The Grand Séminaire de Montréal is relocating its facilities to the former convent of the Sœurs des Saints Noms de Jésus et de Marie, located at 6895 rue Boyer, in the Montreal Borough of Rosemont – La Petite-Patrie.

The seminary, presently located in the landmark 1840 building on Sherbrooke St. West and widely recognized for its cultural heritage, will move by the end of the summer from its historic downtown location, where, for almost two centuries, it has provided an excellent formation for close to 8,500 priests who have passed through its doors.

La Compagnie des Prêtres de Saint-Sulpice de Montréal, which has provided both exceptional teachers and financial support to the Grand Séminaire de Montréal since its foundation, will continue to oversee the formation of future priests.

On the administrative level, management will pass from the Prêtres de Saint-Sulpice to the Archdiocese of Montreal, as is the case in most dioceses where the Sulpicians operate seminaries. To this end, a new Corporation du Grand Séminaire de l’Archidiocèse de Montréal, under the authority of the Archbishop of Montreal, has been established.

The academic formation of seminarians, while remaining under the responsibility of the current teachers of the Grand Séminaire, will now be provided in partnership with the Faculty of Theology and Religious Sciences of Laval University, providing seminary education in a collaborative setting.

This new location is the result of a collaborative effort among the Grand Séminaire de Montréal, the Fondation du Grand Séminaire de Montréal, the Œuvre des Vocations du Diocèse de Montréal and the Diocesan Priesthood Guild, which creates new pastoral momentum.

“This move to an urban neighbourhood will help to develop synergy between the key elements of seminary formation: a deeper grounding in Christ, in community life and in missionary outreach,” explains Archbishop Christian Lépine of Montreal. “This new seminary building, which can accommodate up to 20 seminarians, will be conducive to learning how to live together and to work as a team, all the while being in contact with local parishes.”

“This new arrangement will help us to focus more specifically on the human, spiritual, intellectual and pastoral formation of seminarians, while being situated in the midst of a vibrant neighbourhood,” said Fr. Guy Guindon, PSS, rector of the Grand Séminaire de Montréal.

The 16 seminarians currently enrolled – hailing from the Archdiocese of Montreal as well as from other dioceses of Quebec and outside the country – will resume studies at the new location at the end of August 2020.