Pontifical College Josephinum

Last updated
Pontifical College Josephinum
PontCollJosepinum-2.jpg
Motto Si Deus pro nobis, quis contra nos
Motto in English
If God is for us, who can be against us? (Romans 8:31)
Type Seminary, private university, and Pontifical College
Established1888
Parent institution
Dicastery for the Clergy [1]
Congregation for Catholic Education [2]
Accreditation ATS, HLC
Religious affiliation
Roman Catholic
Chancellor Christophe Pierre, Apostolic Nuncio to the United States (ex officio)
Vice-Chancellor Earl K. Fernandes, Bishop of Columbus (ex officio)
Rector Steven Beseau
Academic staff
38
Students49 [1]
Location, ,
United States
CampusSuburban, 100 acres (0.4 km2)
Website www.pcj.edu

The Pontifical College Josephinum is a Roman Catholic seminary and private university in Columbus, Ohio. It was founded by Joseph Jessing in 1888 to prepare seminarians for the many German-speaking communities in the United States at that time. The college was granted the status of a Pontifical College in 1892 by Pope Leo XIII, making it the only pontifical seminary in North America. Although the college is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (HLC) and Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada (ATS), the HLC placed the institution on probation in 2022 for issues including problems in strategic planning, internal leadership structures, and declining enrollment, while the ATS gave a warning for problems in planning. [3]

Contents

History

Background and foundation

Columbus location of the college The Josephinum College.jpg
Columbus location of the college

Joseph Jessing emigrated from Germany to the United States in 1867, was ordained to the priesthood in 1870, and assigned to Sacred Heart Church in Pomeroy. [4] Within his first year at Sacred Heart, the parish purchased a house next door to serve as an orphanage for twelve local boys, supported in part by a German-language newspaper that Jessing wrote. The newspaper and orphanage, known as the St. Joseph Orphan Asylum, grew so rapidly that five years later, in 1876, Jessing moved both the orphanage and the printing operations of the Waisenfreund to Columbus for greater railroad access. [5] The facility, located at the intersection of Main and Seventeenth Streets in Columbus gave both a Catholic education and training in the trades to the young men in its care. [6]

In October 1888, prompted both by the desire of some of the orphan boys to study for the priesthood and the need for German-speaking priests, Jessing founded the Collegium Josephinum. Its first class of 23 men began formation at the Columbus site. [2]

As those first students progressed through the seminary program, the institution initially provided six years of primary education ("minor seminary," four years of high school and two years of college/pre-theology) and six years of secondary seminary education ("major seminary," another two years of college/pre-theology and four years of theology/seminary). Father Jessing lived to see the first six seminarians ordained to the priesthood in June 1899 but he died less than six months later. [2]

Pontifical status

Joseph Jessing, seen here in 1896 wearing decorations from his years in the Prussian Army, founded the Josephinum in 1888. Joseph jessing w medals.jpg
Joseph Jessing, seen here in 1896 wearing decorations from his years in the Prussian Army, founded the Josephinum in 1888.
Pope Leo XIII granted pontifical status to the Josephinum with this hand-written, Latin letter in 1892. PCJ pontifical status.jpg
Pope Leo XIII granted pontifical status to the Josephinum with this hand-written, Latin letter in 1892.
Pontifical cassock of the Josephinum, identical to the house cassock of the Collegio Urbano because both were established under Propaganda Fide. PCJ House Cassock.jpg
Pontifical cassock of the Josephinum, identical to the house cassock of the Collegio Urbano because both were established under Propaganda Fide.

To make sure that the fledgling institution would continue after his death, Jessing asked that it be placed under the protection of the Holy See. Pope Leo XIII granted the request in 1892, thus making the new institution, now called the Pontifical College Josephinum, the only pontifical seminary outside of Italy. [6] Like the much older Collegio Urbano, the Pontifical Collegium Josephinum was initially connected to Rome by the Congregation for the Propaganda of the Faith, as is evidenced in it charter from Leo XIII below. From the granting of pontifical status to the present, the institution has been under the direction of the Dicastery for Catholic Education, with the Apostolic Nuncio to the United States as its chancellor. [2] The college is governed by a board of trustees. [1]

Relocation to present campus

In 1931, the Josephinum moved to its present location just north of Worthington, Ohio and eleven miles (18 km) north of downtown Columbus on a landmark 100-acre (0.40 km2) campus. [2] The current size of the campus is slightly less than 97.5 acres (395,000 m2) with another approximately 12-acre (49,000 m2) parcel close by. The new complex was designed by architect Frank A. Ludewig [7] and cost $1.5 million dollars to construct. [8]

The academic structure of the seminary changed over time during the 1940s and 1950s from the "six-six" format to four years of high school, four years of college, and four years of theology/seminary. Reflecting the German origins of its founder and its service to the German-speaking community, the seminary high school and college held almost all classes in German until more non-German speaking students entered. The first official college commencement occurred in June 1953; the college and recreation buildings were dedicated in 1958. [9] The high school closed in 1967 due to a decline in the number of applicants. [10]

For the first few decades of its existence, the seminary focused its work on educating priests to work with the large population of German immigrants in the United States. The Josephinum was incorporated in Ohio in 1894; its constitution was approved by Pope Pius XI in 1938 and was most recently revised and approved by the Congregation for Catholic Education in 1996.

Modernization and increasing international focus

The Josephinum's Saint Joseph oratory PCJ - interior, Saint Joseph oratory.JPG
The Josephinum's Saint Joseph oratory

In the years after World War I, the focus of the seminary shifted away from its original mission of meeting the spiritual needs of German-speaking Catholics to a wider mission of preparing priests for dioceses throughout the United States that lacked their own seminary. With the advent of the Second Vatican Council in 1962, the Church took on a more outward-looking and evangelical orientation. It was only natural that seminaries like the Josephinum also become increasingly involved in outreach and ministry work in their local communities. Though the German language has left the halls of the Josephinum -save the library's collection- the missionary focus of the college remains a continuity from its gift of pontifical right under the missionary congregation Propaganda Fide.

Steven P. Beseau assumed leadership of the Pontifical College Josephinum on October 1, 2019. Josephinum alumni serve the Church in 48 states and 22 foreign countries. The Josephinum continues to prepare priests for U.S. dioceses that do not have their own seminaries, missionary areas of the United States, including regions of the U.S. with growing Hispanic communities and finally, dioceses around the world in need of help with the education of their seminarians. [2]

List of Rectors

Accreditation and certifications

Led by a decades long effort by its most significant graduate and 20th century leader, Leonard J. Fick, the Josephinum was accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (HLC), an affiliate of the North Central Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools in 1976. The Josephinum has been accredited by the Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada (ATS) since 1970. [3] The seminary also holds a Certificate of Authorization from the Ohio Board of Regents.

In March 2022, the ATS issued a warning to the institution, as did the HLC in June of the same year. Issues include problems in strategic planning, internal leadership structures, and declining enrollment in the college. [3]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Seminary</span> Institution for educating students in theology

A seminary, school of theology, theological college, or divinity school is an educational institution for educating students in scripture and theology, generally to prepare them for ordination to serve as clergy, in academics, or mostly in Christian ministry.

A Pontifical University or Athenaeum is an ecclesiastical university established or approved directly by the Holy See, composed of three main ecclesiastical faculties and at least one other faculty. These academic institutes deal specifically with Christian revelation and related disciplines, and the Church's mission of spreading the Gospel, as proclaimed in the apostolic constitution Sapientiachristiana. As of 2018, they are governed by the apostolic constitution Veritatis gaudium issued by Pope Francis on 8 December 2017.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">University of Saint Mary of the Lake</span> Catholic seminary in Mundelein, Illinois, US

The University of Saint Mary of the Lake (USML) is a private Roman Catholic seminary in Mundelein, Illinois. It is the principal seminary and school of theology for the formation of priests in the Archdiocese of Chicago in Illinois. USML was chartered by the Illinois General Assembly in 1844. USML is often referred to by the name of its graduate program, Mundelein Seminary. Its compound name is University of Saint Mary of the Lake/Mundelein Seminary.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pontifical North American College</span> Roman Catholic seminary in Rome

The Pontifical North American College (NAC) is a Roman Catholic educational institution in Rome, Italy, that prepares seminarians to become priests in the United States and elsewhere. The NAC also provides a residence for priests who are pursuing graduate work at other pontifical universities in Rome. The NAC also has a continuing education program for veteran priests.

St. Patrick's Seminary and University (STPSU) in Menlo Park, California, is a Roman Catholic undergraduate and graduate seminary whose primary mission is the formation of priests for dioceses in California and the Pacific Northwest of the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bexley Hall</span> American Episcopal seminary (1824–2013)

Bexley Hall was an Episcopal seminary from 1824 until April 27, 2013, when it federated with Seabury-Western Theological Seminary as Bexley Hall Seabury-Western Theological Seminary Federation, also known as Bexley Seabury. For three years, Bexley Seabury seminary operated from two locations—in Bexley, Ohio, a suburb of Columbus, and in Chicago, Illinois —until July 2016 when it consolidated at a single campus location at Chicago Theological Seminary in Chicago's Hyde Park/Woodlawn district. Bexley Seabury is one of 10 official seminaries of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America. Bexley Seabury's mission includes, "creating new networks of Christian formation, entrepreneurial leadership and bold inquiry in the service of the Gospel".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joseph Jessing</span>

John Joseph Jessing a German-American immigrant, who became a Catholic priest in the United States, and was a pioneer in Catholic orphanage work and Catholic education. He was also the founder of the Pontifical College Josephinum in Columbus, Ohio, in 1888.

The Methodist Theological School in Ohio (MTSO) is a graduate theological school and seminary in Delaware, Ohio. MTSO is one of the 13 official seminaries of The United Methodist Church.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Saint Paul Seminary</span> Catholic seminary system in Minneapolis, U.S.

The Saint Paul Seminary (SPS) is a Catholic major seminary in St. Paul, Minnesota. A part of the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis, SPS prepares men to enter the priesthood and permanent diaconate, and educates lay men and women on Catholic theology.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leonard J. Fick</span>

Leonard J. Fick was an American Roman Catholic priest, scholar and educator, college president, author in Ohio whose educational career spanned over fifty years. Fick devoted more than sixty years to the Pontifical College Josephinum and is considered by many to be its most prominent 20th century graduate, scholar, administrator and leader having occupied more positions of responsibility and leadership than anyone else during that time. Father Fick, as he preferred to be called, at both Ohio Dominican University, the Josephinum and other institutions and churches, in both the classroom and from the pulpit, inspired generations of English students with his witty insights into the intricacies of the English language – into writing, poetry, literature and theatre and in insights into the life of Jesus Christ and his Church. Fick's critical and mentoring skills influenced a host of college-educated men and women who would go on to be priests, teachers, scholars and leaders in all walks of life.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Earl Boyea</span> Catholic bishop

Earl Alfred Boyea Jr. is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He has been serving as the bishop of the Diocese of Lansing in Michigan since 2008. He previously served as an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Detroit in Michigan from 2002 to 2008.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roman Colleges</span>

The Roman Colleges, also referred to as the Pontifical Colleges in Rome, are institutions established and maintained in Rome for the education of future ecclesiastics of the Catholic Church. Traditionally many were for students of a particular nationality. The colleges are halls of residence in which the students follow the usual seminary exercises of piety, study in private, and review the subjects treated in class. In some colleges there are special courses of instruction but the regular courses in philosophy and theology are given in a few large central institutions, such as Pontifical Urbaniana University, the Pontifical Gregorian University, the Pontifical Lateran University, and the Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas, Angelicum.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eduardo Nevares</span> Roman Catholic bishop

Eduardo Alanis Nevares is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic church. He has been serving as an auxiliary bishop of the Diocese of Phoenix in Arizona since 2010.

The Seminary of the Immaculate Conception was a Catholic seminary in Lloyd Harbor, New York, accredited by the Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada, and serving the Diocese of Rockville Centre. It offered a number of academic degrees, primarily those of Master of Divinity (MDiv) and Doctor of Ministry (DMin).

Saint Mary Seminary and Graduate School of Theology in Wickliffe, Ohio, is a Roman Catholic seminary that serves the Roman Catholic Diocese of Cleveland. It was established in 1848 by the first bishop of the Diocese of Cleveland, Louis Amadeus Rappe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shawn McKnight</span> American prelate of the Catholic Church (born 1968)

William Shawn McKnight, also known as W. Shawn McKnight, is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church who has been serving as bishop of the Diocese of Jefferson City in Missouri since 2017.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Holy Family Church (Columbus, Ohio)</span> Church in Columbus, Ohio

Holy Family Church is a parish church of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Columbus, in the Franklinton neighborhood of Columbus, Ohio. The congregation was founded in 1877 and the current church was completed in 1889. The Mercerdarians took over pastoral care of the church in 2022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Steven Beseau</span> American Catholic priest (born 1966)

Steven Beseau is an American Catholic priest of the Archdiocese of Kansas City who has served as rector and president of the Pontifical College Josephinum since 2019.

Saints Peter and Paul Seminary was a Catholic high school seminary in Heath, Ohio, serving the Pontifical Institute for Foreign Missions (PIME). It was founded in 1956 and closed in 1990. Its Heath campus was subsequently acquired by the Diocese of Columbus and operated as a retreat house and as a convent for Dominican Nuns of the Perpetual Rosary until their departure in 2023.

References

  1. 1 2 3 The Pillar (22 March 2022). "'God is not done with the Josephinum'". The Pillar .
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Kleinz, John (May 1985). "Monsignor Joseph Jessing and His Pontifical College Josephinum (Conclusion)" (PDF). Barquilla de Santa Maria - Bulletin of the Catholic Record Society of Columbus. X (5): 37–40.
  3. 1 2 3 King, Danae (5 October 2022). "Catholic seminary in Columbus gets warning, probation from national accrediting agencies". The Columbus Dispatch . Archived from the original on 1 November 2022. Retrieved 1 November 2022.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  4. "John J. Jessing" Ohio History Central
  5. Kleinz, John (April 1985). "Monsignor Joseph Jessing and His Pontifical College Josephinum" (PDF). Barquilla de Santa Maria - Bulletin of the Catholic Record Society - Diocese of Columbus. X (4): 25–29.
  6. 1 2 Clarke, D.A. (1918). Diocese of Columbus : the history of fifty years, 1868-1918. Columbus: Diocese of Columbus. pp. 564–567.
  7. Schlegel, Donald (May 1979). "Notes on the Life of Frank A. Ludewig The Architect of the Josephinum College" (PDF). Barquilla de Santa Maria - the Bulletin of the Catholic Record Society of the Diocese of Columbus.
  8. McCormick, Virginia E. (2001). Educational architecture in Ohio : from one-room schools and Carnegie libraries to community education villages. Kent, Ohio: Kent State University Press. ISBN   0-87338-666-3. OCLC   43798383.
  9. Pontifical College Josephinum (2021). Pontifical College Josephinum Catalog 2021-2022. pp. 76–77.
  10. "A Survey of Catholic Secondary Education in Franklin County" (PDF). Barquilla de Santa Maria; Bulletin of the Catholic Record Society of the Diocese of Columbus. XXXII (7): 145. July 2007.

40°07′12″N83°01′05″W / 40.120037°N 83.018183°W / 40.120037; -83.018183