In 1942, the Diocese of Providence began its priestly seminary training program at Our Lady of Providence Seminary in Warwick RI, overlooking Narragansett Bay.  For over 40 years, this facility trained many priests for service for the Church.  In 1982 a seminary review committee was formed to discuss the changes necessary in order to continue priestly formation in the Diocese of Providence.  The commission decided after a yearlong study to relocate the college seminary program from Warwick to St Vincent House in Providence.

The new house of priestly formation took over the former St. Vincent Center, a comparatively recently built orphanage and childcare facility staffed by resident Sisters of Divine Providence.  With the departure of the Sisters from that ministry, approximately one-third of the building was retained as a day-care center for pre-school children.  The remainder of the facility, the former convent of the Sisters (chapel, dining and common rooms, individual bedrooms) was given to seminary use.  In 2005, St. Vincent Day closed and the seminary was able to use the remainder of the building for seminary use.

Today the Seminary of Our Lady of Providence is a house of formation staffed by three priests and has 15 seminarians.  The seminary serves candidates from the Diocese of Providence and other qualified candidates who are sponsored by other dioceses.  The academic formation is fulfilled at Providence College; a Dominican college staffed by the Province of St. Joseph.   The college seminarian ordinarily is a student at Providence College majoring in Philosophy.  With permission from the Rector, a seminarian may begin his studies at Rhode Island College, a secular college nearby, but he is expected to eventually transfer to Providence College in an appropriate time.

The College and Pre-Theology Formation Program of the Seminary of Our Lady of Providence is a spiritual, academic and pastoral formation process designed to prepare college students and college graduates for admission to a major seminary in preparation for priestly ministry.

The program fosters the candidate’s Christian development and seeks to enhance his Catholic identity as he journeys to the priesthood.  Its focus is primarily propaedeutic, i.e., preparatory and introductory.  As such, it aims to help candidates to reach the stage of readiness – personally, spiritually, academically and pastorally – to enter into priestly formation at the theologate level (cf PPF #216).

Fr. Albert A. Kenney, S.T.L. - Rector - bio
Fr. David F. Gaffney, M.Div - Director of Spiritual Formation - bio
Fr. Michael J. Najim, M.Div. - Director of Apostolic Formation - bio
Michael Hansen, Ph.D. - Non-Resident Staff Psychologist - bio

Rev. Msgr. Robert Evans, J.C.L – Formation Advisor
Fr. John Lolio, M. Div. - Latin teacher/Pastor

Fr. James Ruggieri - Spiritual Director/Pastor
Fr. Kevin Fisette - Spiritual Director/Pastor
Fr. Ronald Simeone - Spiritual Director/Pastor
Fr. Robert Hawkins - Spiritual Director/Pastor
Fr. Chris Mahar - Spiritual Director/Assistant Pastor

Henri St. Louis - Director of Music/Organist
Paula M. Mollo - Secretary
Jose C. Pimentel - Maintenance Supervisor