Holy Heart Seminary

Training priests, serving communities

In 1895, the dioceses of Charlottetown, Saint John, Antigonish, and Chatham were suffragan dioceses of the Archdiocese of Halifax. None had a major seminary, however, so their future priests had to train in Québec City, Montréal, or Ottawa.

During a canonical visit to Canada in the spring of 1893, Eudist Superior General Father Ange Le Doré reached an agreement with Archbishop Cornelius O’Brien of Halifax, who wished to establish a seminary in his diocese. The Eudists would build a seminary at their own expense on land transferred by the diocesan corporation for about 30,000 francs. It would train both Eudist candidates driven from France by the political situation and future members of the diocesan clergy.

The institution opened in September 1895, and the Eudists directed it until June 1970, when the seminary closed and the Atlantic School of Theology took its place. From 1908 onward, the seminary no longer accepted Eudist candidates; its staff focused on the theological and pastoral formation of clergy in the Atlantic provinces.

Seminary life in pictures

20 archival photographs: buildings, people, and community life.

Eudist Archives slide shows

Charlesbourg Archives Service

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