Divine Word College
Former name
St. Mary's Seminary
(1909-1932)
St. Paul's Mission House
(1932-1960)
TypePrivate seminary
Established1964 (1964)
FounderSociety of the Divine Word
AccreditationHigher Learning Commission[1]
Religious affiliation
Catholic Church (Divine Word Missionaries)
Academic affiliations
[2]
PresidentThomas Ascheman, SVD[3][4]
Location
Epworth
,
Iowa
,
United States

42°26′N 90°56′W / 42.44°N 90.93°W / 42.44; -90.93
Websitewww.dwci.edu

Divine Word College is a private undergraduate Roman Catholic seminary run by the Society of the Divine Word in Epworth, Iowa. It was founded by the Divine Word Missionaries in 1964. It educates students for missionary service in the Catholic Church as priests, brothers, sisters, and laypersons. It is owned and operated by the Society of the Divine Word (SVD). The college offers three baccalaureate degrees as well as English classes as a second language (ESL) to other Catholic religious missionaries and those aspiring to Catholic lay ministries.[5]

During their final semester of undergraduate studies at Divine Word College, young men who choose to continue with the SVD may apply for the Society's one-year novitiate program at the Chicago Province Headquarters in Techny, Illinois. These men may then apply to profess first vows as members of the Society near the end of the novitiate program and continue with seminary studies at the Chicago Theologate.

History

Founded in 1875 in Steyl, the Netherlands, the Roman Catholic order The Society of the Divine Word (SVD) sent the first Divine Word Missionary, Fr. Joseph Freinademetz, SVD, to China by 1879. In 1895, Brother Wendelin Meyer, SVD, went to America. By 1909, the Society had established the first seminary in the United States with the mission of training priest and brother candidates for service in foreign missions. The Society of the Divine Word originally established a Divine Word Seminary, a four-year liberal arts college, in 1912 at Techny, Illinois. In 1931, the Society purchased property in Epworth, Iowa, where it established St. Paul's Mission House, an SVD high school seminary. In 1964, Divine Word College replaced the high school seminary and has since served as the principal site of SVD undergraduate seminary education in the United States.[6][7]

Further reading

  • London, Michelle (5 September 2023). "Epworth's Divine Word College a big part of missionary order's milestone anniversary". TelegraphHerald.com. Retrieved 17 September 2023.
  • Sadowski, Dennis (21 October 2020). "Society of the Divine Word marks 125 years of ministry in North America". Angelus News - Multimedia Catholic News. Retrieved 17 September 2023.
  • Hogstrom, Erik (15 May 2022). "Site of Epworth college has offered education for most of past 165 years". BizTimes.biz – TRI-STATE NEWS. Retrieved 17 September 2023.

References

  1. ↑ "Statement of Accreditation Status as of September 17, 2023 Divine Word College, Epworth, IA". Higher Learning Commission. 17 September 2023. Retrieved 17 September 2023.
  2. ↑ "Frequently Asked Questions". Divine Word College. 2 August 2022. Retrieved 17 September 2023.
  3. ↑ "Divine Word College announces 9th president". KCRG ABC-9. 1 August 2017. Retrieved 17 September 2023.
  4. ↑ "Board of Trustees". Divine Word College. 2 May 2023. Retrieved 17 September 2023.
  5. ↑ "Divine Word College". Divine Word College. 7 January 2022. Retrieved 17 September 2023.
  6. ↑ "Our History". Divine Word College. 13 November 2019. Retrieved 17 September 2023.
  7. ↑ "Welcoming the World" (PDF). Divine Word College. 7 September 2014. Retrieved 17 September 2023.
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