| Pontifical North American College |
|
|---|---|
| Latin: Pontificium Collegium Civitatum Foederatarum Americae Septemtrionalis | |
| Motto | Latin: Firmum est cor meum English: Steadfast is my heart |
| Established | December 8, 1859 (153 years ago) |
| Type | Roman Catholic Seminary; Sabbatical Institute |
| Rector | Msgr. James F. Checchio |
| Location | Rome, Italy (on property subject in part to Holy See extraterritorial jurisdiction) |
| Campus | Janiculum Hill (Seminary and Casa O'Toole Continuing Formation Institute) Central Rome (Casa Santa Maria Graduate Studies Residence and Office for Pilgrims) |
| Colors | Unofficially Red and Blue |
| Athletics | Clericus Cup Soccer Team |
| Nickname | North American Martyrs |
| Affiliations | United States Conference of Catholic Bishops |
| Website | www.pnac.org |
The Pontifical North American College is a Roman Catholic educational institution in Rome, Italy educating seminarians for the dioceses in the United States and providing a residence for American priests studying in Rome. It was founded in 1859 by Blessed Pope Pius IX and was granted pontifical status by the Holy See in 1884. The formal incorporated name for the College is The American College of the Roman Catholic Church of the United States. Oversight of the College is given to the Catholic bishops of the United States, as well as the Holy See's Congregation for Catholic Education.
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The Pontifical North American College, while the more well-known of the United States Bishops' two national seminaries, is actually the younger of the two institutions. The American College of the Immaculate Conception, located in Leuven (Louvain), Belgium, was founded in 1857, two years before the institution of the Pontifical North American College.
The Pontifical North American College was founded in 1859 by Blessed Pope Pius IX in a former Dominican and Visitation Convent, the Casa Santa Maria, located in central Rome near the Trevi Fountain. It was granted pontifical status by the Holy See in 1884 and was incorporated in the United States by a Special Act of the Maryland Legislature in 1886 under the name "The American College of the Roman Catholic Church of the United States".[1]
Until the outbreak of the Second World War, all the College's students resided at the Casa Santa Maria. During the War, the various national seminaries in Rome were temporarily closed by Pope Pius XII and non-Italian students returned to their home countries. When the war ended and the seminaries re-opened, the Roman Catholic Church in America had experienced such an increase in vocations to the priesthood that the Casa Santa Maria could no longer accommodate the many seminarians whom United States bishops wanted to send to Rome for their priestly formation and university studies. To respond to that situation, the Roman Catholic bishops of the United States authorized construction of a new Seminary complex on the Janiculum Hill overlooking the Vatican. The complex was built on the grounds of Villa Gabrielli al Gianicolo, whose land they had purchased in 1926.
Pope Pius XII dedicated the newly-built Seminary on December 8, 1952, the annual Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception. The Casa Santa Maria then became a residence for ordained United States Catholic priests pursuing advanced studies in Rome. In 2009 and 2010, a historic eighteenth century residence on the Janiculum Hill Campus was renovated to provide a new home, the "Casa O'Toole", for the College's continuing formation program for priests ordained ten years or more; and a new convent was built for the religious Sisters who make up part of the College staff.
The College now consists of a Seminary, which prepares candidates for the Catholic priesthood; the Casa Santa Maria, for priests in post-graduate studies, the continuing formation Institute for Continuing Theological Education (ICTE) and the Bishops' Office for U.S. Visitors to the Vatican, which serves pilgrims who come to Rome from the United States. The College also serves persons who travel to Rome from the United States on College or Holy See matters, particularly members of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. It has received numerous illustrious visitors, including four Popes, President John F. Kennedy, and the Rev. Billy Graham.
Administration of the College has been delegated by the Holy See to the Catholic bishops of the United States, subject to the oversight of the Holy See's Congregation for Catholic Education.
The Board of Governors of the College consists of one diocesan or auxiliary bishop from each of the fifteen regions into which the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops is divided. The current Chairman of the Board of Governors is the Most Reverend John J. Myers, Archbishop of Newark; and the current Rector of the College is the Reverend Monsignor James F. Checchio, a priest of the Diocese of Camden, New Jersey.
For the 2010–2011 academic year, enrollment in the Seminary is approximately 250; at the Casa Santa Maria approximately 75; and at each of two continuing formation sessions, approximately 30.
Enrollment in the College is available to properly qualified Catholic seminarians and priests who are citizens of the United States of America, nominated for such enrollment by a diocesan bishop of the United States of America, and approved for enrollment by the Rector. Enrollment in other cases is by decision of the Board.[2] The students of all departments may attend any Pontifical University or other educational institution approved by the Holy See.[3] Human, pastoral and spiritual formation is provided by the faculty of the College.