Saint Vincent Seminary was founded by Father Boniface Wimmer in 1846. He came from Saint Michael’s Abbey in Metten, Bavaria, to establish the first Benedictine monastery in North America. Boniface Wimmer valued education, and was especially concerned to provide education for future priests.

The Seminary was officially established on August 24, 1855 through an Apostolic Brief of Pope Pius IX. Civil degrees are conferred by virtue of a charter granted by an act of the Pennsylvania State Legislature on April 18, 1870.

From 1870 until today, over 300 students have earned the Master of Arts degree. Between 1914 and 1931, the Holy See authorized Saint Vincent to award ecclesiastical degrees. In 1966, the Seminary initiated the divinity degree program and since that time has granted over 400 Master of Divinity degrees. Saint Vincent offered the Master of Religious Education degree beginning in the summer of 1992, but accepted the final students into that program in 1999. On November 24, 1999, the Congregation for Catholic Education granted Saint Vincent Seminary the privilege of awarding the Bachelor of Sacred Theology degree in affiliation with the ecclesiastical faculty of the Dominican House of Studies in Washington, D.C., according to the provisions of Sapientia Christiana.

More than 2,400 diocesan and religious students have been ordained priests following the completion of their studies at Saint Vincent. Nearly 100 have been ordained permanent deacons following training at Saint Vincent.

Since Vatican Council II, laity, clergy, and religious have come to the Seminary for graduate study and spiritual formation. Saint Vincent welcomes this development and seeks to be a generous steward of its resources.