Seminary of the Good Shepherd

Seminary of the Good Shepherd
Seminary of the Good Shepherd
Location	Homebush, New South Wales, Australia
Coordinates	33°52′07″S 151°04′54″E / 33.86874°S 151.08175°E
Founder	Edward Clancy
Established	1996
Gender	Male only
Rector	Michael de Stoop
Undergraduates	circa 50
Website	sgs.org.au

The Seminary of the Good Shepherd is the seminary of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Sydney and of a number of dioceses in the province of New South Wales and beyond, including the Diocese of Broken Bay, Archdiocese of Canberra and Goulburn, Diocese of Wollongong, Diocese of Maitland-Newcastle and Diocese of Bathurst. The seminary is principally administered by the Archdiocese of Sydney.

History

The first seminary in Sydney was St Patrick's College, Manly, which began in 1889 with a class of twelve students, however, the first efforts at training priests in Sydney can be traced back to the 1830s under Archbishop John Bede Polding. In 1991, due to a declining number of seminarians and a desire to separate the overall seminary formation and the academic formation, consideration was given to finding a new seminary and theological faculty.^[1]

In 1993, the Church announced that the seminary would be vacating the St Patrick's estate site in 1995.^[2] At the beginning of the academic year 1996 the Seminary of the Good Shepherd opened at Abbotsford Road, Homebush, and the Catholic Institute of Sydney, located on Albert Road, Strathfield came into being shortly after.^[3]

Educational scope

The Seminary of the Good Shepherd prepares men for the priesthood, focusing on human, spiritual, pastoral and academic formation. The formation programs runs for seven years.^[4]

The seminary students receive their academic formation through the neighbouring Catholic Institute of Sydney, where they study alongside lay students.

Former colleges

St Patrick's Seminary, Manly, New South Wales (built 1889, ceased operating in 1995) now the International College of Management, Sydney
St Columba's College, Springwood, New South Wales (built 1910, closed 1977), Minor Seminary

Current students

Shayne D'Cunha, former professional footballer and Australia under 20's player, Seminarian for Diocese of Broken Bay^[5]

Former staff

Danny Meagher, now Auxiliary Bishop of Sydney, Seminary Rector from 2015 to 2020

References

^ "St Patricks College Manly". The Seminary of the Good Shepherd. Retrieved 10 February 2023.
^ "St. Patricks Estate". New South Wales State Heritage Register. Department of Planning & Environment. H01724. Retrieved 2 June 2018. Text is licensed by State of New South Wales (Department of Planning and Environment) under CC BY 4.0 licence.
^ "St Patricks College Manly". The Seminary of the Good Shepherd. Retrieved 10 February 2023.
^ "Formation Program". The Seminary of the Good Shepherd. Retrieved 10 February 2023.
^ Cramsie, Debbie (17 April 2019). "The power of silence". The Catholic Weekly. Retrieved 10 February 2023.

External links

Official website

[1] "St Patricks College Manly". The Seminary of the Good Shepherd. Retrieved 10 February 2023.

[nswshr-1724-2] "St. Patricks Estate". New South Wales State Heritage Register. Department of Planning & Environment. H01724. Retrieved 2 June 2018. Text is licensed by State of New South Wales (Department of Planning and Environment) under CC BY 4.0 licence.

[3] "St Patricks College Manly". The Seminary of the Good Shepherd. Retrieved 10 February 2023.

[4] "Formation Program". The Seminary of the Good Shepherd. Retrieved 10 February 2023.

[5] Cramsie, Debbie (17 April 2019). "The power of silence". The Catholic Weekly. Retrieved 10 February 2023.

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