On Sept. 8, the University of St. Thomas marks an important milestone: the 140th anniversary of its founding as the St. Thomas Aquinas Seminary.
It was on Sept. 8, 1885, when St. Thomas Seminary opened its doors to students. The first to enroll was John Volz, a 16-year-old from Faribault. By the end of the day, 24 young men from across the Twin Cities and greater Minnesota had registered with a variety of backgrounds including American, French, Irish, Bohemian, and Polish. Tuition and board were set at $100 a year, in keeping with Bishop (later Archbishop) John Ireland's commitment to affordability.
The school’s roots go back to December 1884, when Ireland announced plans to open a new seminary the following fall. His predecessors, Bishops Joseph Cretin and Thomas Grace, had long envisioned such an institution to provide local training for future priests, believing it would encourage more vocations. It was Ireland, however, who brought that vision to life.
Guided by his own educational experience, Ireland envisioned St. Thomas as more than a training ground for clergy. Preparing priests for a growing diocese was a priority, since few native-born priests served in Minnesota at the time. But Ireland also believed Catholics had vital contributions to make in business, the professions and civic life. St. Thomas, he argued, was essential to preparing young men for leadership in both church and society.
As opening day approached, preparations were intense. Ireland turned to his close friend, Father Thomas O’Gorman, appointing him the first rector. The two had studied together years earlier in Meximieux, France, after being selected by Cretin for seminary training abroad.
With a faculty of just five, O’Gorman organized a program with three distinct paths:
- Theological course for men preparing for the priesthood.
- Classical (or Collegiate) track, emphasizing Greek and Latin, designed to prepare students for the seminary, or for professional studies in law and medicine or “qualified for any social position he may covet.”
- Preparatory course for younger students not yet ready for collegiate work.
During the summer of 1885, workers readied the former Catholic Industrial School building (on the site of what is now the upper quad) for students. Perched on a ridge between St. Paul and Minneapolis, the Administration Building offered sweeping views of oak groves and farmland.
The early days of St. Thomas were modest. “Classes opened September 9th in the afternoon with a short class,” O’Gorman recorded in his diary. “There being no books, no desks, very little was possible.” Even so, growth of the school was swift. By November, enrollment had increased to 70 students, prompting O’Gorman to appeal to Ireland for more space. Student life also began to take shape, with the founding of the Ireland Literary and Debating Society and the school’s first baseball club.
What began in 1885 with just 24 seminarians has grown into a thriving, coeducational university of about 9,500 students 140 years later. This fall, St. Thomas welcomed its largest first-year class ever, with students representing more than 60 countries, 30 states, as well as Guam and Puerto Rico.
As these new Tommies prepared for the March through the Arches processional, President Rob Vischer reminded them, “when you pass through these arches … you will become part of an academic community that Archbishop John Ireland began in 1885.”
