner and philanthropist in Ventura County, California, United States. Juan and his younger brother Adolfo Camarillo lived in Casa Camarillo, and were involved in the mercantile business...
donated 100 acres (40.5 ha) of land from his Rancho Calleguas
Rancho Calleguas
Rancho Calleguas was a Mexican land grant in present day Ventura County, California given in 1837 by Governor Juan Alvarado to José Pedro Ruiz. The grant was south of Rancho Las Posas, and east of Rancho El Rio de Santa Clara o la Colonia, north of the Rancho Guadalasca, and west of Rancho El...
on March 3, 1927 with the specific desire to have the land used for a seminary named for St. John the Evangelist. On January 14, 1938, John J. Cantwell announced the planned construction of the seminary. The Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada
Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada
The Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada is an organization of seminaries and other graduate schools of theology. ATS has its headquarters in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and has more than 250 member institutions...
first accredited St. John's in 1976; it had previously been accredited by the American Association of Theological Schools and the Western Association of Schools and Colleges
Western Association of Schools and Colleges
The Western Association of Schools and Colleges is one of six official academic bodies responsible for the accreditation of public and private universities, colleges, secondary and elementary schools in the United States and foreign institutions of American origin. The Western Association of...
.
Beginning in 1961, St. John's granted bachelor's degrees through its subsidiary St. John's Seminary College. Following a 2002 report from a task force appointed by Roger Mahony, the Archdiocese of Los Angeles closed the undergraduate portion of the seminary. Only 12 seminarians graduated in 2002, and the Archdiocese chose to focus solely on graduate training. The task force also scheduled a 2005 review to see if St. John's should be entirely closed with Loyola Marymount University
Loyola Marymount University
Loyola Marymount University is a comprehensive co-educational private Roman Catholic university in the Jesuit and Marymount traditions located in Los Angeles, California, United States...
taking over the school's functions; this shutdown has not come to pass. The diocese agreed to sell most of the seminary's land, including the area used for undergraduate study, in 2004, for a price which was dependent on the sort of zoning approval the land would receive.
Library
Carrie Estelle DohenyEdward L. Doheny
Edward Laurence Doheny was an American oil tycoon, who in 1892, along with business partner Charles A. Canfield, drilled the first successful oil well in the Los Angeles City Oil Field, setting off the petroleum boom in Southern California.At first he was an unsuccessful prospector in the state of...
donated her rare book collection to St. John's Seminary in 1940. The collection was sold at auction in 1988-89.
Controversy
Of the approximately 625 St. John's graduates to be ordained by the Los Angeles Archdiocese between 1950 and 2005, 65 had been accused by 2005 of molesting the underaged, reflecting a rate higher than what studies have found for U.S. priests in general. A seminary spokesman noted California's then-extended statute of limitations on molestation lawsuits, and suggested that a wave of publicity on molestation by priests had made their graduates targets of such accusations. Four days after the Los Angeles TimesLos Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
reported this information, the paper ran a letter to the editor from St. John's rector Helmut A. Hefner. He stated that reforms had been implemented in the seminary, and that from 1985 to 2005, of the 155 priests ordained at St. John's Seminary for the archdiocese, 2 had been accused of sexual misconduct.
Alumni
- William LevadaWilliam LevadaWilliam Joseph Levada is an American Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church. Since 2005, he has served as Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, making him the highest ranking American in the Roman Curia. He was previously the Archbishop of Portland from 1986 to 1995 and...
, Prefect of the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith - Justin Rigali, Archbishop of PhiladelphiaRoman Catholic Archdiocese of PhiladelphiaThe Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia is an ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Roman Catholic Church in southeastern Pennsylvania, in the United States. It covers the City and County of Philadelphia as well as Bucks, Chester, Delaware, and Montgomery counties. The diocese was...
- Roger Mahony, Archbishop of Los AngelesRoman Catholic Archdiocese of Los AngelesThe Archdiocese of Los Angeles is an archdiocese of the Roman Catholic Church in the U.S. state of California. Headquartered in Los Angeles, the archdiocese comprises the California counties of Los Angeles, Santa Barbara and Ventura. The diocesan cathedral is the Cathedral of Our Lady of the...
- George NiederauerGeorge Hugh NiederauerGeorge Hugh Niederauer is an American bishop of the Roman Catholic Church. He currently serves as the Archbishop of San Francisco...
, Archbishop of San FranciscoRoman Catholic Archbishop of San FranciscoThe Roman Catholic Archbishop of San Francisco is the Archbishop of Roman Catholic Archdiocese of San Francisco, the Roman Catholic Church in San Francisco, San Mateo and Marin counties in California, the United States... - Tod BrownTod David BrownTod David Brown is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He is the third and current Bishop of Orange.- Biography :...
, Bishop of OrangeRoman Catholic Diocese of OrangeThe Roman Catholic Diocese of Orange is a particular church of the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic Church whose territory comprises the whole of Orange County, California, in the United States... - Geoff Farrow, priest relieved of his congregation after denouncing California Proposition 8California Proposition 8 (2008)Proposition 8 was a ballot proposition and constitutional amendment passed in the November 2008 state elections...
from the pulpit - Msgr. Francis J. Weber, archivist of the Los Angeles Archdiocese, and biographer of Archbishop John Joseph CantwellJohn Joseph CantwellJohn Joseph Cantwell was the first archbishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles.Archbishop Cantwell was born in Limerick, Ireland. He was ordained priest for the Archdiocese of San Francisco on June 18, 1899 and was initially assigned as curate of Berkeley's St. Joseph The Worker...
, Cardinal James Francis McIntyre, and Cardinal Timothy Manning - Bishop Jaime SotoJaime SotoJaime Soto, D.D. is an American prelate who currently serves as Bishop of the Diocese of Sacramento.-Early life and education:...
of the Diocese of Sacramento - Gustavo García-SillerGustavo Garcia-SillerGustavo Garcia-Siller, M.Sp.S. is a Mexican American prelate of the Catholic Church of the Western Roman Rite...
, archbishop of San Antonio.
See also
- List of Roman Catholic seminaries
- Sexual abuse scandal in the Catholic archdiocese of Los AngelesSexual abuse scandal in the Catholic archdiocese of Los AngelesThe sexual abuse scandal in Los Angeles archdiocese covered a period beginning in the 1930s and was mostly resolved in 2007 when a settlement was reached in which the archdiocese agreed to a pay victims $660 million....
External links
- St. John's Seminary official website