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Holy Trinity Seminary

"The two disciples heard what he said and followed Jesus. Jesus turned round, saw them following and said, "What do you want?" They answered, "Rabbi" - which means teacher - "Where do you live?" He replied, "Come and see," So they went and stayed with him..."
(John 1:37-39)

Introduction

"Come and see." This was the invitation offered by Jesus to those who wanted to know more about him. The first disciples would be followed by many more to whom Jesus would offer the same invitation to "come and see." The disciples formed a community around Christ. He became their teacher in the way of Faith - instructing them by word and example. Day by day, they came to a deeper appreciation of their call to follow him.
Today, Christ continues to make this same invitation to people of our age. He calls everyone to holiness no matter what their call in life. Some he calls to be conformed to his image in the ministerial priesthood.
Holy Trinity Seminary, a college and pre-theology seminary, is a place for young men of Texas and the surrounding region to "come and see" - a place in which a person who feels he may be called to the priesthood may come to know Christ, and to know himself.

Diocese of Dallas

Holy Trinity Seminary was a dream brought to reality in 1964 by my predecessor, Bishop Thomas K. Gorman, of the Diocese of Dallas-Fort Worth. It was Bishop Gorman's daring plan to establish a seminary on the campus of the diocese's excellent co-educational university, the University of Dallas. This linkage of a seminary with a Catholic university was all but unknown at the time.
Originally, Holy Trinity Seminary offered all eight years of preparation, composing both the college and theology years of study. In an effort to serve the Church better in our region, the decision was made in 1986 to become a college and pre-theology level program. St. Mary's Seminary of Houston, in turn, became a theologate. Since that time, our two seminaries have worked very closely to provide a well integrated program, which responds to the special charisms and the needs of the Church in our region.
For me, Holy Trinity Seminary is a real source of pride and joy. There is no work more crucial to the life of the Church than the formation of those who will carry on Christ's work in the ministerial priesthood. For many years, our diocese depended upon seminaries in other places, many of them far from our region. Today we are able to give something back. We have spared no effort in assembling a highly qualified formation faculty, and a program which is preparing men to be well formed in our Tradition, and ready to meet the needs of the Church in the years to come.
To bishops and vocation directors, to pastors, and to men who are considering the priesthood, I extend a sincere invitation to "come and see".

Bishop Thomas Tschoepe
Diocese of Dallas

COME AND SEE WHERE WE LIVE

Holy Trinity Seminary is nestled in a hilly, secluded area of the University of Dallas' 1,000-acre campus in Irving, Texas. The campus is blessed to have a location only fifteen miles from each airport and downtown Dallas. Seminarians have only a five minute walk to their classes; yet when they return to the seminary; they know they have come to a place set apart. On the spacious seminary grounds, they have available to them a swimming pool, football field, weight room and other recreational facilities.

COME AND SEE HOW WE LIVE

Community Life

In founding his church, Jesus called together a small community of disciples, who by living in his presence were formed into people prepared to take his message in the world. When the appointed time came, these disciples went into the world and, in turn, formed communities based upon what they had experienced.
At Holy Trinity we seek to imitate this pattern established by Jesus himself, by forming among our members a deeply committed life of prayer, study, work and fraternity - the life of a Christian community. This life, we believe, is the key to formation toward priesthood and the discernment of one's call.

COME AND SEE WHAT WE DO

Community Activities

The rhythm of life at Holy Trinity Seminary is punctuated by gatherings for daily celebrations of the Eucharist, and Morning and Evening Prayer during the week. Meals are shared together and there are opportunities for regular social gatherings. Seminarians take part in intramural sports and many other activities of the broader university community as well.

Formation Advisors

Each seminarian works closely with an individual faculty member who serves as his personal mentor and guide. This faculty advisor comes to know the seminarian well as he assists him in setting and assessing formational goals.

Personal Spiritual Formation

While much formation takes place within the daily life of the community, there is no substitute for individual spiritual direction. The Director of Spiritual Formation leads a well qualified group of resident and non-resident priests, who represent a wide range of ages as well as the languages and cultures of our students. Meeting with his spiritual director every other week, the student is offered an opportunity to share his inner self, and is helped to recognize the movement of God in his life.

Academics

Holy Trinity Seminary is very fortunate to be associate with the outstanding liberal arts program of the University of Dallas. Studies at this university provide unequaled preparation for the graduate theological seminary and for the ministry in the Church. Based upon a classical approach which unfolds the western tradition in literature, philosophy, history, psychology, the sciences and the arts, students receive a firm grounding in the knowledge and skills which will prepare them to be thoughtful and articulate leaders in the church of tomorrow.

An exciting aspect of the University’s program is the opportunity provided to Sophomores to study for a semester in Rome. In Rome, and during school sponsored trips through much of Italy and Greece, Western Civilization leaps from the pages of books into real life; the Church reveals her universality and her tradition. Seminarians live in the midst of the university community forming lasting bonds and growing in their understanding of what it means to be committed public persons in the Church.

Spiritual Academic Opportunities

Holy Trinity Seminary also maintains a close relationship with North Lake College, a local community college. At North Lake, a student can take preparatory studies in the English language and other areas to better prepare himself for successful studies at the University of Dallas. The Seminary also has a Director of Tutoring to offer on-site guidance and assistance. With these and other resources at their disposal, we believe that any properly motivated student of average intelligence can do well at Holy Trinity.

Pastoral Formation

Even at the college level, it is important that students encounter those members of the community to whom they will minister as priests. To this end the pastoral education program is a combination of weekly courses and carefully supervised field experiences – all tailored to allow the student to gradually come to know himself as he relates to others in a ministerial setting. Special emphasis is placed upon developing within the seminarian a love of ministry among the poor, the marginated, and among those of other cultures.

Pre-Theology Program

Many today decide to pursue a vocation to the priesthood after having finished their course of college studies. Some may even have advanced degrees in their field. Holy Trinity offers an individually tailored program, lasting from one to two years, carefully designed to meet the formational and academic needs of such men prior to the entrance into the theologate seminary. While respecting the additional maturity of these students, the pre-theology program offers an opportunity for a man to adjust to a challenging new lifestyle as he acquires the philosophical background so necessary to his future theological work.

Formation for Ministry in a Multi-Cultural Society

The Church in our region today is made up of peoples of many cultures. A high percentage are Hispanic, but many peoples of other cultural groups also contribute to the Catholic population. The formation program at Holy Trinity Seminary has two important thrusts in response to this ethnic diversity. The first is to make our seminary more accommodating to men of Hispanic and other cultural backgrounds. The second is to begin to prepare men to minister within multi-cultural communities. A relationship has been developed with the local community college so that English as a Second Language can be offered in addition to other remedial courses. All students are required to develop a proficiency in Spanish during their studies here. The Eucharist is celebrated weekly in Spanish, and feasts of various nations are observed. Spiritual Direction is offered by priests from a wide spectrum of ethnic backgrounds to meet the special needs of our students.

We hope this brief overview gives you a taste of the outstanding program Holy Trinity Seminary offers to the Church in the Southwest. To really appreciate and understand this great resource, we invite you to visit us, to be our guest, to "come and see".

Edited on October 16, 2003