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Pontifical North American College

The Pontifical North American College (NAC) is a Catholic institution in Rome, Italy, providing housing and formation for seminarians. Founded by Pope Pius IX in 1859 to increase the number of American priests, most of the NAC seminarians come from the United States. The NAC also provides a residence for priests pursuing graduate work in Rome, and has a continuing education program for older priests.

History
Background In 1854, Cardinal Gaetono Bedini, the secretary general of the Sacred Congregation for the Propagation of the Faith wrote to Cardinal Giacomo Antonelli expressing concern about American Catholics, most of whom were European immigrants. Bedini feared that many immigrants would leave the church due to strong anti-Catholic sentiment in the United States, plus aggressive evangelization by Protestant sects. He believed that these Catholics needed more priests to provide this increasing Catholic population with support and education. However, Bedini felt that priests brought in from Europe would only cause more tensions. Bedini's solution was to create a North American seminary in Rome, funded by American bishops, to train American priests. The plan faced opposition from some American bishops as well as from officials in the Roman Curia. However, Pope Pius IX, a Bedini ally, agreed with the plan and ordered its implementation. 19th century The North American College seminary was founded in 1859 by Pope Pius IX.