Philippines
San Carlos Seminary
San Carlos Seminary
Philippines
Philippines
Philippines
The Royal and Conciliar San Carlos Seminary is the archdiocesan seminary of the Archdiocese of Manila. It was established in the year 1702, by decree of King Philip V of Spain. At present, the institution houses seminarians belonging to various dioceses in Luzon, particularly from the Metro Manila region.
San Carlos Seminary was the first diocesan seminary established in the Philippines. In 1562, the Council of Trent decreed that every bishop must establish a center of clerical education and training for his diocese.
In 1581, Domingo de Salazar, OP, the first Bishop of Manila, decreed the establishment of a seminary to prepare native men for the priesthood and ecclesiastical dignities. Despite several attempts, his dream crystallized 125 years later as both Church and State did what the poverty of the colony and other adverse circumstances would afford. Several colleges where ecclesiastical and religious native vocations might be fostered were founded in the early 17th century: the Jesuits' Colegio de San José (1601), Colegio de Santo Tomás (1611) of the Dominicans, Colegio de San Juan de Letrán and Colegio de San Pedro y San Pablo (1632). Although these various schools trained future priests, a unified diocesan seminary was lacking.
In 1592, King Philip II of Spain enjoined that the pertinent decree of Trent be implemented in the Indies. He ordered all archbishops and bishops of the Indies to found and support seminaries decreed by the Council of Trent for the formation of native clergy.
Since the Philippines was then under the Patronato Real system, on April 28, 1702, King Philip V of Spain ordered the establishment of a seminary in Manila for eight seminarians. However, this plan was modified by Giovanni Battista Sidoti, an Italian priest accompanying Archbishop Charles Thomas Maillard de Tournon, papal legate to Peking, on the way to China. He worked for the erection in Manila of an Asian regional seminary for seventy-two seminarians of the Far East, with the approval of Archbishop Diego Camacho y Ávila. The seminary was named Real Colegio Seminario de San Clemente in honour of Pope Clement XI. Having learned of the development, the King ordered the closure and demolition of the seminary building, the execution of his original plan, and the transfer of Archbishop Camacho to Mexico.
From 1702 to 1730, seminarians took their courses of philosophy and theology at the Colegio de San José and Colegio de Santo Tomás. The number of seminarians increased several times.
On December 8, 1707, Archbishop Francisco de la Cuesta, Camacho's successor, opened the seminary. In 1715, he renamed the institution to Real Seminario de San Felipe after the King's patron saint. It was located in front of the Archbishop's Palace in Intramuros.
In 1728, Archbishop Carlos Bermúdez de Castro had a dispute with the Governor-General over his right to nominate professors at San Felipe. He argued that the seminary was an ecclesiastical institution to be administered by the archbishop in conformity with the decrees of the Council of Trent and the laws of the Indies. His successor, Archbishop Juan Ángel Rodríguez, continued de Castro's fight over the archbishop's right to guide the seminary. However, civil authorities rebuffed them under the pretext of the Patronato Real.
There are eleven priests of the Archdiocese of Manila that cater to the formation program of seminarians starting the School Year 2024-2025.
Being the only diocesan-run seminary in Metro Manila with a dual status of house of formation and house of studies (offering civil degrees in theology and philosophy, recognized and accredited by the Commission on Higher Education as with other colleges and universities), San Carlos Seminary provides updated holistic priestly formation for the dioceses of Metro Manila, as well as in other parts of the country and abroad, for as long as seminarians are recommended by their respective local ordinary.
A young man is accepted after rigorous screening. A high school diploma and baptismal certificate are the minimum requirements, yet standards of intelligence and psychological maturity must also be met. The priestly formation is holistic. The seminary organizes its programs of formation under five main aspects coined as CHIPS: Community, Human, Intellectual, Pastoral, and Spiritual Formation.
The seminary formation comprises three stages: Pre-College, Philosophy, and Theology.
Fresh high school graduates, college undergraduates and graduates, who are no more than 22 years of age, undergo this one-year period of rigid seminary orientation. They learn the rubrics of prayer life, community living, study habits, and personal growth. This stage was used to be called the Juniorate Department because from 1990 to 2005, it housed both the Formation Year seminarians and the First Year Philosophy seminarians. With the adoption of the K-12 curriculum, a senior high school wing was added.
Seminarians admitted to the First Year are only those coming from the Formation Year Department (or pre-college from other seminaries) and graduates of the minor seminary. During the four years of this stage, the seminarian is equipped with academic knowledge for critical thinking and understanding of matters of faith and morality, a profound sense of spirituality and community living, and grounding in pastoral activities.
The Philosophy curriculum is compliant with the provisions of the Commission on Higher Education of the Department of Education. Seminarians who complete the academic requirements are granted the Bachelor of Arts (A.B.) Degree in Philosophy, Major in Classical Philosophy.
The role of the Director can be equated with the term Prefect or Dean of Seminarians.
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