St. John's Provincial Seminary

St John's Provincial Seminary

St. John's Provincial Seminary was a Catholic major seminary in the Archdiocese of Detroit that operated between 1949 and 1988 in Plymouth, Michigan.

Catholic Seminary

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St. John's was founded in 1949 for the Province of the Archdiocese of Detroit.[1] The Sulpicians administered and staffed the seminary until their withdrawal in 1971. The first rector was Fr. Lyman A. Fenn.[2] Its chapel — with around fifty colored stained glass windows designed, crafted and installed by Detroit Stained Glass Works — was dedicated on May 12, 1955.[3][4] In the 1980s, several priests alleged that many of the students engaged in homosexual promiscuity, including some who later were charged with the sexual abuse of minors.[5][6] The seminary continued to serve the Catholic Archdiocese of Detroit until June 7, 1988, when it closed.[4]

Later developments

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The property remained dormant until 1994 when Cardinal Adam Maida pushed for reviving the property as a resource for diocesan youth and families.[7] In 1996, St. John's Center for Youth & Family was opened on the South side of the property.[8] In 1998, the property began to be redeveloped into a comprehensive center for corporate and social conferences, Catholic weddings and celebrations. After the restoration process ended, a Grand Opening of St. John's Golf & Conference Center was celebrated in October 2000. In January 2006, a new hotel called The Inn at St. John's, opened its doors.

References

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  1. ^ "What is the background of St. John's?". Archdiocese of Detroit. Retrieved 2021-04-03.
  2. ^ "Fenn, Father Lyman Alphonse | The Sulpicians, Province of the United States". sulpicians.org. Retrieved 2021-04-03.
  3. ^ "St. John Chapel - The Inn at St. John's - Plymouth Churches". www.theinnatstjohns.com. Retrieved 2021-04-03.
  4. ^ a b Bellaimey, Therese; Bellaimey, Mary Ellen Irving (1988). The Windows of St. John's Seminary, Plymouth, Michigan. Detroit: DSG Press. p. 28.
  5. ^ "News Features". www.catholicculture.org. Retrieved 2022-06-27.
  6. ^ "Archbishop, Ex-Michigan Seminary Dean, Dates Church Woes to '60s". www.bishop-accountability.org. Retrieved 2022-06-27.
  7. ^ "A Seminary Reborn: Cardinal Maida's Vision of Renewal". Crisis Magazine. 2000-09-01. Retrieved 2021-04-03.
  8. ^ "What happened after the St. John's seminary was closed?". Archdiocese of Detroit. Retrieved 2021-04-03.
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42°23′41″N 83°28′35″W / 42.3947°N 83.4765°W / 42.3947; -83.4765