Vilkaviskis Theological Seminary named after Blessed Jurgis Matulaytis ( lit. Vilkaviškio Palaimintojo Jurgio Matulaičio kunigų seminarija ) is a Catholic seminary in Lithuania that trains priests for the diocese of Vilkaviskis . It is called by the name of the diocese, although in fact the seminary is located not in Vilkaviskis , but in Marijampolė .
| Vilkaviskis Seminary | |
|---|---|
| original name | Vilkaviškio kunigų seminarija |
| Year of foundation | May 18, 1997 |
| Denomination | Catholicism |
| Church | Roman catholic church |
| Rector | Kestutis Zemaitis |
| Location | Marijampole |
| Site | vilkaviskis.lcn.lt/sviet… |
Content
History
Modern Vilkaviskis Seminary dates back to the seminary founded in 1826 in the Polish city of Sejny (lit. - Seinay). Despite their presence in Poland, Lithuanian seminarians constituted the majority in it, and since 1904 teaching has been conducted in Lithuanian [1] .
For political reasons, at the beginning of the 1920s, the seminary moved to Grizhai , on the territory of modern Lithuania. In 1926, the diocese of Vilkaviskis was founded, in 1930 the seminary moved to Vilkaviskis and began to prepare priests for the needs of the new diocese.
In 1940, the seminary was closed by the Soviet authorities. Since 1941, after the German army captured the Baltic, the seminary functioned, but in 1944, due to difficult conditions, it was decided to close the seminary again and transfer students to the Kaunas seminary [1] . After the war, only one Catholic seminary, Kaunas , operated in Lithuania, and then, in extremely limited conditions, the number of seminarians was limited, and the number of ordinations of new priests did not exceed five people per year.
Current State
Vilkaviskis Seminary was restored on May 18, 1997 [1] . The restored seminary was named after the blessed Lithuanian Jurgis Matulaitis and was located in Marijampolė . On March 24, 1999, the seminary received the status of the department of theological faculty of Kaunas University of Vitovt the Great . Graduates of the seminary receive a bachelor of theology degree which allows them to continue their studies further.