Sulpicians: Theological College, Washington, D.C.

Theological College, Washington, D.C.

A living community
of formation

Theolgical College

Theological College has been preparing men for the priesthood for more than 80 years. During its history, Theological College has helped develop the spiritual and intellectual strengths of over 1,500 priests, including 45 bishops and four cardinals.

Church leaders who have graduated from Theological College include Daniel Cardinal DiNardo, archbishop of Galveston-Houston. Archbishop Donald W. Wuerl, Archdiocese of Washington, D.C., and three deceased prelates of the Church: James Cardinal Hickey, of Washington; Joseph Cardinal Bernardin of Chicago; and Humberto Cardinal Medeiros of Boston. The late Rev. Raymond E. Brown, S.S., one of the world’s premier Scripture scholars, was also a graduate of Theological College.

about Theological College,
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A place of faith and formation for future priests
Fr. Melvin C. Blanchette, S.S., fourteenth rector of Theological College (TC), likes to describe the TC seminarians as "living between two sacraments." On the one side, no student would be a part of the community if they did not have roots in the sacrament of baptism. With baptism, each Christian begins a journey of faith that is ongoing and lifelong. The development of this faith is the key to community life at Theological College. Fr. Blanchette underscored in his very first rector's conference how important it is for members of the seminary household to live as a community of faith, especially in their celebration of and devotion to the gift of the Eucharist.

On the other side lies the future, as students aspire to and discern their readiness for the Sacrament of Holy Orders. To the daily experience of conversion that all Christians assume, the life of seminarians is marked by the additional responsibility of developing the characteristics and gifts that will make them priests in the model of Jesus Christ the High Priest.

Because of this dual process, Theological College is not a "college" in the traditional sense of the word, especially since most of the courses for students are taken at The Catholic University of America, and the seminary is affiliated with the university on a variety of levels.

What makes the TC seminary community a college in the more traditional sense is that it is a gathering of like-minded individuals who share a common goal that is aimed toward service in the Church as priests. With its focus on formation at every level, the staff of Theological College has the advantage of being able to focus on the crucial formational questions that are a part of a seminarian's life. Total formation means a focus on the spiritual and human elements that will help seminarians to integrate what they are learning and experiencing in the academic, pastoral, and personal dimensions of their lives.

"Theological College is almost like home."
Though new as Rector of TC in the 2007-2008 academic year, Fr. Blanchette has maintained a relationship with the seminary since 1971 when he was first assigned as an advisor and spiritual director. The many roles in which he served during three distinct assignments for the years of 1971-73, 1977-1980, and 2004- has made him acutely aware of the distinct responsibilities that are a part of seminary life at TC.

Fr. Melvin C. Blanchette, S.S. As a Sulpician, Fr. Blanchette shares with the faculty and staff the understanding of how important it is to live, work, and pray with the seminarians as a single community of faith and formation. His background in psychology and his work with diocesan and religious priests on a national level has attuned him to the variety of ways in which seminarians and priests respond to God's grace-filled invitation to service as priests.

Fr. Blanchette rejoices that the Sulpician commitment to communal life and the shared seminary commitment to live as a community of faith mean that direction of seminary life relies on a collaborative mode of working and praying together. In turn, this collaborative style of living models for seminarians a way of ministering in the parish communities they will soon be part of.