Our History

In 1965, near the end of the Second Vatican Council, Holy Trinity Seminary was founded by the Most Reverend Thomas K. Gorman, the bishop of what was then known as the Diocese of Dallas-Fort Worth.

Bishop Gorman established Holy Trinity Seminary in association with the University of Dallas in order that seminarians might receive human formation and a sound education within the Catholic intellectual tradition provided by the curriculum and student life of the University of Dallas. His leadership—supported by the priests, religious and laity of North Texas—helped to give Holy Trinity Seminary a firm beginning with the vision that today’s candidate for the priesthood must secure his academic training in association with young people preparing for life in other fields.

Holy Trinity Seminary was an eight year seminary from its inception in 1965 until 1986, providing both collegiate and theological formation and education for seminarians from dioceses across the United States of America. In 1986, Bishop Thomas A. Tschoepe, bishop of the Diocese of Dallas at that time, and Bishop Joseph A. Fiorenza, bishop of the Diocese of Galveston-Houston at that time, agreed to cooperate in the work of seminary formation by maintaining a collegiate program of formation at Holy Trinity Seminary and a graduate program of theological formation at St. Mary’s Seminary in Houston.

In 2023, the propaedeutic stage was added to the seminary’s formation program.  This propaedeutic stage of formation provides seminarians a year to focus on their relationship with Christ through prayer, trust, evangelization, and fraternity and allows them to lay a foundation for a new way of life centered in Christ.  All men who enter seminary for their first year of formation must spend a year in this propaedeutic stage prior to moving on to the discipleship stage of formation.

Throughout its history, Holy Trinity Seminary has been blessed to prepare men for the priesthood for more than 40 arch/dioceses across 18 states reaching out to over 14 million Catholics.

1965 – 1968    Very Reverend Edward R. Maher

1968 – 1969    Very Reverend Charles Bernard King

1969 – 1976    Reverend Monsignor Gerald A. Hughes

1976 – 1982    Reverend Monsignor Michael J. Sheehan

1982 – 1987    Reverend Monsignor Charles W. Elmer

1987 – 1989    Very Reverend Joseph Correnti

1989 – 1996    Very Reverend Thomas M. Cumiskey, O.P.

1996 – 2008    Reverend Monsignor Michael G. Duca

2008 – 2013    Reverend Monsignor Michael Olson

2013 – 2014    Reverend Monsignor J. Gregory Kelly

2014 – 2022    Very Reverend James Swift, C.M.

2022 – Present    Very Reverend Vincent C. Anyama