Secluded, Prepared, and Committed for a Safe Fall 2020

Saint Joseph Seminary College is a secluded community with limited public access and a spacious, 1,200 acre open grounds campus, which will provide our seminarians the safe environment needed to enjoy their learning and social experiences without worry. Social distancing measures are being kept in mind, and include:

  • Our single-occupancy dormitory rooms, many of which have private bathroom facilities, allows us the confidence to welcome students back this fall to a healthy living environment.

  • With enrollment expected to be no more than 124 seminarians, our small class sizes and large classrooms will allow us to conduct in-person instruction. Once our seminarians arrive, they will be a part of this remote community and safely live here on campus.

  • Classrooms will be set with single desks spaced appropriately for safe distancing.

  • Communal prayer and Mass will be held in the Abbey Church which is approximately 12,000 sq. ft. This will allow ample spacing between seminarians, and our academic facilities have all been configured to avoid gatherings of larger groups.

  • We have thoughtfully planned for all activities on campus and all will be conducted with the safety of our seminarians in mind.

Saint Joseph Seminary College has prepared all buildings on our campus to improve the safety of all spaces for our seminarians. Measures instituted include:

  • We have placed hand-sanitizing stations throughout the campus including all public spaces, classroom buildings, and entryways to the dormitories.

  • Our janitorial crew will be sanitizing all areas of the campus where people congregate with professional misting sanitizers daily.

  • Our food service provider (SAGE) has re-examined and reconfigured every element of meal service in our refectory to minimize the risk of spreading the contagion, including:

  1. Requiring servers and staff to complete temperature checks and a questionnaire prior to reporting to their assigned duty.

  2. Providing ample social distancing in the refectory, with area traffic directed to provide the least contact possible.

Saint Joseph Seminary College is committed to welcome our seminarians back to campus! We have put into place protocols, to ensure that all our seminarians remain diligent in monitoring their health, including:

  • Temperature checks will be self-conducted daily and reported to the Office of Student should it be elevated above 99.8 degrees Fahrenheit.

  • Permission to leave campus will be required and while off-campus, it will be requested that seminarians wear a mask in public.

  • The Office of Student Health, which will be staffed two (2) days a week with a registered nurse, will be available to offer on-campus medical care and COVID-19 testing if needed.

  • We have designated private dormitory rooms with baths for quarantine facilities should this be necessary.

  • Care for seminarians will be given while in quarantine with food and sacraments being made available by our Student Government Association Apostolic Committee.