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The last year in which the Old Roman Catholic Church in North America operated a seminary to nourish and sustain vocations to the priesthood was 1958. Consequently, the majority of clergy ordained in the last thirty-two years trained "on the job", which has proved far from ideal both for prelates and their congregations. Even those who had undergone some previous seminary training found it insufficient for bringing them to the core meaning of their priesthood. Hence, the establishment of a seminary for the Old Roman Catholic communion has long been one of the Church's goals.

On December 31, 1998, that goal was reached with the purchase of a building on a one-acre property in St. Petersburg, Florida. Although the building had been on the verge of condemnation, we here in the diocese believed it had the potential to provide the unique atmosphere that fosters men on their way to the sacred priesthood, as well as to serve as a retreat center for clergy, lay men and women, and married couples.

Immediately after the diocese took possession of the property, a crew of hired craftsmen and volunteers began the necessary repairs and renovations. A fine chapel -- small, but adequate -- was constructed, as were a refectory (dining room) and kitchen. The remaining space provided nearly everything a good seminary requires. In the relatively short period of time we devoted to rehabilitating and furnishing the building, we saw a transformation of both building and grounds that was nothing short of amazing dare we say -- miraculous? We believe that God has looked with great favor upon our endeavors and blessed us in innumerable ways. He has seen to it that everything is in place. Now, we must make St. Thomas Aquinas Seminary come alive to its purpose.

We need priest-mentors who will guide our future seminarians intellectually, morally, and spiritually. And we need those men who are willing to make of themselves the "Other Christs" our world so desperately awaits. We need holy and virile men who both understand our times and are also willing to give their lives to the Church. Men who believe that Jesus Christ's gospel belongs to all peoples in all times. Men who share our regard for the traditions that are at the center of our mission as a Church. With sadness, we watch too many Christian Churches totter on the edge of chaos, often preaching a message that Christ did not preach. We see them project a new image, a new doctrine -- indeed, a new "religion". That "religion", we know, is not what our Blessed Lord speaks in the gospels recorded by the evangelists.

Our priority, then, is to revitalize the traditional Catholic faith among our seminarians so that they may keep it alive by bringing it to others who will bequeath it to future generations. Our seminarians will be steeped in the faith practices of our historic religion, specifically through frequent attendance at holy Mass and reception of the sacraments, through the common recitation of the Divine Office, and through other spiritual exercises prevalent in the Church prior to the recent fragmentation of Christianity, in general, and Catholicism, in particular.

Our academic program will be based on a curriculum that broadly encompasses the arts and sciences, philosophy, and classical Thomist theology. Instruction will be given both here at the seminary and at the many colleges and universities within the Tampa Bay Area, depending on which best suits each man's educational requirements. As Rector, I cordially invite men who feel called to the priesthood, or clergy who are interested in making a retreat to send inquiries to: St. Thomas Aquinas Seminary, 1051 72nd Street North, St. Petersburg, Florida 33710.