First University of Saint Mary of the Lake When
William Quarter arrived in Chicago, Illinois, in 1844 to serve as the first bishop of the Diocese of Chicago, he obtained in December of that year a state charter to establish the University of Saint Mary of the Lake. His priority was to educate more native-born seminarians to become priests. After obtaining the charter, he raised $3,000 during a trip to the East Coast for the college. Construction was started in October 1845 and completed in July 1846. During the later 1840s and early 1850s,
James Oliver Van de Velde had frequent conflicts with the university administrators, all of whom came from Holy Name Parish in Chicago. In 1852, Van de Veldt offered administration of Saint Mary to the
Fathers of the Holy Cross at the
University of Notre Dame. The order declined the offer until 1856, when Bishop
Anthony O'Regan persuaded them to take over the university. The university had grown to 35 students by 1857 and 120 by 1859. However, the university struggled financially and the Fathers of the Holy Cross left in 1861. In 1863, Chicago bishop
James Duggan laid the foundation for a new building at the university. The diocese also established schools of medicine and law at the institution. However, the university suddenly closed in 1866 due to its financial problems. The seminary remained open there until 1868. The campus was then converted into an orphanage. The facility was destroyed during the
1871 Chicago Fire.
Saint Mary of the Lake Seminary In 1921, Bishop
George Mundelein opened Saint Mary of the Lake Seminary, using the 1844 state charter of the previous University of Saint Mary of the Lake. The new facility was sited in what is today
Mundelein, Illinois. Like Bishop Quarter in 1844, Mundelein wanted to prepare American seminarians from all different ethnic groups to become priests. In 1926, the archdiocese opened the Chapel of the Immaculate Conception on the seminary campus, designed by Chicago architect
Joseph W. McCarthy. In 1926, the seminary hosted the
28th International Eucharistic Congress. In September 1929, the
Sacred Congregation for Seminaries and Universities in Rome granted a charter to Saint Mary, allowing it to grant pontifical academic degrees. In 1934, this authority became permanent. Saint Mary became the first
pontifical university in the United States. Monsignor
Reynold Henry Hillenbrand served as rector of Saint Mary from 1936 to 1944.
Niles College/Mundelein Seminary/Saint Mary In 1961,
Albert Meyer split up the seminary programs for the archdiocese: • Niles College was established in
Niles, Illinois as a two-year
liberal arts program for seminarians. • Mundelein Seminary was created on the Saint Mary Campus in Mundelein, Illinois. It provided second and third year college classes in philosophy for seminarians, followed by a four-year theology curriculum. Cardinal
John Cody transferred the undergraduate programs of both Niles and Mundelein to
Loyola University of Chicago. They became part of the new Niles College of Loyola University. Cody designated Saint Mary (Mundelein) as a graduate school of theology. In 1971, Saint Mary affiliated with the
Association of Theological Schools. Cody appointed Thomas J. Murphy as the fifth rector of Saint Mary on September 15, 1973. In 1976, Saint Mary inaugurated a
Doctor of Ministry degree and celebrated the 50th anniversary of its first ordinations. Cardinal
Joseph Bernardin later revised the graduate program at Saint Mary to bring it in compliance with the
Program of Priestly Formation, written by the
US Conference of Catholic Bishops. In 1986, Bernardin opened the Center for Development in Ministry at Saint Mary. The new center provided continuing education for clergy, religious and laity.
Second University of Saint Mary of the Lake In 1986, Saint Mary of the Lake Seminary returned to its original name of the University of Saint Mary of the Lake (USML). The archdiocese officially renamed the USML graduate school as Mundelein Seminary. In 1996, Mundelein Seminary was visited by members of the Bishops' Committee on Seminaries. After meeting with faculty and students, the committee sent the US Conference of Catholic Bishops a positive report on the Mundelein program. Cardinal
Francis George in February 2000 transferred the following three archdiocesan programs of ministry formation to Mundelein Seminary: • Lay Ministry Formation Program • Diaconate Formation Program •
Instituto de Liderazgo Pastoral (Pastoral Leadership Institute) The archdiocese transferred the Center for Development in Ministry to the archdiocesan Pastoral Center. Mundelein Seminary now became the center for the formation of priests, deacons and lay people. In 2023, USML established the School of Parish Leadership and Evangelization. This school took over the functions of the Institute of Diaconal Studies, the
Instituto de Liderazgo Pastoral, the Liturgical Institute, and the Institute of Pastoral Leadership.
University of Saint Mary of the Lake/Mundelein Seminary The board of advisors in 2000 decided to rename the institution as the University of Saint Mary of the Lake / Mundelein Seminary. This follows the style of most pontifical universities, which have a formal name and a common name. Also in 2000, Cardinal George established the Liturgical Institute at USML In 2007, USML published
The Mundelein Psalter. It is the first complete one-volume edition containing the approved English-language texts of the
Liturgy of the Hours, with
psalms that are pointed for the chanting of the Divine Office.
Monsignor Dennis J. Lyle was succeeded on July 1, 2012, as rector and president of USML by
Robert Barron. Thomas A. Baima was named the vice-rector for academic affairs. On September 22, 2012, Sara Butler, a USML professor and a member of the
International Theological Commission, became a papally-appointed expert at the 13th Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops on the New Evangelization. On December 3, 2012, Elizabeth Nagel was appointed to succeed John G. Lodge as president of the Pontifical Faculty of Theology. In 2021, USML celebrated its centennial. Approximately 116 seminarians from 24 dioceses were enrolled that year, despite the
COVID-19 pandemic. USML received another grant from the endowment in April 2024 for $1.25 million to assist the School of Parish Leadership & Evangelization. ==Campus==