News/Events

February 2, 2007 - Cardinal O'Malley Appoints New Rector At St. John's Seminary

Brighton, MA - Cardinal Seán P. O'Malley announced today the appointment of Rev. Arthur L. Kennedy, Ph.D., as Rector of Saint John’s Seminary, effective July 1, 2007.  As the nineteenth Rector in the history of St. John’s Seminary, Fr. Kennedy will be succeeding Rev. John A. Farren, O.P., who concludes his term as Rector on June 30, 2007.  At that time Fr. Farren will begin a new assignment as Director of Development for the Dominican Province of St. Joseph, based in New York

Cardinal Seán offered his appreciation for Fr. Farren’s tenure and his enthusiasm for Fr. Kennedy beginning this new assignment.  “During the past three years Fr. Farren has guided the seminary in focusing on the importance of a life centered in prayer and the sacraments, so as to foster growth in holiness.  His leadership and dedication to the mission of the Church have greatly benefited the Church in our Archdiocese and beyond.”

The Cardinal continued, “Fr. Kennedy brings a wealth of academic and administrative achievements, many years of experience in guiding seminarians, and a true love of the priesthood to this important work.  The Church will be well served by his leadership in overseeing the formation of priests who will serve in the Archdiocese of Boston and the many other dioceses whose candidates for priesthood attend St. John’s Seminary.”

Fr. Farren said, "Fr. Kennedy brings recognized accomplishment with him. His years of distinguished teaching in seminaries, administration, his professional contacts on a national, even an international level - all of these qualify him as a man of broad vision and deep communion with the Catholic Church. I am greatly encouraged by his appointment as Rector."

Rev. Kennedy background
Fr. Kennedy was ordained for the Archdiocese of Boston in 1966.  Following eight years of service at parishes in Methuen and East Boston, in 1974 Cardinal Medeiros granted him permission him to accept a position as a member of the theology faculty at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minnesota.  When the university later established a Catholic Studies program, Fr. Kennedy was named a faculty member in that department, and was also Director of Master of Arts in theology program at St. Paul Seminary.  In recent years he has served as chair of the Theology Department at St. Thomas and Executive Director of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops Secretariat for Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs.

St. John’s Seminary
History
Established by Archbishop John J. Williams in 1883 as the Boston Ecclesiastical Seminary, the school was chartered by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts to grant degrees in philosophy and divinity, with the first class being admitted in the fall of 1884.  More than 3000 priests have received their formation and education at St. John’s Seminar and have served the Church in the Archdiocese of Boston and in more than fifty dioceses around the world, as well as in the Holy See and in the military. 

Master of Arts in Ministry Program
In 2000, St. John's Seminary began offering  the Master of Arts in Ministry Program for laity seeking to serve the Church or to deepen their knowledge and understanding of the faith.  Almost 60 students have received their degrees in the first six years of the program and are now working as pastoral associates, religious educators, campus ministers, youth ministers, and hospital chaplains.

Fully Accredited
St. John’s Seminary is a fully accredited member of the regional accrediting agency, the New England Association of Schools and Colleges, and of the national professional accrediting agency, the Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada.

The Archdiocese of Boston
The Archdiocese of Boston was founded on April 8, 1808 and was elevated to Archbishopric in 1875.  Serving the needs of approximately 2 million Catholics, the Archdiocese of Boston is an ethnically diverse and spiritually enriching faith community consisting of 296 parishes, across 144 communities, serving the needs of more than one million patients in its hospitals and 200,000 families through its social service outreach.  Mass is celebrated in more than 23 languages each week.

Facts

·       St. John’s Seminary opened on September 22, 1884

·       First class: 32 seminarians (1884)

·       Current enrollment:  42 seminarians preparing for the priesthood

·       Dioceses currently represented at St. John’s Seminary: Boston; Manchester, NH; Portland, ME; Burlington, VT; Fall River, MA; Springfield, MA

·       Countries represented by seminarians enrolled in St. John’s Seminary: 14

Previous Rector’s

1.      Rev. John B. Hogan, S.S. (1884-1889/1894-1901)

2.      Rev. Charles B. Rex, S.S. (1889-1894)

3.      Rev. Daniel E. Maher, S.S. (1901-1906)

4.      Rev. Francis P. Havey, S.S. (1906-1911)

5.      Rt. Rev. John B. Peterson (1911-1926)

6.      Rev. Charles A. Finn (1926-1933)

7.      Rt. Rev. Joseph C. Walsh (1933-1938)

8.      Rt. Rev. Edward G. Murray (1938-1951)

9.      Rt. Rev. Thomas J. Riley (1951-1958)

10.     Rt. Rev. Matthew P. Stapleton (1958-1965)

11.     Rt. Rev. Lawrence J. Riley (1965-1966)

12.     Rev. Msgr. John A. Broderick (1966-1971)

13.     Rev. Robert J. Banks (1971-1981)

14.     Most. Rev. Alfred C. Hughes (1981-1986)

15.     Rev. Thomas J. Daly (1986-1991)

16.     Rev. Msgr. Timothy J. Moran (1991-1998)

17.     Most. Rev. Richard G. Lennon (1999-2002)

18.     Rev. John A. Farren, O.P. (2003-2007)

Copyright © 2004-2006 Archdiocese of Boston; all rights reserved