Dedicated to priestly formation

Saint Francis de Sales Seminary prepares men of all ages and backgrounds—college students, college graduates and working professionals, from the U.S. and around the globe—for a lifetime of ministry as Catholic priests.

Led by Archbishop Timothy Dolan and Rector Don Hying, the seminary is committed, with renewed vigor, to high-quality priestly formation. Our focus is

Pastoral, weaving all aspects of formation into practical applications that prepare priests for service and leadership

Individual, with one-on-one direction, mentoring and dialogue

Local, forming seminarians within the communities where they will serve

Intellectual formation is carried out in collaboration with Sacred Heart School of Theology, through the Master of Divinity degree program. The seminary provides human, spiritual and pastoral preparation in accord with our longtime motto, "You are the salt of the earth" (Matthew 5:13a).

Building on solid tradition

Bishop John Martin Henni established the seminary in his Milwaukee residence in 1845. The Archdiocese of Milwaukee was only two years old and urgently needed priests to serve German Catholic immigrants.

Ten years later, the seminary moved just south of Milwaukee, to a site that included land from the Lake Drive Franciscan Sisters. The new building was dedicated January 29, 1856, the feast day of St. Francis de Sales.

The original seminary building, named Henni Hall in 1956, was renovated in 1989 and remains the center of seminary life.

In the 1970s, the seminary offered graduate degree programs for lay candidates. In the 1980s, programs were added for the diaconate and for lay ministers.

Saint Francis de Sales Seminary began its academic collaboration with Sacred Heart School of Theology in 2006. Today the seminary again focuses solely on priestly formation.