Today we have something special,  for it has been more than century since our seminary was established here in Maribor.

(A seminary, theological college, or divinity school is an institution of higher education for educating students (sometimes called seminarians) in theology, generally to prepare them for ordination as clergy or for other ministry. The English word is taken from the Latin seminarium, translated as seed-bed, an image taken from the Council of Trent document Cum adolescentium aetas which called for the first modern seminaries. As such, in the West the term usually refers to Roman Catholic educational institutes.)

It all began in 1859 when the seat of the Lavant diocese was moved from Sankt Andrä (Austria) into Maribor(Slovenia) by Anton Martin Slomšek (1800 – 1862).

Lavant (in Latin: Lavantina) was a prince-bishopric, suffragan of the Prince-archbishop of Salzburg, then in the southern part of imperial Austria's Styria. Later the area was re-assigned to presentday Slovenia. It became the Slovenian bishopric of Maribor, a suffragan of the Archbishop of Ljubljana on March 5, 1962.
On April 7, 2006 Pope Benedict XVI. elevated the diocese to an archdiocese with the new suffragan dioceses of Celje and Murska Sobota.

    Diocese of Lavant

        Latin Name: Lavantinus
        Erected: 10 May 1228
        Immediately Subject to the Holy See
        Country: Slovenia

    Diocese of Maribor

        Latin Name: Mariborensis
        Name Changed: 5 March 1962
        Metropolitan: Archdiocese of Ljubljana
        Country: Slovenia

By the time Slomšek moved the diocese, there was also the need for the education of seminarists, and so they choose the former Jesuit college as
the perfect place for the new Catholic educational institute.
On October 10 the first seminarist arrived to attend a 4 day spiritual exercise which ended with a mass that was lead by Slomšek.
On October 14,  1859 the seminary was officialy declared open. During the opening speach Slomšek described his hopes and expectations.
He spoke obout discipline, spiritual growth and the desire to learn.

And that's how it all began.
In 1940 it was formally given the status of a high school and was an important milestone in the development of theological thought in Maribor. Those were the first steps towards the establishment of the University of Maribor, although for a short time after the War, everything was moved to Ljubljna because there just weren't enough students.

In the year 1968 the number of candidates started to rise again and they finaly got back to Maribor.

In 1996, Slomšek was described as a "Venerable Servant of God" by Pope John Paul II. On 19 September 1999, John Paul II announced Slomšek's beatification in Maribor, instead of Rome, as is the usual custom.


Formaly we still belong to Ljublana, and it seems like we will have to return there _{(Not that we want to...)}
There's just to few of us. _{Currently 13 wiht a strong esprit de corps. Less than 10 and we can start packing...}

But still, we hope for the best. And pray for those who will hear the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?"

and reply: "Here am I. Send me!"


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Maribor [link]
Slomšek [link]

_{There are also some pictures of our chapel in my gallery and more pictures here  [link]}
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