Mission Statement

University Mission Statement
Mount St. Mary’s is a Catholic institution of higher education dedicated to liberal learning in the pursuit of truth. Mount St. Mary’s, mindful of its role in the Church’s mission to the world and respectful of the religious liberty of all, affirms the values and beliefs central to the Catholic vision of the person and society, and seeks to deepen understanding of our faith and its practice in just and compassionate engagement with the world.

In order to enable individuals to understand and to challenge or embrace the cultural forces operating on them, Mount St. Mary’s, in all its curricular and co-curricular programs, encourages each student to undertake free and rigorous inquiry leading to a reflective and creative understanding of the traditions which shape the communities in which we live.

Mount St. Mary’s strives to graduate men and women who cultivate a mature spiritual life, who live by high intellectual and moral standards, who respect the dignity of other persons, who see and seek to resolve the problems facing humanity, and who commit themselves to live as responsible citizens.

Seminary Mission Statement
The mission of Mount St. Mary's Seminary is the formation of men for the Roman Catholic diocesan priesthood in the service of the Kingdom of God. Mount St. Mary’s Seminary aims to establish a foundation within the seminarians for a lifetime of priestly ministry within the Church. This foundation is an intimate relationship with God the Father in Jesus Christ His Son through the Holy Spirit, a relationship nourished by Scripture and Tradition, celebrated in the sacraments, especially the Eucharist, and marked by a sincere devotion to Mary, the Mother of God and Mother of the Church.

Through the inter-related components of priestly formation -- human, spiritual, intellectual, pastoral -- the Seminary strives to train men, called as priests to be living images of Jesus Christ, to become more like Christ the Good Shepherd, men of deep humility and genuine pastoral charity. The Seminary prepares the seminarians to share in a special way in the three-fold office of Christ: teaching the Gospel, celebrating the divine mysteries, and shepherding God’s people. In its deep communion with the whole Church and its fidelity to Church teaching, the Seminary prepares its future priests to be men of ecclesial communion, united by special bonds with the Pope, the College of Bishops, their own Bishops, other priests, consecrated religious and the lay faithful.

A distinctive characteristic of Mount St. Mary’s Seminary is that, as a graduate school of theology, it shares one campus with Mount St. Mary’s University. On a deeper level, the two parts of the institution share the common ground of having been born from the heart of the Church. They are thus able to seek together in faith a more profound understanding of the Christian mystery. Not only does this relationship with the University provide the resources and support for academic, cultural and physical development, but it also provides seminarians with opportunities for learning pastoral skills for their future ministry, especially in the parish.