Hispanic Ministries Program

Our priesthood candidates may take advantage of electives in the curriculum that will afford them the special training they need to serve a growing Hispanic population. People of Hispanic origin and culture constitute one of the most rapidly growing segments of the United States population. The Seminary seeks to provide well-trained ministers for this growing population, following the practical insight of its founder, Father Boniface Wimmer, who argued in the 1840s that, by offering a second language to priesthood students, a bishop would be ordaining two priests instead of one.

The Seminary’s courses in Hispanic Ministries prepare students to minister to people of Hispanic origin while engaged in the normal course of studies. Students learn Spanish or gain added proficiency in the language and engage in formal studies in Hispanic history and culture while moving toward the goal of ordained ministry. An intensive summer immersion experience is an essential part of the Seminary’s goal to prepare men for Hispanic Ministries in the United States. For details on the summer immersion experience, please contact the Director of Hispanic Ministries.