Finding aid for the St. Gregory Seminary

History of St. Gregory Seminary

St. Gregory Seminary was a minor seminary for the Archdiocese of Cincinnati and provided young men discerning priesthood with preparatory studies, equivalent to four years of high school and two years of junior college courses. For its first year in 1890, classes were held at Holy Trinity Church, downtown Cincinnati, led by Rev. J.C. Albrinck. 10 students were enrolled that year. The following year it moved to Mt. Washington, a suburb to the east of Cincinnati and opened on 8 September 1891. At the time the area was called Cedar Point, later Eleanora, and finally Mt. Washington. Attendance peaked in 1897 at 90 students. In 1904, the decision was made to move the seminary to West 7th Street, Cincinnati. This lasted until 1907 when declining enrollment forced the school to close. It became a boarding school, and Mt. Washington was used for the major seminary. From then until 1923 the Archdiocese had no minor seminary. When the new Mount St. Mary Seminary was opened in Norwood, St. Gregory Seminary reopened in its former location in Mt. Washington on 17 September 1923. In 1928 it became a unit of the newly incorporated Athenaeum of Ohio. A new building in the Lombard Romanesque style was erected and dedicated in September 1929. 260 students were enrolled in the minor seminary for the 1931-1932 school year and attendance peaked in the 1940s with over 300 students. A fire on 31 March 1956 destroyed the south wing of the older brink building which contained the chapel, the refectory, the college recreation rooms, and the living quarters of Msgr. Spence. What remained was eventually torn down. At the time the minor seminary was in the middle of a large expansion project. The fire accelerated this project and required the plans to be enlarged. Archbishop Karl Alter dedicated the new offices, classrooms, chapel, and refectory on 25 May 1963. 1979-1980 was the last academic year for St. Gregory Seminary. Preparatory students were transferred to the Josephinum in Columbus, Ohio.

Scope and Content

Records found in this collection pertain to the administration of the seminary, including financial matters and yearly reports, correspondence of the rectors with the archbishops, building projects, most notably the 1928-1929 construction, student publications, and some programs from student life activities. This record group does not include student files.

Statement of Arrangement

Restrictions on Access

This record group is open for access.

Researchers will also want to consult the records of the Archbishops of Cincinnati. These record groups will contain files relating to the administration of St. Gregory Seminary.

Indexing Terms

The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the library's online public access catalog.

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Preferred Citation

Item Description, date, box number, folder number, Record Group Number, Record Group Name, Archdiocese of Cincinnati Archives.

Detailed Description of The Collection