Christ the King Seminary in East Aurora, NY

1974-2020

St. John Vianney Seminary was established following the move of the Seminary of Our Lady of the Angels (formerly part of Niagara University) to Albany, New York in 1957. On August 1st 1959, Bishop Burke of the Diocese of Buffalo announced the need for a new seminary. Rev. John Lambert Rowan, O.F.M., would become St. John Vianney's first Rector in May 1960. He had peviously been Rector of Christ the King Seminary from 1949-1952.

The origin of the name came from Pope Pius XI's canonization of St. John Vianney on May 31, 1925. Aquiring land and funds for the construction of the seminary proposed a challenge. That was until Fredrick H. Reuter and his wife Ethel Reuter offered three deeds of land in East Aurora in November 1959 and June 1960 to be used for the construction of the seminary. Construction began on September 8, 1960, headed by architect Brother Cajetan Baumann, O.F.M., of the Holy Name Province, who had also built Christ the King Seminary in Allegany, New York. The seminary would run a fund drive and, thanks to the immense gratitude of the community, raised enough funds to complete the project. The first batch of students were welcomed in September of 1961.

Following the closure of other seminaries in the Diocese of Buffalo, concerns arose over the lack of master's programs avalible for theology. In May 1974, St. John Vianney Seminary proposed a combination with Christ the King Seminary. On August 11th, the Christ the King accepted the proposal and on September 27, 1974, the Charter Addendumm entitled "Relocation to East, Aurora, New York," was approved. Christ the King Seminary moved to St. John Vianney Seminary's campus with the name Christ the King being retained for the combined unit.

Christ The King Seminary received a 99 year lease from the Diosese of Buffalo for the property in East Aurora, meant to last from 1974-2073. The Seminary offered classes for a variety of students, both lay and religious, starting in the fall of 1974 with a class of 133 full-time students. In 1977, the Seminary was accredited by the Association of Theological Schools, that oversees theology graduate programs in the U.S. and Canada.

The Membership Corporation governed Christ The King from 1974-1990 and a Board of Trustees was created in May 1981. In June 1990, the Diocese of Buffalo assumed corporate sponsorship of the Seminary. Three years later, the Diocese of Buffalo took ownership and mangement of general endowment, scholarhip funds, and claim to the library. Additionally, that year, the Board of Trustees became the main governing body of the Semianary, chaired by the Bishop of Buffalo.

Four graduate programs were offered come the turn of the century: A 100 credit Master of Divinity program for seminarians in the Program of Priestly Formation, a 90 credit Master of Divinity degree, a Master of Arts in Pastoral Ministry, and a Master of Arts in Theology. Some non-degree programs were also offered..

Despite the Seminary's best efforts, changing religious demographics led to a decline in enrollment following the turn of the century. In March 2020, the Diocese of Buffalo announced that Christ The King Seminary would be closing at the end of the academic year. Not only had the Seminary been running a deficit for the past decade, but sexual assult alligations began to surface concerning a number of the Seminary's staff and allumni.

The East Aurora campus was listed for sale in November 2023, and an auction was held on October 28, 2024. The sale was finalized in February 2025. The buyer was the World Mission Society Church of God for $4.2 million.

St. Bonaventure University received part of Christ The King's library, wishing to maintain the Seminary's legacy in Allegany.

A list of archival materials from the seminary can be found here.
Check out more of St. Bonaventure University's history in our Archives' sites.

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Material from For the Spread of the Kingdom: A History of Chirst the King Seminary by Dennis A. Castillo (2007)