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Jesus Christ, true God and true man, the new Adam, who "fully reveals man to himself and brings to light his most high calling" (GS, 22) stands at the heart of the vision of St. John Vianney Theological Seminary. St. John Vianney, Curé d'Ars, beheld this Light. He was a humble priest in a remote region of 19th Century France who became a great saint through selfless service inspired by bold confidence in God's love for the people entrusted to his care. Through the intercession of Saint John Marie Vianney, patron of priests, this educational ecclesial community is dedicated to announcing the good news of salvation with the same tender concern for others and the courage to love he exemplified.
This seminary rests on the conviction that the Church, Christ's mystical body, exists to witness to the presence of the Living God in contemporary culture so that the men and women of today may encounter the Lord anew. This work of evangelization requires committed disciples who will seek to put on the mind of Christ and live lives according to the Gospel they announce. For this reason, all the programs of the seminary aspire to form Christians as compelling witnesses to the love of God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, and this for the building of a civilization of love. In this way, St. John Vianney Theological Seminary serves as an instrument and sign of a new evangelization in Northern Colorado, the Rocky Mountain West and the Heartland of America.
The new evangelization relies on the power of the Risen Lord communicated in a special way through the Sacrament of Holy Orders. The vocation to the ordained priesthood is an irreplaceable gift for the Church that the seminary is envisioned to proclaim, protect and bring to maturity. For this reason, of all the formation provided, the focal point is always the renewal of ministerial Catholic priesthood in Christ.
Integral to this vision are academic and ecclesiastical degree programs designed to provide intellectual formation for the ministerial priesthood. These degrees are conferred by means of affiliation with other faculties of the Pontifical Lateran University and Regis University of Denver, Colorado, as well as our membership and status in the Association of Theological Schools.
To advance the new evangelization in other ways, Saint John Vianney's offers other non-degree programs of study in philosophy and theology through the St. Francis School of Diaconal Formation and the Division of Lay Formation. While forming the intellect by offering courses of the highest academic caliber, all the programs of the seminary aim at a transformation of the whole person into the likeness of the Lord, with a love for His Church and Her teaching. The seminary strives to promote each one's particular vocation in the Body of Christ as part of the whole mysterious reality of Christ in whom all are bound together in love, collaboration and mutual support.
Only Christ Crucified can bring to fulfillment the vision of St. John Vianney Theological Seminary. We look to the Word of the Father who alone can establish this seminary as a sign and instrument of communion, a genuine fellowship of love participating in the life of the Holy Trinity. Learning to recognize The Master's voice, all students, professors and other formators of this seminary through their work, study and prayer will respond together with renewed hope and energy to the great commission of Jesus Christ: "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations" ( Mt 28:19).