Archbishop Quigley Preparatory Seminary was an American seminary preparatory school administered by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago for young men considering the priesthood. Located in downtown Chicago at 103 East Chestnut Street, adjacent to Loyola University Chicago's Water Tower campus, it closed in 2007, and became the Archbishop Quigley Center in 2008. Between 1961 and 1990, the seminary was split into two campuses: Quigley South and Quigley North, with Quigley North housed at the original building. The south campus was closed in 1990, with all seminary operations returning to the original building. The predecessor of the school, Cathedral College of the Sacred Heart, was founded in 1905. Cardinal George Mundelein announced plans in 1916 for the building of a preparatory seminary at Rush and Chestnut streets in downtown Chicago, and named the school in honor of his predecessor, Archbishop James Edward Quigley. Echoing the educational theories of Johann Wolfgang Goethe, Mundelein surrounded Quigley students with great architectural beauty: "'This will unquestionably be the most beautiful building here in Chicago, not excluding the various buildings of the University of Chicago.'" Quigley's Chapel of St. James, with stained glass modeled after Sainte-Chapelle in Paris, was dedicated on the 75th anniversary of the Archdiocese of Chicago and the 25th anniversary of Mundelein's priestly ordination on 10 June 1920. Designed by architect Zachary Taylor Davis, with stained glass by Robert Giles of the John J. Kinsella Company of Chicago, it has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1996. The American Institute of Architects Guide to Chicago has termed the stained glass of the Quigley Chapel "dazzling." The Quigley seminaries have educated almost 2,500 priests, two cardinals, over forty-one bishops, two Vatican II periti, separate recipients of the Medal of Honor and the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland, and, in sports, two members of the Basketball Hall of Fame.

Early history

1900 to 1910

The first minor seminary in Chicago was Cathedral College of the Sacred Heart. When bishop James Quigley was appointed archbishop of Chicago in 1903, the archdiocese had only 417 diocesan priests and 149 religious order priests to serve 252 parishes. Anticipating the need for more priests, Quigley formulated plans for Cathedral College, to be located in the center of Chicago. He recruited Reverend Francis Purcell to head the new minor seminary. Cathedral College followed the European practice of Saturday classes with Thursday as a day off. The college charged no tuition for the first 52 freshmen students. All applicants had to be nominated by their parish priests. The faculty had nine priests, most of whom were Irish or German. The college provided financial aid to indigent students. By 1905, the seminary had 42 students taught by 10 faculty members.

1910 to 1920

Cathedral College quickly grew from one to three buildings. Quigley realized that the archdiocese needed to build a larger minor seminary, but the Cathedral College site was too small for expansion. However, Quigley's failing health prevented him from starting the seminary construction. Prior to his death, Quigley shared his plans for the new seminary with his successor, Auxiliary Bishop George Mundelein from the Diocese of Brooklyn. After becoming archbishop of Chicago in 1916, Mundelein wrote to the priests in the archdiocese regarding the new minor seminary; "'It is for this reason that in several of the dioceses of the country, the bishops have established the more modern form of the preparatory seminary, where the young boy selected from among his companions by the pastor or confessor, who discerns in him the probable signs of a vocation, the piety, application and intelligence which is required for the candidate for the holy priesthood, even while remaining in the sacred circle of the home and under the watchful eye of a pious mother, is placed apart and educated with those who only look forward to that same great work in life, the priestly field of labor, keeping daily before his mind the sublime vocation of the priesthood, preserving him pure and pious by constant exhortation, by daily assistance at the Holy Sacrifice and by frequent reception of the sacraments.'"Mundelein then described the new minor seminary for the archdiocese;"'The buildings are to be in the early French Gothic style of architecture and by reason of the distinct individuality and prominent location, will form a place of interest, not only to visitors, but to all lovers of the City Beautiful. The group will be composed of a main college building, and two ornate wings will be one the chapel, the other the library and gymnasium.'" In early 1916, Mundelein purchased land on Rush Street in Chicago for the new minor seminary. The groundbreaking ceremony was held in November 1916 and the cornerstone was laid in September 1917. The new minor seminary, named the Quigley Memorial Preparatory Seminary, started classes in September 1918, with Purcell as its rector. Cathedral College was closed. Quigley Seminary was established with a five-year program of study. Like Cathedral College, it was a day school, so that its students "would never lose contact with their heritage, their families, their Church."

1920 to 1930

Enrollment at Quigley grew rapidly, topping over 600 students in 1922 in a facility designed for 500. The archdiocese built a new wing in the Flemish-Gothic style in 1925, raising the seminary's capacity to 500 students. As rector, Purcell established a school newspaper, The Candle, and Le Petit Seminaire, the seminary yearbook. He also created the Cathedral Choristers, a boys' choir that sang at Sunday masses at Holy Name Cathedral. Students activities included the catechists, who served at local parishes and the Beadsmen, a student group that prayed the rosary during free time. Basketball was the most popular intramural and interscholastic sport.

1930 to 1940

When Purcell left Quigley in 1931, the Quigley faculty had increased to 42 teachers with a student body of 1,030. Quigley's priest faculty were expected to live in the archdiocese, so as to keep a parish and priestly connection. Purcell was succeeded as rector in 1931 by Monsignor Philip Francis Mahoney, who resigned due to poor health in 1934. Mundelein then asked the Quigley faculty for their recommendations on a replacement. During the next faculty meeting, Mundelein named Reverend Malachy P. Foley as the new rector. As rector, Foley urged the faculty to earn graduate degrees and regularly met with students to evaluate their classroom performance. According to Koenig's account, Foley "maintained Quigley as a seminary that saw itself as second to no other high school." On May 18, 1937, speaking to 500 priests at a diocesan conference at Quigley, criticized the German Chancellor Adolf Hitler, the Propaganda Minister Joseph Goebbels, and Reichsmarschall Hermann Göring. Mundelein condemned the Nazi leaders for using the pretext of "immorality" and sexual scandals to attack Catholic religious orders, organizations and schools in Germany. He stated: "The fight is to take the children away from us. If we show no interest in this matter now, if we shrug our shoulders and mutter, 'Maybe there is some truth in it, or maybe it is not our fight;' if we don't back up our Holy Father (Pope Pius XI) when we have a chance, well when our turn comes we, too, will be fighting alone. . . . Perhaps you will ask how it is that a nation of sixty million people, intelligent people, will submit in fear to an alien, an Austrian paperhanger, and a poor one at that I am told, and a few associates like Goebbels and Göring who dictate every move of the people's lives..." In response, Goebbels demanded that the Vatican discipline Mundelein, which it refused to do. Nazi attacks on Catholic institutions intensified and the regime closed 200 Catholic newspapers. Mundelein personally recruited Catholic families to send their sons to Quigley. In a 1938 speech to a meeting of the Holy Name Society at Holy Name Cathedral, Mundelein said: "Our place is beside the poor, behind the working man. They are our people; they build our churches, they occupy our pews, their children crowd our schools, our priests come from their sons. They look to us for leadership, but they look to us, too, for support." Wanting to Americanize the many ethnic groups in the archdiocese, Mundelein used Quigley to break down ethnic barriers among the clergy. However, Polish groups did win a concession, requiring Polish students at Quigley to learn the Polish language, a practice that continued until 1960.

1940 to 1958

In 1944, Monsignor John W. Schmid, a Quigley alumnus, was named as the seminary's fourth rector. Schmid expanded the language curriculum, sending faculty members to study in Mexico, Canada, and Europe. He also added sciences and physical education to the curriculum. By the early 1950s, the enrollment had grown to 1,300. Schmid began planning for another expansion of Quigley, After Schmid retired in 1955,Cardinal Samuel Stritch named Monsignor Martin M. Howard, another Quigley graduate, as rector on May 18, 1955. Howard's top priority as rector was curriculum reform. Quigley was still using the five-year minor seminary curriculum with the "Sulpician language-school model" that was started by Purcell 50 years earlier. However, it was inadequate for current seminarians, who needed two years of high school along with the first two years of college. After consultations with Howard and the Quigley faculty, Stritch created a new seminary plan for the archdiocese. It included: In the meantime, the archdiocese rented the Ogden School from the Chicago Board of Education as an annex to handle the overflow of Quigley's 1,300 students.

1958 to 1970

Stritch's successor, Cardinal Albert Meyer, continued with the seminary overhaul plan. The archdiocese opened the new seminary high school, Quigley Preparatory Seminary South, at 77th Street and Western Avenue, in 1961, with Howard as its first rector. The new seminary was located on 40 acre campus that included the Quigley South Chapel of the Sacred Heart. Meyer dedicated Quigley South on September 13, 1962. The original Quigley Memorial Preparatory Seminary now became the Quigley Preparatory Seminary North, with Monsignor John P. O'Donnell, a Quigley graduate, as its rector. The college seminary, later known as Niles College, opened in late 1961. For a short period in the early 1960s, the two Quigley campuses held joint events, including graduation ceremonies, to instill among the students the spirit of sharing one school. As rector of Quigley North, O'Donnell encouraged his faculty to seek graduate degrees from many universities. Meyer continued the practice of appointing priests as faculty at the two Quigley seminaries, believing that "young seminarians needed a good number of priest-models to make an intelligent decision about their vocations." In 1965, Quigley North earned accreditation from the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools. Both seminaries took steps to introduce Advanced Placement classes in their curriculums. During the 1960's, Quigley North and South started experiencing declines in enrollment. Quigley North saw its freshman class decline from 256 in 1962 to 130 in 1967. In 1966 and 1968, the two seminaries instituted several policy changes: The seminaries also made changes that allowed its students membership in the National Honor Society.

1970 to 1980

Cardinal John Cody announced in 1970 a new admissions policy for the Quigley seminaries. The original admission requirement, set by Mundelein in 1916, was that Quigley students be educated by priests. Under the admissions reforms, the two seminaries would admit; The new admissions policy also indicated that Quigley North and South should "emphasize the fact that they are contemporary seminaries primarily concerned with the development and encouragement of vocations to the priesthood", and that "a vigorous campaign should be begun, especially on the part of priests, to enroll qualified students." On October 5, 1979, on a papal visit to the United States, Pope John Paul II delivered three speeches at Quigley South. One speech was directed to the American hierarchy, a second speech to the sick, and the third one to the student bodies of Quigley North and South. In his speech to the seminarians, the pope said:"During your years in the minor seminary, you have the privilege of studying and deepening your understanding of the faith. Since Baptism you have lived the faith, aided by your parents, your brothers and sisters, and the whole Christian community. And yet today I call upon you to live by faith even more profoundly. For it is faith in God which makes the essential difference in your lives and in the life of every priest. Be faithful in your daily prayers; they will keep your faith alive and vibrant. Study the faith diligently so that your knowledge of Christ will continually increase. And nourish your faith each day at Mass, for in the Eucharist you have the source and greatest expression of our faith.God bless you. 1981–1987 Vianney Hall Experiment" To appeal to suburban enrollment, Quigley North, under the leadership of then Rector Rev. Donald Cusack, established in 1981 an off-campus residence hall called St. John Vianney Hall on the grounds of Angel Guardian Orphanage (AGO) at 2001 West Devon in Chicago's Rogers Park neighborhood. This site sequestered one building in the AGO complex to house and board students from the hinterland of Chicago, Monday through Fridays, during the academic school calendar. All four Quigley classes were represented in these six years. The Vianney priest faculty included Frs. Barnum and Devereaux, who lived at Vianney full-time. Laymen, typically Loyola University students, were offered room and board in exchange for limited duties of moderating the daily activities of residence life, provide curfew enforcement and supervision of the hall members. The suburbs and exurbs were represented: Maywood, Gurnee, Hoffman Estates, Hillside, Olympia Fields, Buffalo Grove, Waukegan, Oak Park, River Grove, Park Ridge and Skokie. From 1981 to 1985, one hall member even came all the way from Bristol, Wisconsin, attending all 4 years at Quigley North while residing at Vianney Hall. The dorm life was regimented by the priests, providing a general wake up call at 6:30 AM, Chapel service at 7 AM, followed by breakfast, hot or cold, prepared by a cook. Classes began at 8:45 AM. The CTA was the student's "green and cream limousine." The 155 Devon, 151 Sheridan 147 Express and L trains sped the students to Michigan Avenue and Chestnut. Curfew for returning to the hall was 5:30 PM for dinner. Study hours were 6-8 PM, followed by an evening Chapel service, then free time until "lights out" at 10-10:30 PM. A public phone was supplied. Chapel service was a reading of the day's Scriptures and minutes of silent contemplation. An amenity at AGO was a pristine full basketball court (once used by the Chicago Bulls prior to Michael Jordan's arrival) which was perfect for recreation and exercise after a full day's scholastic endeavor. Underclass students were 2 to a room and the Upperclass students were given single rooms. Only one student, Jeff Calabrese of Gurnee, was to have completed all 4 years of education while living at Vianney Hall from the Fall of 1982-Spring of 1986. The residence life included a compulsory chore night: Thursday evening. Laundry, showers and lavatory, kitchen, and recreation areas, etc., were cleaned and repaired from the week's use. The residence opportunity facilitated a true '"'college prep" atmosphere. Students, as young as 14, were encouraged to care for one's self with limited supervision. To live in the city's North side, travel its Gold Coast, be schooled in a castle feet from the Mag Mile without daily parental imperatives was an accelerated track to young adulthood, save a Vocation's consideration. However, due to financial strains coupled to limited Niles College of Loyola enrollment from the roster of Vianney Hall, the experiment was abandoned. The opportunity for residence life was eliminated in 1987. Some students chose to live in nearby parishes or commit to the lengthy commute. In all, some 20-30 youth spent a portion of their QN careers as residence of Vianney. Remarkably, this annex of QN was barely recognized by the student body as a whole or by faculty. Its mention, existence and mission were somewhat "conspicuous by absence." The progressive creation of a dormitory system to augment vocations was vanguard, and Quigley's only departure from the day-school model established by Mundelein. When Jeff Calabrese mentions that he "lived at high school", he still conjures up New England wealthy and upper middle class institutions' sole ability to afford this option: live at school. Yet humble Quigley North took courage of its conviction and supplied the avenue for this unique and counter-cultural stance to house its students.

1980 to 2007

In 1983, Reverend Thomas Franzman, the rector of Quigley North, reported that "45% of our seniors headed on to Niles College [the college seminary]." By 1989, both Quigley North and South were experiencing steep declines in enrollment and a large reduction in the number of graduates entering the priesthood. Cardinal Joseph Bernardin closed both Quigley North and Quigley South in December 1989 and in June 1990 opened a new Archbishop Quigley Seminary at the site of Quigley North. For several weeks in early 1990, Quigley students and alumni picketed the archbishop's residence in Chicago to protest the closings. A group bought a full-page ad in the Chicago Sun-Times opposing the actions, The Order of St. Augustine purchased the Quigley South campus from the archdiocese for St. Rita of Cascia High School. The new Archbishop Quigley Preparatory Seminary was recognized by U.S. News & World Report in 1999 as one of 96 outstanding high schools in America. During the period 1984–1993, Quigley graduated an average of 5.5 students per year who completed the remaining eight years leading to ordination. As of 2006, with an enrollment of 183 students, Quigley was the largest of the seven remaining preparatory seminaries in the country. Daily attendance at Mass was required of Quigley students for the greater part of the 20th century, following Mundelein's letter of 1916 and John Paul II's 1979 direction quoted above, but the practice declined during the early 90s, when a weekly mass was instituted. However, when Reverend Peter Snieg was appointed rector in 2001, per Cardinal George's decision, prayer was the centerpiece of Quigley once again. Since academic school year of 2000–01, Mass had been an integral part of spiritual growth, being required three days a week with Monday morning prayer and Friday afternoon prayer to begin and end each week. The archdiocese announced on September 19, 2006, that Quigley would closed in June 2007. After one year of renovation, the site became the Quigley Pastoral Center, containing the offices of the archbishop's curia and relative church bodies, with a "Quigley Scholars" program being established to support priestly vocations among high school boys.

Culture and Traditions

Notable alumni

Bishops

Other Clergy

Secular