St. Mary’s Seminary, dedicated to the honor of the Mother of Jesus, dates its beginnings to 1855 when Bishop Odin established the University of St. Mary in Galveston as an institution of higher learning and a training ground for homegrown priests. This dream was short-lived, however, as the seminary portion of the University had to close in 1860. In 1901, the Diocese of Galveston acquired the storm-damaged Sylvan Hotel in La Porte with the intention of reviving the dream of a local seminary, and the refurbished building became St. Mary’s Seminary that same year. In 1922, the University of St. Mary ceased operations, and by 1926 its charter was transferred to St. Mary’s Seminary. Following a successful campaign by Bishop Nold to build a new seminary campus in Houston, St. Mary’s officially relocated to its present site in the fall of 1954.

Photo: DeGolyer Library, Southern Methodist University

For greater context, in 1901, Bishop Nicholas A. Gallagher, the third Bishop of the Diocese of Galveston, established a school for boys located in La Porte, Texas. The school consisted of some thirty boys from grade six to high school, six seminarians, a four-priest faculty from the Basilian Fathers, and Dominican Sisters to manage the practical aspects of the school. As vocations began to increase, the bishop directed the construction of a concrete building to house the chapel, dining hall, offices, and dormitories. Due to needs in other areas of their ministry, the Basilian Fathers withdrew and diocesan priests then assumed the duties of the faculty. The seminary continued to prosper with the ordination of men to the priesthood highlighting the end of each school year.

Bishop Wendelin J. Nold marked the celebration of the golden anniversary in 1951 with two major announcements: The Vincentian Fathers would replace the faculty of diocesan priests, and a new seminary would be built in Houston. A fifty-acre tract of wooded land located at the present site on Memorial Drive was donated by the Laurent, Smith, and Strake families. A fund-raising campaign yielded over three million dollars for the project. Maurice and Charles Sullivan were contracted for the architectural design, and the Linbeck Construction Corporation was selected for the construction.

On November 4, 1954, Samuel Cardinal Stritch of Chicago dedicated the seminary with a host of bishops, clergy, and local dignitaries in attendance. At that time the plant included all the present buildings with the exception of the library, gymnasium, and Nold Education Center. As with the seminary in La Porte, the number of vocations increased greatly. With gifts and donations from both clergy and laity, the furnishings were completed in 1958.

During the academic year of 1964-1965, the college seminarians began taking some of their courses at the University of St. Thomas under the direction of the Basilian Fathers. This process soon enabled the seminarians to take all their undergraduate courses at the main campus of the University of St. Thomas. To provide for the academic and physical development of these men, a new library and indoor gymnasium-auditorium were built. In 1966, Cardinal Joseph Beran of Prague, Czechoslovakia, presided at the formal dedication of the new library, which was named in his honor. During the academic year of 1968-1969, the theology department of St. Mary’s Seminary became the Graduate School of Theology of the University of St. Thomas, allowing graduate degrees to be awarded to the theology seminarians. This arrangement continues today.

In 1982 the Vincentian Fathers withdrew from St. Mary’s due to their personnel needs. Bishop John L. Morkovsky then appointed Msgr. Chester Borski as rector on May 20, 1982, and the administration and formation faculty became staffed by diocesan clergy. Under the direction of Bishops Joseph A. Fiorenza and Thomas Tschoepe, the Dioceses of Galveston-Houston and Dallas reached an important agreement on March 26, 1986: St. Mary’s and Holy Trinity Seminary in Dallas would partner so that St. Mary’s would be solely a graduate/theology seminary and Holy Trinity would be solely an undergraduate/philosophy seminary—both serving the dioceses of the surrounding region. The new arrangement was implemented in the fall of 1986.

St. Mary’s dedicated the Bishop Nold Education Center on November 7, 2001, allowing the seminary to serve as a location for classes, as well as diocesan meetings, workshops, and seminars for continuing theological education. Fr. Brendan J. Cahill (now Bishop Cahill of Victoria in Texas) was appointed rector to succeed Msgr. Borski, on June 1, 2001. He served as rector with great enthusiasm and dedication for nine years and began a master plan for the future growth of the Seminary. Cardinal DiNardo then appointed Fr. Trung Nguyen as rector to succeed him, effective June 15, 2010. After more than a decade of service to the Seminary, Fr. Trung was succeeded by Fr. Eurel Manzano, whom the Cardinal appointed to serve as Rector beginning July 1, 2020.

St. Mary’s Seminary is grateful to all its benefactors who have been so generous throughout its history, especially to the Archdiocesan Council of Catholic Women for their spiritual and financial support of the seminary through the Catholic Clerical Student Fund.