Seminary Life

Discover what it’s like to discern God’s call with Holy Cross.

Seminary Life

Discerning in Community

What is it really like to answer God’s call? You may not know right away whether God is calling you to serve his people as a priest, as a religious brother, or as a husband and father. But if you can’t let go of the idea that you are called to a radical life of love and service, there’s no better place to explore your options than in a seminary.

Holy Cross men in formation come from many different walks of life. Some come directly from high school and some from college. Others have worked or pursued graduate study before entering. They hail from all over the country and have many different hobbies and interests. What they all have in common, though, is a commitment to discern whether God is calling them to serve his Church as a priest or brother in the Congregation of Holy Cross.

Seminarians and brother scholastics live together, study together, work together and pray together. A regular schedule of common prayer, common meals, academic courses, ministry, and formation helps them to grow as Christian men and discern God’s will for their lives.

No one enters a seminary completely certain about his vocation. For a man seriously considering priesthood or religious life, a seminary is the best place to discern a vocation. By living the life of a seminarian or brother scholastic, a man grows in holiness and comes to understand whether this is God’s will for his life.

A college-age man may begin formation in Holy Cross in the undergraduate seminary known as “Old College.” A college graduate would begin formation at Moreau Seminary as a postulant. To help you learn more about seminary life, we have included virtual tours of our seminaries and posted profiles of our men in formation and seminary staff so that you can meet them and better discern if you are called to discern with us.

“The journey begins before our profession and ends only at our resurrection. We would be created anew to the point when we can say, ‘It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me.’”

Constitutions of the Congregation of Holy Cross, 6:59

Formation Process

How does Seminary work?

With Holy Cross, your journey begins either with the Old College Undergraduate Seminary or with the Postulant Program at Moreau Seminary.

Explore Holy Cross Formation

Basilica of the Sacred Heart

“On my very first visit to Old College, I sensed the presence of a community life that I had not experienced at a previous visit to a different seminary. It was totally unexpected. I learned quickly that I could be myself in Holy Cross. This community would receive me for who I was and help me grow into the person I was called to be. Holy cross is truly a family.”

Br. Jimmy Henke, C.S.C., on his profession of perpetual vows in 2022

Meet the Men in Formation

What is the Holy Cross Community Like?

Our men in formation all share a love of the Church and a deep desire to serve the Lord, but they are also unique individuals. They come from all over the country and bring a wide range of interests, experiences, gifts and talents to Holy Cross. Meet our men in formation from our first year collegians to the temporarily professed seminarians and brother scholastics preparing for ordination.

Meet our Men

Want to Learn More?

Contact a Vocations Director

We’ll walk with you through the process of discernment and, if you sense God’s call to join our great band of men, guide you through the application process to Old College or Moreau Seminary.

Contact Vocations

Caravaggio, The Calling of Saint Matthew

Seminary Programs

Where Should I Start?

Depending on your age and education status, you’ll enter one of our two seminary programs, both located on the beautiful, historic campus of the University of Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana.

Old College Undergraduate Seminary

Old College Undergraduate Seminary

The Old College Undergraduate Seminary is a formation program for college-age men. Men enter as freshmen or transfer in as upperclassmen and are given the opportunity to consider more deeply their vocation while also working to obtain an undergraduate degree of their choosing from the University of Notre Dame or neighboring Holy Cross College.

Moreau Seminary Chapel - Stained Glass Window

Moreau Seminary Postulant Program

The postulant year is a formation program for men ages 22-35 who have a bachelor’s degree. In this year they enter into a rhythm of prayer, religious formation, and study that gives them the opportunity to discern more intentionally whether Christ is calling them to the life of a Holy Cross priest or brother.

“The first step in good discernment is prayer … God is the one calling, so to hear that call, one has to draw close to the Lord. Oftentimes we hear the call not audibly but through our heart. Prayer is tuning our heart to the right frequency so we can catch the call when it comes …. Ask for the desire to know God’s will.”

Fr. Jim Gallagher, C.S.C., Rector of Moreau Seminary

Meet the Seminary Staff

Who will form me?

Our seminary programs in Holy Cross are staffed by Holy Cross religious dedicated to helping men mature and develop in all areas of their discernment and formation for religious life and priesthood in the Church.

Meet our Formators