History of Mount Angel Seminary

A Century of History

The history of Mount Angel Seminary is intimately tied to that of its parent institution, Mount Angel Abbey. The Abbey was founded in 1882, when a small group of Benedictine monks from Engelberg, Switzerland, arrived in Oregon to found an abbey similar to the one they had left behind. They settled on a large hill at the edge of the Willamette Valley, built their monastery, and continued their ancient traditions of work and prayer.

The monks opened their first school in 1887, under the name of Mount Angel College. In 1889, Archbishop William Gross of Oregon City asked the monks to establish a seminary in conjunction with the college.

Since that time, the seminary has operated continuously. Over the years, as the Church’s needs, expectations, and ideas about ministry have changed, so has the seminary. Although the primary focus is still the education of priestly ministers for dioceses and religious communities, the graduate school is open to non-seminarians who are looking for an excellent education in preparation for ministry within the Church.

The seminary is home to about 150 seminarians from approximately two dozen dioceses and religious communities. In addition, each year about 40 non-seminarians are studying in the seminary’s graduate and doctorate programs.