History
and development
Archbishop Coleman F. Carroll, first
Archbishop of Miami,
founded Saint John Vianney in September of 1959, less
than one year after the establishment of the diocese. From
its earliest days, the seminary sought to provide excellent
priestly formation for the young diocese and other parts of
Florida. Archbishop Carroll entrusted the seminary to the
care of the Congregation of the Mission - Vincentian
Fathers - who remained at the Seminary until 1975.
Saint John Vianney originally combined a four-year
high school with a two-year junior college program
preparing young men for major seminary. High school
classes began in 1959 followed by the college program in
1960. Saint Raphael’s Chapel, famous for the beauty of its
architecture and artwork, was dedicated in 1966 as the
centerpiece of the seminary’s campus and life.
In 1975, responsibility for staffing the Seminary
returned to the Archdiocese. At this time, the Seminary
was restructured to meet the changing needs of a rapidly
expanding Florida Church. The high school program
closed in 1976 and Saint John Vianney developed a
four-year college seminary program in 1977 focusing on
a major in philosophy. With this change came the new
name - Saint John Vianney College Seminary.
The seminary recognized early the great need for
priests who could minister in both English and Spanish in
order to serve in the multi-cultural parishes of Florida. To meet this
need the college seminary initiated its bilingual
and multi-cultural program in 1975. Successive generations
of faculty and students cultivated this aspect of the
College Seminary. Today Saint John Vianney is one of the
only institutions nationwide offering fully bilingual aca-demic
and formation programs. Saint John Vianney is
unique for its openness to many different cultures. As well
as providing the opportunity for its graduates to acquire
fluency in English and Spanish, it teaches them to
appreciate the many cultures present in the Church
they will serve.Chartered in 1961 under the laws of the
State of Florida, the College Seminary is annually licensed
by the Florida Board of Independent Colleges and
Universities. In December 1970, the Commission on
Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and
Schools (SACS) accredited the two-year Associate in Arts
degree program. SACS accredited the College Seminary to
award a Bachelor of Arts Degree in December 1980. SACS
reaccredited the college seminary in 1996.
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