Mission, Direction, and Focus

Pontifical College Josephinum Mission

The Pontifical College Josephinum is a Roman Catholic seminary whose mission is to prepare men for the ordained priesthood through the human, spiritual, intellectual, and pastoral formation. The seminary consists of two academic divisions: The College of Liberal Arts and The School of Theology, which includes a Pre-Theology Program.

The Josephinum is a pontifical institution immediately subject to the Holy See, through the Apostolic Nuncio, and governed by the Board of Trustees. Its programs follow the norms established by the Code of Canon Law, the Congregation for Catholic Education, and the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.

Continuing the vision of its founder, Msgr. Joseph Jessing, the Josephinum seeks to prepare priests for the new evangelization and to serve the pastoral needs of the Church. In fidelity to this vision, the Josephinum provides resources to prepare candidates for the priesthood, enabling them to respond to the particular needs of their local communities. The Josephinum shares its resources with the wider Church by promoting vocations and by offering continuing education to clergy and laity.       

Approved by the Board of Trustees, October 25, 2005, and reaffirmed every year since.

Focus of the Josephinum Diaconate Institute 

Emerging from this mission statement, our curriculum is designed to serve a wide range of academic, pastoral, and administrative needs of the American and the worldwide diaconate communities.  

The additional knowledge and skills gained from this knowledge will be of immediate benefit to the diaconate in your diocese, the faithful, and the Church.

Program Direction 

The Diaconate Institute provides programs for the formation of deacon aspirants, candidates, and continuing education for the diaconate community and lay ministers serving the Church. All of our courses have been developed under the direction of the seminary’s President/Rector, and the Executive Director of the Josephinum Diaconate Institute, the Academic Dean and the Academic Committee of the Josephinum Diaconate Institute

All courses have been developed in support of the National Directory for the Formation, Ministry and Life of Permanent Deacons in the United States.