Seminary symbol

St. John Vianney Seminary

1961-1974

St. John Vianney Seminary was established by the Diocese of Buffalo as a school where young men earned an academic and religious education, preparing them to enter into the Catholic priesthood. In 1959, this new seminary was announced as a necessity for the city of Buffalo after the Seminary of Our Lady of Angels was relocated to Albany, New York. The seminary was built from the years 1960-61.

Construction for the Seminary took about a year beginning in September, 1960, and welcomed its first group of students starting in September, 1961. St. John Vianney Seminary offered classes in both traditional academia and religion, which would have been a challenging and rigorous schedule for the young men. Rev. John Lambert Rowan, O.F.M., the previous Rector of Christ the King Seminary at St. Bonaventure University, would become St. John Vianney's first Rector in May 1960. The goal of the Seminary was to educate and develop these young men so they would feel confident in themselves when it came time for graduation and they transitioned to either a Master's in Theology or the Catholic priesthood.

There became a concern for some seminaries in Buffalo being able to remain open due to funding for some of their programs. A proposed combination of Christ the King and St. John Vianney seminaries occured in May, 1974. The proposal was accepted by Christ the King on August 11th, and over a month later on September 27, 1974, the Charter Addendumm entitled "Relocation to East, Aurora, New York," was approved. These seminaries underwent the combination and would keep the name Christ the King Seminary in September, 1974.

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)

The Little Seminary of Saint Joseph and the Little Flower was a preparatory school for boys before they can apply to and attend St. John Vianney Seminary. This photo is the cover of the yearbook issue from the 1953-54 school year, displaying the seminary's exterior.	Above is a collection of photos showing the academic and recreational activities that the boys would participate in. Below is a photo of the friar faculty who worked and taught at the Seminary.

The Little Seminary of Saint Joseph and the Little Flower was established in 1926 in Buffalo, New York by the Diocese of Buffalo. It was created as a a small preparatory school that was aimed to provide a space for young boys to attend who were planning on a future in priesthood. They would gain a background in religious education before coming of age to apply to enter the convent.

The Diocese wanted to offer this form of scholarship that emphsized the importance of a liberal arts education. These boys would learn the skills of balance and discipline through their experiences learning religious studies in the classrooms, along with attending their daily mass. While academics was a primary focus, the seminary was a place for boys to participate in recreational activities so that they could become well-rounded young men. The faculty was made up of a group of priests and other religion teachers who wanted to help these young boys develop into young men, ready to enter into the world of Catholicism.

Due to this preparatory seminary's success in the early 20th century, the Diocese called for its expansion into a new, larger, building. In the late 1950s, The Little Seminary of Saint Joseph and the Little Flower was newly organized and re-named St. John Vianney Seminary. It became a college-like academy for boys who from there would either earn a Masters in Theology, or directly enter the Catholic priesthood.

A list of archival materials from the seminary can be found here.

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This page was create by Kayla Krupski as part of and archival internship during the Fall 2025 semester.