Why a Minor Seminary?

Fostering Vocations at an Early Age

Minor seminaries (high-school seminaries) were a normal feature of the landscape of Catholic education for the priesthood, in both Canada and the United States, late into the 1960s. In Canada, the first seminary, the Petit Séminaire in Quebec, opened in October 1668, accepting First Nations and French students who were going to study at the Collège des Jésuites. It closed in 1759 when the city came under siege by the British, but it reopened in 1765 and continued to exist until 1987. English-speaking Canada also had a minor seminary, the Seminary of Christ the King in Ladner, B.C. This minor seminary was first erected in 1931 under William Mark Duke, Archbishop of Vancouver, and had 16 high-school students. The Benedictines were invited to take charge of the seminary and arrived on September 13, 1939. Although at its beginning in 1931 the Seminary of Christ the King had only a high school, the Benedictines continued to build on the work of the first formators, expanding it to include a college as well as a minor seminary, each with its own Rector.

In the 1960s, minor seminaries came under a barrage of criticism from a shifting secular culture, causing most of them to close their doors. Of the 122 minor seminaries in the US in 1960, only seven remained by 2000. However, the long experience of the Church has shown that a priestly vocation often manifests itself early in a boy’s life. At the Second Vatican Council, the Decree on Priestly Formation affirmed the merit of minor seminaries, recognizing that the high-school seminary continues to be a place where young vocations are promoted and nurtured. When Canadian and American dioceses were closing down their minor seminaries, Westminster Abbey decided to promote and retain this institution, convinced by the Church’s experience that the minor seminary is a sure way to give young men a solid human and Christian formation. Many Vancouver clergy, and even three bishops in B.C., began their priestly formation in the minor seminary. Of the 1,188 minor seminary students who attended Seminary of Christ the King from 1932 to 2026, 59 have been ordained priests, and one third of our monastic community attended SCK.

The fostering of vocations is an expression of our communion in Christ, in which our Benedictine tradition of prayer, work, and Christ-centered service nurtures those whom God has called to embody Christ in the priesthood, a vocation integral to the life and mission of the Church. Education of the youth has been part of Benedictine monasticism from its earliest days, with the order, stability, and balance of the monastic community offering a unique environment for the training of seminarians. Becoming a priest is a long journey and discernment process, involving deep reflection and prayer as well as guidance and support from others in the Church. This process is essential for a young man to understand his vocation and to be ready for the responsibilities of being a priest. The call of Christ to “Come, follow me” can be hard to hear amid the noise and distractions of daily life. This is why a minor seminary, where a young man can take time to discern God’s call and grow in faith and authentic spiritual freedom, is still a necessity in today’s world.

In addition to a well-rounded education, the students are encouraged to form a strong sense of community, responsibility, and friendship. Each week, the seminarians engage in some local apostolic work. Daily physical exercise and an ordered lifestyle encourage the students to mature as young men with pure and free hearts dedicated to Christ. The seminary aims to prepare young men for their ministry by offering them a countercultural lifestyle that forms their Christian life and well-being. This formation will also prepare them for the lay life if they do not pursue a priestly or religious vocation. But perhaps of greatest significance for young men in our seminary program is the reality of a lived liturgy, in which the rhythm of daily life at Westminster Abbey and the Seminary of Christ the King is determined by the liturgical seasons and the daily celebration of the Conventual (Community) Mass and the Liturgy of the Hours. The Benedictine charism as custodians of the Sacred Mysteries puts us in a privileged place to form men as priests who will dedicate themselves to the worship of God, to their own personal sanctification, and to the salvation of all souls, so that God may be truly glorified in all things.